After a frustrating time getting the other mitered side of the countertops connected and aligned, it was time to work on the peninsula side of the countertop. I did not have the same amount of a cabinet opening as the other side, so I expected more aggravation. I was not disappointed.
Using the same process as before, (since that worked so well?) I struggled to get the connectors to stay in place as I try to align the two mitered pieces. Once I was satisfied, I tightened down the connectors. The joint was hardly noticeable, and the countertops aligned evenly at the joint. I was happy.
Now I needed to fit the countertop against the two walls. Where do I start? The short wall or the long wall for the sink? I would try the long wall first. But, before I could start, I forgot to tighten down the short, mitered countertop. I heard the sound of the connectors hitting the cabinet shelf. Two connectors fell out. The joint did not separate, but I noticed the two mitered pieces did not line up. The short piece was slightly higher at the joint. I tried to pound on the joint so the countertops were aligned.
I was not sure if the glue had set or the one connector was too tight, but the countertops did not move. I removed the one connector and tried aligning the pieces again. That Elmer’s® glue did its job. The countertops were glued tightly together. I was in panic mode. Could I split open the joint without ruining the countertop? If I could, how?
I decided to leave it. The lip was minor, and this was the corner that would be hidden by the coffee maker, and other appliances. I reinstalled the connectors underneath and started with fitting the countertops to the wall.
Like the countertop by the refrigerator, one part of the countertop, near the stove, needed to be flush with the cabinet below. As I pushed the counter against the wall, I discovered the wall by the peninsula was bowed out a lot.
I knew about the gap between the countertop and the wall prior to installing the new countertop. In the past, I noticed in the winter the gap got wider on this outside wall and in the summer it would return back. There still was a gap, but there was nothing I could do to fix it. I was not sure why it would move from warm to cold weather or why the wall was bowed. Nonetheless, the gap was greater than I anticipated.
I soon would discover that trying to line up this countertop with the cabinet and wall was not going to be fun.