Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Before I go pick up the countertop for the galley next weekend, does anybody have any better alternatives to a standard kitchen countertop. I'm not worried about saving $$$, I'm getting it for $2.00/ft, but am thinking about weight savings etc.

Could get pine or cedar and polyurethane it and just trim out the edge. If you epoxy the edges of the sink cutout it should be fine.

deryk

I hope the resolution on your computer is better than mine. If you can see the counter top in this pic it is the inside panel in a large prefinished cabinet door. I carefully sawed off the rails and stiles and used them for the back and side splash as well as a support leg.

I do not know if it is space saving but mine is stainless steel. Underneath it is 3/4 plywood due only to the fact my tear is 6" wide. I had it cut and bent at a local weld shop for a little less than 100.00.(that included them cutting out the hole for sink) The nice thing about ss it is easy to clean and we can but very hot items on it without burning or staining.

You could get some linoleum and make your own counter. I used linoleum I got from HD for the sink and the dinette. I had to order it as they didn't have anything I liked in stock but it only took a week or so to get there.




Bruce

bdosborn wrote:You could get some linoleum and make your own counter. I used linoleum I got from HD for the sink and the dinette. I had to order it as they didn't have anything I liked in stock but it only took a week or so to get there.


Bruce

Do you have a better pic of the counter top edge? How did you finish it?

I just put a number of layers of poly over ply and trimed the edge out. Works for me...but then again...I've found I do almost all of my cooking on picnic tables away from the trailer. The trailer galley is more for storage and for setting stuff out.

I used a laminate trimming bit in a router:

DIY Laminate Counter Top

Bruce

I used laminate flooring (ceramic tile pattern) for my countertop and have been pleased with the appearance and durability. I had the flooring scraps on hand which factored into my decision.

It requires a fairly substantial base to prevent flexing, though. If you add the weight of the "sub-flooring" to the laminate, I think there's a bit of weight savings but not dramatic.

Juneaudave wrote:I've found I do almost all of my cooking on picnic tables away from the trailer.

I would too with a galley that pretty.


Bruce

From the sound of it, my cheapy counter top will be a decent solution. Olnly $2.00/foot, and all I have to is put it in.

If your wondering, its factory second material. A whole pile of 10' pieces, most with a good 6'-7' of good clear surface. Thanks for the sugestions though It just boils down to minimal weight savings for more cash and more work.

Its hard to beat a plastic laminate ctop.
I have tons of mill ends of laminate in my shop, probably 50 different colors and I am sure most cabinet shops have falldown big enough for a gally counter. If you want to save weight, you can't beat a 3/4" or less plywood top with a built up front edge and overlaid with plastic laminate.

When I was renovating my bathroom, I had a high gloss bath panel - laminate faced board - and had to router out a channel in the back, to allow fitting the waste trap cable mechanism. And that has given me an idea....

How about going with your "standard kitchen countertop" idea, but before you install it, use a router to 'honeycomb' the reverse. You could cut through about 2/3 of the thickness, leaving a grid of full depth - around all edges, and at regular spaces.

Dont know if I've explained that at all clearly, but if you get what I mean it will be almost as strong as original but maybe 25% lighter.

Just a thought!

I used pre finished man made hardwood flooring (1/3 " thick) and glued the tongue and grooves together. Very light and strong.

I started at the front of this table and finished it at the wall. In the photo it is only partly finished.




I used it on more than table tops.

dh wrote:From the sound of it, my cheapy counter top will be a decent solution. Olnly $2.00/foot, and all I have to is put it in.

If your wondering, its factory second material. A whole pile of 10' pieces, most with a good 6'-7' of good clear surface. Thanks for the sugestions though It just boils down to minimal weight savings for more cash and more work.

Where did you obtain these "factory seconds"?