For the counter in Gastronomia Furlan, I started by building the frame out of 1/4″ bass wood. The front and sides will be covered with a veneer of balsa wood strips, but in case there are any gaps between those strips, I wanted to stain the wood underneath first (the color is called “special walnut”).
Similar to the other counters I’ve built for Gelateria Bocelli and Osteria Al Vecchio Stallo, I built a base that is raised up 3/8″ and inset from the edge about 1/8″.
I decided to make this veneer more interesting by alternating 1/2″ and 1/4″ strips of balsa wood, though I’m not sure if the variation is that noticeable. In this photo, I’ve glued the main body of the counter to the base.
The border around the countertop ended up being a patchwork of whatever widths of bass and balsa wood I had on hand, stacked to get the correct dimensions. (The back edge is purposely thicker, because there will be a finishing strip around the front and sides to make them all even.)
I glued some 3/8″ white ceramic tiles to the countertop and used brown paint mixed with dollhouse mortar mix for the grout.
This photo shows all the components assembled. A 3/8″ strip of balsa hides the uneven top edge of the vertical strips.
Here are a couple photos of the counter inside the shop.
