Hi there, just wanted to share our walnut island top refinishing experience. We got our 2" thick, 72" x 36" walnut top unfinished. My finish carpenter cut the piece and routed the edges. I sanded to 320 with an orbital sander, and then finished with hand sanding. Did this outside on the covered porch because it creates such a mess (red dust everwhere). Took me a couple of hours to get it where I wanted. We then moved it into the garage (to keep smell away from kids) where I applied the waterlox finish (6 days, 6 coats). Lightly sanded b/w coats 2, 4 & 5. Directions say to get it fixed in place no later than one week after delivery to avoid warping (we did it at day 8). Make sure you do this b/c ours started to warp ever so slightly --you can only see it if you examine unerneath closely. (we live by the water and received this during a heatwave!!) I applied waterlox to all sides to further protect it from warping. After we did the underside, we flipped it and put it on boards with screws sticking out to keep it elevated while we finished the top side. It is a lot of work, but saved at least $1500 doing it myself. Here is the finished picture (we still need to do the final steel wool at the one month mark when fully cured) (excuse the mess we are getting ready for painting). we got our top at the hardwood lumber company $900 delivered. ($150 for truck delivery), but this was for 2" thick. PS I am a petite woman who is only slightly handy and I had help only to move the piece into place -- so if I can do it you can!! It was a little stressful because I was terrified I would ruin it -- but it came out fine. : ) Good luck and be patient. Here is a link that might be useful: hardwood lumber company

Thanks, everyone, for the encouragement! Exactly what I was thinking, OOTM_Mom; it's a toaster oven cubby so I likely can treat it differently than my uppers elsewhere in the kitchen. It will only be 26.5" wide so it would never do as a baking center. If I were to get rid of the toaster oven and store the KA mixer there instead, it would only be stored there, never used there. I'll have a 59" island that I'll use for baking projects. Our coffee maker is on the counter over the DW, between sink and fridge. The only other appliance we keep out is the toaster, which will stay where it currently is, on the counter by the back door; bread is stored in a drawer below it. localeater, the toaster oven vents out the sides, not out the back or top. The instructions warn that the top can get warm - it can be used as a plate warmer - but even with the upper 15" above the toaster oven, I'll still have 4.5" of clearance above it, which is more than the required side clearances, so I think it will be fine. I've checked it when it's in use and I don't feel heat emanating more than an inch or two above the oven. The bottom of the current upper never feels warm, much less hot. If I can make the cubby a little less tall, I may increase the base cab height so that the toaster oven is closer to eye level, maybe at the same height as the Advantium (48" above floor). That would give me room for either an additional drawer or taller cab storage or both below the toaster oven cubby. Perhaps something like this: [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/mill-valley-open-kitchen-and-dining-room-contemporary-kitchen-san-francisco-phvw-vp~1860951) [Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by San Francisco Design-Build Firms Nerland Building & Restoration, Inc. Notice that the venting for the toaster oven is above it. I thought maybe that was because that toaster oven vents above, not to the sides, but it sure looks like my Breville toaster oven. If so, that doesn't seem like a good idea at all. The toaster oven cubby in this kitchen is definitely less than 18" high. [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen-and-dining-traditional-kitchen-new-orleans-phvw-vp~2393877) [Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Pensacola Architects & Building Designers Dalrymple : Sallis Architecture 'Course, I've seen enough poorly designed kitchens on houzz so I shouldn't assume that if it's done in this kitchen or others, it's okay. I will definitely double check with my KD, contractor and cab maker before moving ahead with this idea.

I am not any further on the counter :) But I am still planning on using the ply as an underlay. Unless I don't, lol. The soapstone that I have on hold has a small ding in the surface. I can repair it by using epoxy and ground soapstone "crumbs". Then when dry it sands nicely and you really don't see it. I haven't actually bought the stone I have on hold, but its not going anywhere. They might have other remnants soon. I think I will drive there tomorrow and reassess the "ding" and maybe just go with it instead of waiting for something else to turn up. Just got the under cabinet LED lights installed today. I am still working on the crown at the top. I have one length in and have to cut a piece to finish it up. The space is to tight for me to fasten the crown as instructed. I am using extra strong velcro, that will hold 1lb/sqin. It has been working well for the top crown. I used velcro to attach the filler strips to the 2x4 backing at the ends of the cabinets too. It was great. The instructions for my style of crown have you attach the crown at the bottom of the uppers in a way that is not a good method. They have you directly screw through the bottom of the crown and up into the cabinet box. There is a narrow foam strip that gets applied between the crown and box which looks like it is used to block the gap between, so under cabinet lights don't show through. The foam works, but the screws don't finish flush. The screw heads are so obvious. I am going to back each screw out, one at a time, and counter sink the hole so the screw head will be recessed. Then I can cover the holes with a plug or wood filler. I would post a picture of my under cabinet lights but I haven't been able to post pictures for several days now. I don't know what gives.

ksc36/Joseph Corbett, LLC: I read the instructions and if you read it carefully, the wood block method is an alternative to use only if the clips are too long for the application ; in other words, if the clips would extend past, and sit on the cabinet side walls and keep the counter top from sitting on the cabinets. I don't think this would normally be an issue when installing a 30" sink into a 36" cabinet - both typical, standard sizes. I don't read it as an alternative technique to be used at the discretion of the installer in place of the specified technique using the Blanco instructions and hardware. In my opinion (which I have developed during my ordeal), installers will almost always use wood and screws instead of anchors and hardware because it is simply faster and easier with less chance of making a mistake - plus there's no immediate downside. The customer, unless he is watching closely and knows what he is looking at, will never know what the installer did .................until possibly months or years later. On the other hand, using the anchors requires that the counter top be turned over (bottom up) which would probably require a third installer. The installers that did my counter tops consisted of 1 installer and 1 helper - they were in my house about 2 hours. They said that they had 4 counter top installations to do and they had to be done that day. I don't know how these guys are paid but I suspect that they are paid by the job and the number of jobs they sign up for or are assigned - speed is definitely a factor in their pay. Incidentally, the men that did my installation were also upset at the mistakes in the manufacturing of my counter top requiring them to make field adjustments which ultimately resulted in my counter top not being flat and the "lippage". I tried to get their names so that I could subpoena them to small claims court but M.R.Stone, LLC would not provide their contact information.