To fix the leg in place, first measure in from the front edge roughly around 200mm somewhere around the centre and then measure and mark the centre across the width of the dropdown and finally mark the point that the 2 lines intersect with each other. The centre of your support leg will be fixed over this point.

To fix them in place, flip your new dropdown surface over and then measure and mark in 2 inches either side. The edge of each butt hinge will be fixed in from each of these marks.Once you have settled on exactly how big your new dropdown breakfast bar or work surface is going to be the next job is to cut them to size. If you’re using a solid wood worktop then this can be done using a handsaw ( how to cut timber using a handsaw), jigsaw ( ) or circular saw ( ).

Storage & organisation Furniture Textiles Kitchenware & tableware Kitchens Lighting Decoration Rugs, mats & flooring Beds & mattresses Baby & children Smart home Bathroom products Laundry & cleaning Plants & plant pots Home electronics Home improvement Outdoor living Food & beverages Christmas Shop Shop by room Once you have completed all of the major construction work for your new dropdown breakfast bar there are a few finishing touches that should be completed. If you have opted to use a laminate work surface changes are you have some bare edges that could do with covering over and finishing off.Ultimately there is no right or wrong answer here, just go with what you like. In our example here as the existing work tops are straight forward hardwood they were pretty easy to match. With your new dropdown surface cut to the correct size the next job is to fix it in place on your existing work surface. Additionally, one further consideration is the orientation of your new breakfast bar e.g. are you going to position it using the length of the worktop or it’s width. In the majority of cases this will be decided by the shape of the worktop you are using. Most standard laminate worktop is either square edge or bullnosed (rounded at the front) and aligning a square edge against a rounded edge can look a bit odd and out of place, but if you are not bothered by this then feel free to align which ever edges you please. Once marked, position your support leg in place and ensure it’s central to the width of the dropdown by using a tape measure. Once positioned mark all the fixing holes, drill pilot holes and then fix the support leg in place.

In the majority of cases the latter is usually the most popular choice due to the expense of changing all your existing work surfaces just to match your new additional dropdown. Before installing any new dropdown worktops or breakfast bars the first job is to decide where your new surface is going to go.If this is the case then see our project here on how to fit worktop edging strips for information on how to finish off these bare edges. If you are going to use a handsaw the best methods to get a straight and level cut is to mark your cutting line and then clamp some straight timbers either side of your cutting line, leaving about a 2mm gap to allow the blade to travel down top and bottom to create a channel guide and then simply cut between the guide lines. To gain the maximum amount of usable space in our example here we kept the dropdown section to its standard width of 600mm.

Why not place the bar table in the living room? It creates a relaxed atmosphere and makes for cosy family dinners. And the proximity to a living room sofa is much appreciated when you need to lie down after a big holiday meal. If you have space, you can choose one of our larger tables that can accommodate larger groups of people. Match and make for the bar table’s sake If however you have opted to go with a solid wooden worktop, to ensure it stays in tip-top condition and remains water and stain resistant you should treat it with a decent quality Danish Oil. This should be repeated every few months or so.With the above in mind, in this DIY guide we will show you how to construct your very own folding breakfast bar or dropdown work surface. How to Build a Folding Breakfast Bar or Worktop In this instance you do have several options, the first being change all of your existing worktops to match or find a design, colour scheme etc. that matches your existing work surfaces as closely as possible and use this. Put the hinge to one side and then use a 2mm pilot drill to drill out some pilot holes taking great care not to drill in too far and pierce what will be the top surface.