Hardwood Desk Top Installation: Standing Desk Frames or Desk Frames
**No glues, construction adhesives, epoxies, or similar should be used at any time when installing butcher block countertops**
These adhesives will inhibit hardwood's natural movement and will create tension in the top and/or what it is adhered to, leading to warping or cracking in your top or damage to your cabinet's frame or base's structure.
We build every piece to have a distinct top and bottom. This should be apparent either from the appearance of your piece or the top edge profile. We ship every piece top side up, but if you have any questions about orientation, don't hesitate to reach out to one of our staff members.
1. Acclimating your hardwood top:
Once received, bring your top into the area where it will be installed, unwrap it, and store it flat and lifted off the ground. Since hardwood is susceptible to moisture changes in the air, it will need approx. 5 days to acclimate to your home’s climate. Your desktop should not be left uninstalled for more than 10 days, as the prolonged opportunity for wood movement will increase the risk of warp.
2. Preparing your desk frame:
Solid hardwood will continue to expand and contract over the course of its lifetime. Consequently, the installation points on your base should be able to accomodate this movement. Most desk frames will come with drilled out installation holes; if needed, you can use a large drill bit to elongate these holes (think ovals).
3. Assembling pieces that have joints:
If your piece has either a butt joint or a miter joint you should have received the wood tenons and draw bolts needed to complete this step in the process. A 5mm hex (aka Allen) key may be needed to tighten the included drawbolts.
Add a bead of flexible caulk to the inside of the joint and insert the wood tenons into the mortis milled along the inside of the joined edges on one of the pieces and bring them together. Once the pieces are together slide the draw bolts into the channels milled into the bottom of the pieces and tighten them until the pieces are snug. Remove any excess caulking that was pushed out of the top and sides of the joint. Repeat this process on any joined pieces.
*Caulking is not necessary, but it is recommended to create a sealed joint and help prevent any hidden water damage
4. Positioning your piece for installation:
Position your butcher block as it will be installed. Find the center of each hole on your frame and pre-drill into the butcher block using a drill bit adequately sized in diameter for your screws, making sure to mark your depth so as not to drill all the way through your butcher block.
5. Fastening your piece:
We recommend either using washer head screws or fitting each of your installation screws with a large fender washer. Tighten screws only to the point where they pull the butcher block snug with the cabinet– do not over-tighten. If your screw is too tight, it will prevent the wood from expanding and contracting as necessary and need to be loosened.
If your piece is 1” thick or less it is recommended that your screws thread at least half way into your piece and if your piece is 1.5” thick or greater it is recommended that at least ¾” of thread is fastened into your piece.
6. Accounting for overhang:
Most standing desk frames are built with attachment arms that span a portion of the depth of the desktop. Additional supports may be needed (i.e. cleats) for pieces that will have more than 4" of material unsupported on the front and/or back edge. Please reach out to one of our staff members with any questions regarding your overhang.
7. Care and maintenance:
Please refer to our care guides for more information on how to properly maintain the integrity of your piece.