US20050035693A1

US20050035693A1 - Solid surface countertop assembly

Info

Publication number: US20050035693A1
Application number: US10/641,272
Authority: US
Inventors: John Reamer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-08-14
Filing date: 2003-08-14
Publication date: 2005-02-17

Abstract

A countertop assembly having a solid surface countertop member with an upper surface and a bottom surface is disclosed. A supporting member and an edging member are disposed adjacent to the bottom surface of the countertop member opposite the upper surface of the countertop member. The supporting member and edging member both extend substantially along a length of the countertop member. Preferably, the edging member abuts a front surface of the supporting member substantially along an entire length of the supporting member. The edging member comprises a non-solid surface material, such as a plastic laminate material affixed to a substrate. The non-solid-surface material faces a front of the countertop assembly to form the countertop edging. The edging member is secured to the countertop member via an adhesive or via a dado cut in a bottom portion of the countertop member. In another embodiment of the present invention, the countertop assembly forms a curved countertop edging. The substrate of the edging member is preformed in a curved shape or comprises a plurality of vertical notches cut into the substrate such that said edging member is flexibly bendable.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a countertop assembly, and more specifically to a countertop assembly having a solid surface countertop member and an edging member having a non-solid surface material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Several conventional countertop assemblies are known and used. Many such conventional assemblies utilize a solid surface material such as CORIAN® as the upper surface of the countertop. CORIAN® is a well-known solid surface material which is easy to clean, stain resistant, heat resistant, long-lasting, and which is commonly available in numerous colors. Solid surface countertops also offer seamless acrylic faces with seams that are only visible from the underside of the countertop. However, solid surface materials are generally expensive.
The cost of the solid surface is exacerbated by the fact that generally a large stock sheet must be cut to obtain a much smaller edging piece. Most solid surface countertops are assembled by cutting a stock sheet of the solid surface material into the components necessary for assembly. For example, a conventional ½″×30″×145″ sheet of CORIAN® is usually cut to form the countertop member. Because the countertop member requires most of the sheet material, another sheet of CORIAN® must be cut to obtain the much smaller edging piece. Since another sheet of expensive solid surface material must be used to cut the smaller edging piece, there is often a large amount of waste of expensive material. In aggregate, the expense of using such extra sheets for the edging piece is very costly.
Several conventional countertop assemblies are known, but such countertop assemblies do not disclose any means of providing a cost effective edging for a solid surface countertop. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,183,585, issued to Kelley, discloses a method for making comers for laminate countertops having a laminate or veneer upper surface and a laminate or veneer vertical face. The method discloses an edge piece having a laminated strip and rectangular strips of another material, such as a solid surface material, secured to its face via notches. However, Kelley does not disclose a cost effective edging member for a solid surface countertop because one would still need to cut into another solid surface material sheet to obtain the rectangular strips for the edging member.
Other such conventional countertops have a solid surface deck and an edging of a different material. However, such countertops do not provide a cost effective edging piece having the appearance and quality of the solid surface countertop. For example, U.S. Publication No. 2002/0124525, by Stoffer, discloses a countertop assembly having a solid surface horizontal deck and a molded edge strip to produce a curved front edge and a method of manufacturing the assembly. The molded edge strip is mated with the deck via a plurality of ridges or recesses. The molding compound comprises appropriate resins, fillers, and pigments. While the edging piece is of a different material that the countertop surface, the molded edge strip does not have a high quality appearance.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,952, issued to Nesovic, discloses a modular countertop system adapted to use materials such as natural stone, synthetic stone-like materials, orceramics in a pre-formed modular or block form. The system has a flat unedged surface supported by a base component which has a peripheral recess. A pre-formed elongated edge facing has a rearward extending tongue which fits into the recess. Though the edge facing may be of the same or a different material than the countertop surface, the edging piece of Nesovic also does not have a high quality appearance.
Additionally, European Patent Application No. 99120846.3, by Oriseh, discloses a modular extruded countertop. Oriesh discloses a number of means of coupling an edge portion for a countertop with a longitudinal countertop component. The coupling means includes a tongue and groove connection, a tongue and groove assembly which adds a pin, a snap fit connection, or a connection having a shaft with a bulbous end that couples with a cam lock which engages the shaft. Though Oriesh discloses that the edge portion may be of the same or a different material than the coutertop surface, Oriesh does not disclose a countertop having a high quality, cost effective edge portion of a different material.
Furthermore, conventional countertop assemblies require the edging piece to be pre-formed when a curved countertop edging is desired. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,592, issued to Miskell, discloses a solid surface edge treatment method and article for installing a plurality of toruses. There is a solid surface countertop having a cantilevered edge with a tongue extending outward therefrom. The cantilevered edge defines an edge to which a user desires to attach a plurality of toruses. The toruses have a groove which is adapted to correspond with the tongue of the cantilevered edge. The toruses are fully assembled prior to being adhered to the tongue and may be formed into a torus having any angle, size, or shape which will correspond with the tongue. However, there is no margin for error with the pre-formed toruses and any imperfections in the curved portion of the edging cannot be corrected without discarding the edging pieces or reworking the pieces, both of which may require significant expense.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a solid surface countertop having a an edging member which yields a high-quality appearance, and which is optionally flexibly bendable.

SUMMARY

In view of the deficiencies described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a solid surface countertop having a an edging member which yields a high-quality appearance, and which is optionally flexibly bendable.
The present invention is a countertop assembly having a solid surface countertop member with an upper surface and a bottom surface. A supporting member and an edging member are disposed adjacent the bottom surface of the countertop member, opposite the upper surface of the countertop member. The supporting member and edging member both extend substantially along a length of the countertop member. Preferably, the edging member abuts a front surface of the supporting member substantially along an entire length of the supporting member. The edging member comprises a non-solid surface material affixed to a substrate wherein the non-solid surface material faces a front of the countertop assembly to form a countertop edging. Preferably, the non-solid surface material is a plastic laminate material such as FORMICA®. Optionally, the edging member has a front finished surface which is substantially similar in appearance to the upper surface of the countertop member or is substantially similar in appearance to an underlying cabinet.
There are multiple means to secure the edging member to the countertop member. In one embodiment, there is a dado cut in the bottom surface of the countertop member which forms a recess which extends substantially along a length of the countertop member. The dado is adapted to receive the edging member for positioning of the edging member when the edging member is raised and pressed into the dado. Preferably, the edging member is held in place within the dado via an adhesive. In another embodiment, there is no dado cut in the countertop member. Alternatively, an adhesive is used to secure the supporting member to the edging member and to secure the edging member to the supporting member.
In further embodiments of the present invention, the countertop assembly forms a curved countertop edging. In a preferred embodiment, the supporting member has a curved formation having a contoured edge which substantially follows a curved edge portion of the countertop member. The edging member is flexibly bendable to form a curved contoured edging which substantially follows the contoured edge. The edging member is flexibly bendable because a plurality of vertical notches are cut into the substrate of the edging member. In yet another embodiment, the edging member and dado are pre-formed into a mating curved formation. The dado is cut in the bottom surface of the countertop member and forms a recess which extends substantially along a length of the countertop member. The dado is curved in shape and thus is adapted to receive a similarly-shaped curved edging member. The present invention further includes a method for assembling each of the embodiments discussed herein.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the following drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a bottom view of another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of yet another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.
The present invention is a countertop assembly 10 having a solid surface countertop member 20 with an upper surface 30 and a bottom surface 40. The solid surface material is preferably CORIAN®, but may be any other suitable material. A supporting member 50 and an edging member 60 are disposed adjacent to the bottom surface 40 of the countertop member 20, opposite the upper surface 30 of the countertop member 20. The supporting member 50 and edging member 60 both extend substantially along a length of the countertop member 20. Preferably, the edging member 60 abuts a front surface 70 of the supporting member 50 substantially along a length of the supporting member 50 to form a countertop edging 80.
The edging member 60 comprises a non-solid surface material 90 affixed to a substrate 100. The non-solid surface material 90 is preferably a plastic laminate material 90, such as Vertical Grade Plastic Laminate or Formica®, or is optionally any other suitable material which provides an appearance similar in quality to the solid surface countertop member 20. Optionally, the edging member 60 has a front finished surface 65 which is substantially similar in appearance to the upper surface 30 of the countertop member 20 or is substantially similar in appearance to an underlying cabinet.
The non-solid surface material 90 is affixed to the substrate 100 by an adhesive, such as a silicone adhesive or contact cement, or via any other suitable means. The substrate 100 is preferably substantially composed of medium density fiberboard, but is optionally any other suitable material. The supporting member 50 is preferably composed of ¾ inch 45# density particle board, but is optionally any other suitable material. Preferably, the plastic laminate material 90 has a width of {fraction (1/32)} inch while the substrate 100 has a width of ¾ inch. When the edging member 60 is secured to the countertop member 20, the non-solid surface material 90 faces a front of the countertop assembly 20 to form the countertop edging 80. Preferably, a front edge 95 of the edging member 60 is set back from a front edge 105 of the countertop member 100 by a depth of ¾ inch.
There are multiple means of securing the edging member 60 to the countertop member 20. In one embodiment, there is a dado 110 cut in the bottom surface 40 of the countertop member 20 which forms a recess 120 extending substantially along a length of the countertop member 20. The dado 110 is preferably {fraction (1/16)} inch in depth and {fraction (13/16)} inch in width. The dado 110 is adapted to receive the edging member 60 for positioning of the edging member 60 when the edging member 60 is raised and pressed into the dado 110. Preferably, the edging member 60 is held in place within the dado 110 via an adhesive, such as a silicone adhesive, or via any other suitable adhesive. In another embodiment, there is no dado 110 cut in the bottom surface 40 of the countertop member 20. Alternatively, an adhesive is used to secure the components to form the countertop assembly 10. For example, an adhesive is used to adhere the supporting member 50 to the countertop member 20. The same or similar adhesive is also used to secure the edging member 60 to the supporting member 50. The adhesive may also be a silicone adhesive or any other suitable adhesive.
In further embodiments of the present invention, the countertop assembly 10 forms a curved countertop edging 130. In a preferred embodiment, the supporting member 50 has a curved formation 135 having a contoured edge 140 which substantially follows a curved edge portion 145 of the countertop member 20. The edging member 60 is flexibly bendable to form a curved contoured edging 155 which substantially follows the contoured edge 140. The edging member 60 is flexibly bendable because a plurality of vertical notches 150 are cut into the substrate 100 of the edging member 60. Preferably, the notches 150 are rectangular, but are optionally of any other suitable shape which allows the edging member 60 to be flexible.
In yet another embodiment, the edging member 60 and dado 110 are pre-formed into a mating curved formation 160. The dado 110 is cut in a curved shape in the bottom surface 40 of the countertop member 20 and forms a recess 120 which extends substantially along a length of the countertop member 20. The dado 110 is adapted to receive the edging member 60 which is flexibly bendable due to the plurality of vertical notches 150 cut in the substrate 100 of the edging member 60. The present invention further includes a method for assembling each of the embodiments discussed herein.
The present invention also includes a method for assembling a countertop assembly of the embodiments discussed herein. A preferred method of assembling a countertop assembly of the present invention comprises the steps of providing a solid surface countertop member 20 having an upper surface 30 and a bottom surface 40, disposing a supporting member 50 adjacent the bottom surface 40 of the countertop member 20 opposite the upper surface 30 and extending substantially along a length of the countertop member 20, providing an edging member 60 comprising a non-solid surface material 90 affixed to a substrate 100, disposing the edging member 60 adjacent to the bottom surface 40 of the countertop member 20 opposite the upper surface 30, extending the edging member 60 substantially along a length of the countertop member 20, and disposing the non-solid surface material 90 such that the non-solid surface material 90 faces a front of the countertop assembly 20 to form a countertop edging 130.
The solid surface material is preferably CORIAN®, but is optionally any other suitable material. The non-solid surface material 90 is preferably a plastic laminate material such as Vertical Grade Plastic Laminate or Formica®, but is optionally any other suitable material which provides an appearance similar to the solid surface countertop member 20. The non-solid surface material 90 is affixed to the substrate 100 via a contact cement or any other suitable adhesive. The substrate 100 is preferably substantially composed of medium density fiberboard. The supporting member 50 is preferably substantially composed of ¾ inch 45# density particle board. Preferably, the plastic laminate material 90 has a width of {fraction (1/32)} inch, while the substrate 100 has a width of ¾ inch. A front edge of the edging member 60 is preferably set back from a front edge of the countertop member 100 by a depth of ¾ inch. The edging member 60 preferably abuts a front surface 70 of the supporting member 50 substantially along a length of the supporting member 50 to form a countertop edging 80.
In other embodiments of the present invention, the countertop assembly 10 forms a curved countertop edging 130. A preferred method of assembling a curved countertop edging includes the steps of providing a solid surface countertop member 20 having an upper surface 30 and a bottom surface 40, disposing a supporting member 50 adjacent the bottom surface of the countertop member 20 opposite the upper surface 50 and extending substantially along a length of said countertop member 20, providing an edging member 60 comprising a non-solid surface material 90 affixed to a substrate 100, disposing the edging member 60 adjacent to the bottom surface 40 of the countertop member 20 opposite the upper surface 30, extending the edging member 60 substantially along a length of the countertop member 20, disposing the non-solid surface material 90 such that the non-solid surface material 90 faces a front of the countertop assembly 20 to form a countertop edging 130, wherein the supporting member 50 comprises a curved formation 135 having a contoured edge 140 which substantially follows a curved edge portion 145 of the countertop member 20, and wherein the edging member 20 is flexibly bendable to form a contoured countertop edging 155 which substantially follows the contoured edge 140. The edging member 60 is flexibly bendable because a plurality of vertical notches 150 are cut into the substrate 100 of the edging member 60. Preferably, the notches 150 are rectangular, but are optionally of any other suitable shape which allows the edging member 60 to be flexible.
In yet another embodiment, the edging member 60 and dado 110 are pre-formed into a mating curved formation 160. A method of assembling the mating curved formation 160 includes the steps of providing a solid surface countertop member 20 having an upper surface 30 and a bottom surface 40, disposing a supporting member 50 adjacent to the bottom surface 40 of the countertop member 20 opposite the upper surface 30 and extending substantially along a length of the countertop member 20, providing an edging member 60 comprising a non-solid surface material 90 affixed to a substrate 100, disposing said edging member 60 adjacent the bottom surface 40 of the countertop member 20 opposite the upper surface 30, extending the edging member 60 substantially along a length of the countertop member 20, disposing the non-solid surface material 90 such that the non-solid surface material 90 faces a front of the countertop assembly 10 to form a countertop edging 130, cutting a dado 110 in the bottom surface 40 of the countertop member 20 to form a recess 120 which extends substantially along a length of the countertop member 20 adapted to receive the edging member 60, and pre-forming the edging member 60 and the dado 110 into a curved formation. The edging member 60 which is flexibly bendable due to a plurality of vertical notches 150 cut in the substrate 100 of the edging member 60.
While the specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of the invention, and the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A countertop assembly comprising:

a solid surface countertop member having an upper surface and a bottom surface,

a supporting member disposed adjacent the bottom surface of said countertop member opposite the upper surface and extending substantially along a length of said countertop member, and

an edging member comprising a non-solid surface material, said edging member disposed adjacent the bottom surface of said countertop member opposite the upper surface and extending substantially along a length of said countertop member, said non-solid surface material facing a front of said countertop assembly to form a countertop edging.

2. The countertop assembly according to claim 1, wherein said non-solid surface material is a plastic laminate material affixed to a substrate.

3. The countertop assembly according to claim 2, wherein said substrate is substantially composed of medium density fiberboard.

4. The countertop assembly according to claim 1, wherein said edging member abuts a front surface of said supporting member substantially along an entire length of said supporting member to form the countertop edging.

5. The countertop assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a dado cut in the bottom surface of said countertop member forming a recess extending substantially along a length of said countertop member to receive said edging member for positioning of the edging member.

6. The countertop assembly according to claim 5, wherein said edging member is held in place within said dado via an adhesive.

7. The countertop assembly according to claim 5, wherein said dado is approximately {fraction (1/16)} inch in depth and approximately {fraction (13/16)} inch in width.

8. The countertop assembly according to claim 1, wherein said supporting member is secured to said countertop member via an adhesive.

9. The countertop assembly according to claim 1, wherein said edging member is secured to said supporting member via an adhesive.

10. The countertop assembly according to claim 1, wherein said supporting member is substantially composed of particle board.

11. The countertop assembly according to claim 1, wherein said non-solid surface material has a width of approximately {fraction (1/32)} inch and said substrate has a width of approximately ¾ inch.

12. The countertop assembly according to claim 1, wherein a front edge of said edging member is parallel to and set back from a front edge of the countertop member by a depth of approximately ¾ inch.

13. The countertop assembly according to claim 1, wherein said edging member has a front finished surface which is substantially similar in appearance to the upper surface of the countertop.

14. The countertop assembly according to claim 1, wherein said edging member has a front finished surface which is substantially similar in appearance to an underlying cabinet.

15. A countertop assembly comprising:

a solid surface countertop member having an upper surface and a bottom surface,

an edging member comprising a non-solid surface material, said edging member disposed adjacent the bottom surface of said countertop member opposite the upper surface and extending substantially along a length of said countertop member, said non-solid surface facing a front of said countertop assembly to form a countertop edging,

wherein said supporting member comprises a curved formation having a contoured edge which substantially follows a curved edge portion of said countertop member, and wherein said edging member is flexibly bendable to form a contoured countertop edging which substantially follows the contoured edge.

16. The countertop assembly according to claim 15, wherein said non-solid surface material is a plastic laminate material affixed to a substrate.

17. The countertop assembly according to claim 16, wherein said substrate is substantially composed of medium density fiberboard.

18. The countertop assembly according to claim 16, wherein said substrate comprises a plurality of vertical notches cut into said substrate such that said edging member is flexibly bendable.

19. The countertop assembly according to claim 18, wherein said plurality of notches are substantially rectangular in shape.

20. The countertop assembly according to claim 15, wherein said edging member abuts a front surface of said supporting member substantially along an entire length of said supporting member to form the countertop edging.

21. The countertop assembly according to claim 15, further comprising a dado cut in the bottom surface of said countertop member forming a recess extending substantially along a length of said countertop member to receive said edging member for positioning of said edging member.

22. The countertop assembly according to claim 21, wherein said edging member is held in place within said dado via an adhesive.

23. The countertop assembly according to claim 21, wherein said dado is approximately {fraction (1/16)} inch in depth and approximately {fraction (13/16)} inch in width.

24. The countertop assembly according to claim 15, wherein said supporting member is secured to said countertop member via an adhesive.

25. The countertop assembly according to claim 15, wherein said edging member is secured to said supporting member via an adhesive.

26. The countertop assembly according to claim 15, wherein said supporting member is substantially composed of particle board.

27. The countertop assembly according to claim 15, wherein said non-solid surface material has a width of approximately {fraction (1/32)} inch and said substrate has a width of approximately ¾ inch.

28. The countertop assembly according to claim 15, wherein a front edge of said edging member is set back from a front edge of the countertop member by a depth of approximately ¾ inch.

29. The countertop assembly according to claim 15, wherein said edging member has a front finished surface which is substantially similar in appearance to the upper surface of the countertop.

30. The countertop assembly according to claim 15, wherein said edging member has a front finished surface which is substantially similar in appearance to an underlying cabinet.

31. A countertop assembly comprising:

a solid surface countertop member having an upper surface and a bottom surface,

a supporting member disposed adjacent the bottom surface of said countertop member opposite the upper surface and extending substantially along a length of said countertop member,

an edging member comprising a non-solid surface material, said edging member disposed adjacent the bottom surface of said countertop member opposite the upper surface and extending substantially along a length of said countertop member, said non-solid surface facing a front of said countertop assembly to form a countertop edging, and

a dado cut in the bottom surface of said countertop member forming a recess which extends substantially along a length of said countertop member to receive said edging member,

wherein said edging member and said dado are pre-formed into a curved formation.

32. The countertop assembly according to claim 31, wherein said non-solid surface material is a plastic laminate material affixed to a substrate.

33. The countertop assembly according to claim 32, wherein said substrate is substantially composed of medium density fiberboard.

34. The countertop assembly according to claim 32, wherein said substrate comprises a plurality of vertical notches cut into said substrate such that said edging member is flexibly bendable.

35. The countertop assembly according to claim 34, wherein said plurality of notches are substantially rectangular in shape.

36. The countertop assembly according to claim 31, wherein said edging member abuts a front surface of said supporting member substantially along an entire length of said supporting member to form the countertop edging.

37. The countertop assembly according to claim 31, wherein said edging member is held in place within said dado via an adhesive.

38. The countertop assembly according to claim 31, wherein said dado is approximately {fraction (1/16)} inch in depth and approximately {fraction (13/16)} inch in width.

39. The countertop assembly according to claim 31, wherein said supporting member is secured to said countertop member via an adhesive.

40. The countertop assembly according to claim 31, wherein said edging member is secured to said supporting member via an adhesive.

41. The countertop assembly according to claim 31, wherein said supporting member is substantially composed of particle board.

42. The countertop assembly according to claim 31, wherein a front edge of said edging member is set back from a front edge of the countertop member by a depth of approximately ¾ inch.

43. The countertop assembly according to claim 31, wherein said edging member has a front finished surface which is substantially similar in appearance to the upper surface of the countertop.

44. The countertop assembly according to claim 31, wherein said edging member has a front finished surface which is substantially similar in appearance to an underlying cabinet.

45. A method of assembling a countertop assembly comprising:

providing a solid surface countertop member having an upper surface and a bottom surface,

disposing a supporting member adjacent the bottom surface of said countertop member opposite the upper surface and extending substantially along a length of said countertop member,

providing an edging member comprising a non-solid surface material, disposing said edging member adjacent the bottom surface of said countertop member opposite the upper surface,

extending said edging member substantially along a length of said countertop member, and

disposing said non-solid surface material such that said non-solid surface material faces a front of said countertop assembly to form a countertop edging.

46. The method according to claim 45, wherein said non-solid surface material is a plastic laminate material affixed to a substrate.

47. The method according to claim 45, further comprising abutting said edging member against a front surface of said supporting member substantially along an entire length of said supporting member to form the countertop edging.

48. The method according to claim 45, further comprising cutting a dado in the bottom surface of said countertop member to form a recess extending substantially along a length of said countertop member to receive said edging member for positioning of said edging member.

49. A method of assembling a countertop assembly comprising:

providing an edging member comprising a non-solid surface material,

disposing said edging member adjacent the bottom surface of said countertop member opposite the upper surface,

disposing said non-solid surface material such that said non-solid surface material faces a front of said countertop assembly to form a countertop edging,

wherein said supporting member comprises a curved formation having a contoured edge which substantially follows a curved edge portion of said countertop member,

and wherein said edging member is flexibly bendable to form a contoured countertop edging which substantially follows the contoured edge.

50. The method according to claim 49, wherein said non-solid surface material is a plastic laminate material affixed to a substrate.

51. The method according to claim 49, wherein said substrate comprises a plurality of vertical notches cut into said substrate such that said edging member is flexibly bendable.

52. The method according to claim 49, further comprising abutting said edging member against a front surface of said supporting member substantially along an entire length of said supporting member to form the countertop edging.

53. The method according to claim 49, further comprising cutting a dado in the bottom surface of said countertop member forming a recess extending substantially along a length of said countertop member to receive said edging member for positioning of said edging member.

54. A method of assembling a countertop assembly comprising:

disposing a supporting member adjacent the bottom surface of said countertop member opposite the upper surface and extending substantially along a length of said countertop member, and

providing an edging member comprising a non-solid surface material affixed to a substrate,

extending said edging member substantially along a length of said countertop member,

cutting a dado in the bottom surface of said countertop member to form a recess which extends substantially along a length of said countertop member adapted to receive said edging member, and

pre-forming said edging member and said dado into a curved formation.

55. The method according to claim 54, further comprising abutting said edging member against a front surface of said supporting member substantially along an entire length of said supporting member to form the countertop edging.