Coved backsplash fabrication

[lensmith]

Dani,

I was checking out your website, looking for the photos of your preferred backsplash fabrication method, and the photos seem to have disappeared. Is it my browser, or did the source move the photos?

I'm very interested in using your system and the clamps for our new shop.

Thanks,

Len

[Dani]

Len,

The photos should be here http://www.daniclamp.com/use_examples.asp I do have more and a video on how I fabricate cove. I average a little less than 3 hr for 30 lnft and 3 inside radius corners of fabrication time.

Thanks,
Dani

[GABE]

Dani,
What is your recommend for getting wide belt "track" marks out of a Acrylic Solid Surface.

I'm considering 100 micron but only you would know.

Abrasively,
Gabe

[Dani]

Gabe,

Mfg. are sanding to P220g or 60

[GABE]

Dani,
You may have same me many Hrs. of sanding. Thanks-Gabe

[Dani]

Andy wrote:
Do you guys cove the sides of a wall-to-wall vanity top. We have in the past and it makes it for a very difficult installation. Plus with the added space between the wall and counter, it leaves a wide caulk line. Most customers don't like it much. We are considering going to a cove back and set-on sides.

Please Help me out here.
Cove sidesplash

Hi Andy,

Wall to Wall coves are very simple, a procedure I have to do on every install.

1.Make deck an 1

[Todd]

another option, especially useful if the back wall is longer than the front edge, use a field seam at a slight angle. The offset doesn't need to be more than 1/2" or so. Your scribe will be as tight as you like and no scratches on the walls.

Works for me,

TW

[lensmith]

Todd,

I'm not following you....probably because I passed forty a few years ago.

Len

[Todd]

Len,

A field seam cut perpendicular to the front edge must be opened left to right to get glue in the seam. If the seam is cut a half inch out of square, one side of the top can be pulled forward to open the seam for glue. When that side is pushed back the seam closes and you don't have an excessive gap between your scribe and the wall.

Am I making sense?

TW

[Joe Corlett]

Todd:
Your technique makes perfect sense. Let's say you have a remodel bathroom and the wallcovering can't be damaged, plus the top was 10' long, coved, with two integral bowls and a back wall longer than the front edge.
Two guys trying to huff that thing in without scuffing paper is more of a gamble than I'm willing to take. Using your offset seam method, it's now a one-man installation with almost no chance of scratching paper.
I've taken down mirrors searching for a wallcovering match to steal for a repair. No fun.

Thanks,

Joe

[Dani]

Hi Todd, Joe,

I use to do the deck seam thing, but after evaluating the time to sand and fit, sand and fit, bond the deck seam and feather in the backsplash, cove radius, deck seam, and match the shop finish, I found it was much faster to make the deck

[Todd]

Dani,

Sand and fit, sand and fit? My field seams are prepped and splash scribed in the shop. A field seam may leave more to sand out, but the glue dry time is the same, and I'm not working against the wall.

The last one I did like this would have required removing door trim and lightswitches to put it in place. It would have required a helper and we still probably would have messed up the wallpaper (if we could get it in the room).

The one before that would have required removing door trim, wall tiles and switchplates, and it would have to have been at least 3/4" undersized because the walls were that out of square.

I'd hate to have only 1/4" breathing room and find that someone overlooked some 100 year old door trim at template time.

My technique may take a few minutes longer and make more dust, but it works in every situation.

Obviously a field seam is not required in every situation.

TW

[JCouch]

Dani, I read and re-read your post and finally understood your method using the 1/8" filler strip on the side splash. I'm the newbie, so I'm still running thru problems like this in my mind, since I'm still waiting on my initial order of tools and material for my showroom displays. But now a couple of questions. Have you/do you use the same type of horizontal strip on the backsplash? Would something similar not work very well for a 'snaky' or out of square back wall? On most of our laminate installs, we scribe the laminate to match the wall variations, and then sand the laminate to fit the wall, thus minimizing the amount of caulk to hide the gap. My thoughts are that the same can be done using a 1/8" horizontal strip of SS all the way around the perimeter of the splash. And if so, what is the best way to cut a piece of SS that thin. From my limited experience with the stuff, it seems to be extremely brittle, and when cutting a piece down to, say......1/8".........it's tricky. Remember, I'm the newbie with limited tools and experience. Right now I will be cutting using a 10" table saw with a SS blade or a hand held circular saw and a straight edge. And on the subject of SS blades, what is the recommended type of blade to use when cutting SS. Number of teeth, brand you prefer, etc?

[Joe Corlett]

JCouch:
The guys at Forrest Manufacturing in New Jersey sell a solid surface blade with only forty teeth, which is heresy as far as most solid surface fabricators are concerned. I used these blades for years with excellent results.

Ripping,

Joe

[Dani]

Hi Jerry,

I scribe the backsplash in the deck to match the wall so I don't need a scribe block on the top edge. I am able to bend the backsplash 5/8" over 10 ft. also I have been using this process for over 8 yrs.

http://img246.echo.cx/img246/712/c029qr.th.jpg (http://img246.echo.cx/my.php?image=c029qr.jpg)
http://img281.echo.cx/img281/9748/c031jx.th.jpg (http://img281.echo.cx/my.php?image=c031jx.jpg)
http://img281.echo.cx/img281/2271/c062yl.th.jpg (http://img281.echo.cx/my.php?image=c062yl.jpg)
http://img281.echo.cx/img281/7626/c075fn.th.jpg (http://img281.echo.cx/my.php?image=c075fn.jpg)
http://img281.echo.cx/img281/8952/c342ko.th.jpg (http://img281.echo.cx/my.php?image=c342ko.jpg)
http://img281.echo.cx/img281/7973/c356xb.th.jpg (http://img281.echo.cx/my.php?image=c356xb.jpg)

Coves are great,

Dani

[JCouch]

AHHHHH.....a picture is worth a thousand words. You scribe the back of your deck to match the walls, then route your slot for the backsplash shoe. That was confusing me also, because I had in my mind to route the slot for the shoe first, then scribe. And I knew that would not work on a less than perfect wall. Again, you've been enormous help. Can't even begin to tell you guys how much help you've been, and I haven't even started yet. I can't wait to get all my tools and material in, because I've got two kitchens and several bath vanities in my showroom to do, plus I'm ripping out the laminate in my kitchen and putting in SS, and there is no way my wife would ever be satisfied with a 'set on' backsplash, so I will have to cove. I've been thru the fabrication process a thousand times in my mind trying to forsee any problems. I know I can't think of them all, so I guess I'll cross those bridges when I get to them.

And Dani, is your website (daniclamp.com) down? I've been trying to get out there for a couple of days to make up an order for cove sanding pads, etc and can't get there. So I'll ask the question here.....does it fit the porter cable 5" (5/16-24 thread) sander?

[Dani]

Hi Jerry,

Yes the site is down, they are installing new fiber optics and I can't even get on line all the time, hope they have everything fix soon.

As for the answer to your question, all my pads fit the porter cable I also have radius sanding pads that fit the 6" Festool.

To place an order give me a call 248 852-9248

Glad to help

Dani

[John C]

Dani,
In my experience the back wall at a coved backsplash is virtually always more crooked than I can bend a piece of SS without thermal forming. Your system will work great on very gradual deflections of the wall. How so you accomodaite multiple curves of more that 1/8" in a ln. ft. without using a scribe block on the back of the splash?
John C.

[Dani]

Hi John

Most of the time the wall has gradual deflections, but sometimes you have a 2X4 that just jumps out and hits you in the face, if so I put my Deck seam there. that way I can change the direction of my top. To this date after 8 yrs of cove installs that has fix all the problems.

Also, on that 1 in 100 job where the wall was built by three blind men with out a straight edge and two left feet, I sell my customer on a cap strip on the top edge of the backsplash, I have never had anyone say not to that.

Dani