Finito! Island Counter Top Completed and Installed!

Finito! Island Counter Top Completed and Installed!
After a great deal of sanding, I applied three coats of Behlen's Rock Hard Table Top Urethane Varnish. I used the satin variety.
The varnish sets up pretty quick so (as instructed on the label) you cannot overcoat varnish you've put down 2 minutes ago. 

This is a shot from a 6' stepladder of the finished top in the workshop. Last weekend, we had a visit from our nephew and he and our son carried the finished top to the garage, where we sat it on an old throw rugs and padded it thoroughly.

First thing is to pull the cooktop. When we built, we installed a Jenn Air three bay electric cooktop. The center bay will host either a grill or an additional set of two electric elements. 

After double checking the breaker was off, I disconnected the 6-3 w/ground feed cable. This is the size of a garden hose!

Then, it's time to pull the old top off.

We wanted 115VAC outlets accessible from the countertop, so I cut two holes, one near each end of the countertop, but accessible from underneath.  Of course, being in a kitchen, a GFCI protected outlet is required by code.

I came across a 25' spool of armored cable which promised to be a lot easier to run under the counter than would conduit. Stripping starts with "unwinding" armor sheath.

Here is the island base cabinet with the two new boxes prepped for the outlets.

After wiring the outlets, I added the braces. I opted for metal braces rather than corbel mainly from a "knee knocker" standpoint, although $7 for a metal brace also had an appeal when weighed against a $120 corbel! The GFCI is visible just behind the end brace (the end braces do not have diagonal bracing but get their stiffness from the U-channel cross section.

 

Of course, the black brackets required painted screws! I simply pushed them into cardboard and shot them with a spray can.

Theresa and I carried the new top in from the garage (don't tell my knee replacement doctor I'm pretty sure my share exceeded 25#!) and set it in place. 

Painters tape to help protect the finish as I complete the cutout for the cooktop.

Holes in each corner to begin with

Scrolling saw to complete the cutout. I slipped a piece of 2X4 under the top to keep me from accidentally hitting the cabinet base below

Here's the finished top ready for the cook top. I shimmed the top in a couple of places to achieve level and attached it using the same screws I took out of the old top.

The cook top back in place.

All the drawers, doors, elements, etc in place and tested! All is ready for service!

The nature of a urethane varnish is that it hardens with time. While we are using the countertop, we bought some placemats and are being gentle for the next week or two.
We will use this top for the next few months and make the decision then whether to go ahead and start on the L-shaped main counter top. Stay tuned!