what can I use to bridge a 3" gap between my countertop and stovetop?

Question

I replaced my old 36" gas stovetop with a smaller 30" one and there is a 3" gap on both sides of it now. I thought there would be an easy fix to the problem, but I haven't found one. The countertops are laminate, but I can not replace them... What should I do?

Answer 1

Put in a 3/4 inch thick filler of plywood.

then buy a quality piece of stainless steal cut it to the shape you make from a traced out template cut around the counter-top.

then with no flames on for 12 hours or drying time glue the stainless to the plywood inserts.

Use a high quality building building glue usually 6.95 a tube and caulking gun to glue the stainless in place. One that takes heat try home depot or sears

Let dry and you should have a cleanable useful trim that will work.

Answer 2

Put a 3" wide board* of the correct length ("depth") onto 3" wide legs of the correct height to hold the top board up. Put a board at the bottom too, for stability. i e make a skinny table box then finish as desired (paint, contact paper, laminate of your choice, an exotic wood* with the proper finish, etc). If you move the stove as necessary, you could use 2x4 (finished 3.25 - 3.5" or so, wide) pieces for an exact fit with appropriate strength.



If you want the filler table to stay ( " " ) attached to the counter, consider using a double sided tape; unless you very sparingly use a glue that you can undo if you buy a larger stove in the future. No idea what that glue would be.



Doweling connecting countertop and add-on board seems a bit much; but done right you could skip the legs (a good glue job), and store a cutting board in the gap (or keep the legs, to block the visual hole.) Cut on a table saw to get straight and true cuts, for best finish joints.



====== *Like oak, alder, black walnut,,,, for the top board. Nails or screws go down.

[..........]

[..........] legs

[..........] with the dots as placeholders in my picture

====== bottom board, with nails going up, so not seen from front.

Answer 3

He was talking about these but I don't think they are wide enough:

http://www.harrietcarter.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/categoryID/703D0423-3AA7-42B4-9C65-A956AAA1FC05/productID/FE598AA3-E2BD-41FC-9D0B-5D1EB76B9CD4

You could cut a piece of wood to jamb between the sides. There may also be metal or something you could rig up. Just ask at Lowe's or Home Depot. You could paint it with appliance paint.

Answer 4

I don't know if you ever get those home catalogues they put in front of your door.If yes then look through them I got mine through home ware.Comes in a pack of two and fits between the stove and the counter top. These are durable plastic strips and are heat proof.