No way I would have done all that taping. Fit the top to the corner not the corner to the top.

I use drywall shim and hot glue to make my counter top templates, you can see how far this one is out. If I recall correctly it was 3/4". The top fit perfectly when I set it in place.

Found the picture of the "scribe in a tube" used to fit the original top.

I also like the "Thingamejig" for scribing solid surface top to the walls.

Tom

No way I would have done all that taping.

Agreed.

Fit the top to the corner not the corner to the top.

Agreed.

I use drywall shim and hot glue to make my counter top templates, you can see how far this one is out.

Or 1/4 mdf cut into strips etc. This really works well on fitting large counters. For smaller pieces you can use the ticking stick method if you can find a big enough piece of card.
Tim

I would have taken 60 minute (20 minute if you've got experience) hot mud and filled in the majority of the issue and let that dry. It almost turns into concrete and you can put it on thick and it'll still firm up quickly because of the chemical reaction. Then I would take a laminate drywall tape like http://www.all-wall.com/Categories/NoCoat-Drywall-Corners/No-Coat-Ultraflex-325.html and taped the corner like usual.

Just so the OP understands what you're saying, you're talking about Durabond in 20 minute, 45 minute or 90 minute set times. It has high bond strength and low shrinkage so is perfect for heavy fill areas. High resistance to checking & cracking.

@tjbnwi
The drywall shim you show looks like cardboard. Is there really such a thing?

@tjbnwi
The drywall shim you show looks like cardboard. Is there really such a thing?
[/quote]

I must look really dishonest.

These are the shims I use to make my templates;

http://www.amazon.com/Strait-Flex-DS-45-Drywall-Shim/dp/B00236E27Q

There is also drywall shim on a roll comes in 1/16th and 1/8th;

http://trim-texestore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=67

http://trim-texestore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=178

I make my own tops so they fit when I install them.

Best way to make the template is to set the shim edge to the back wall, a few dabs of glue will hold it to the cabinet, set a corner tip to tip, don't bend it, run the front with the over hang and the last corner. Glue in some bracing as shown in the previous post. Any curves and undulations can be patterned by cutting short pieces of shim, push the edge against the wall, hold it in place as the glue cools. Do this all the around the temple where needed. Write all the references and notes on the template.

If you did everything correctly you'll have a top that fits perfectly once it is matched to the template.
Odds are you won't be able to get the top in when doing an alcove install. To solve this problem, tape a piece of aluminum coil to one of the side walls, place the opposite edge of the top on the cabinet, the top should be high on the aluminum side, push the top in place, as it slides down, the aluminum protects the wall, kinda acts like a shoe horn. Pull the aluminum, you're done.

Again no way I'd do all that taping, I'm wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy to lazy.

Tom

I've had to do this in the past, as my drywall skills were greater than my carpentry skills at one time. I never had an issue. If by some strange set of circumstances you do get checking, just fill it in with more mud and repaint. No biggie.

I used those Trim Tex shims for one project where I had to replace the drywall from floor to ceiling.  Stapling them was a real pain.  You need a very stout staple driver.  I suppose you could gang a bunch of them together and drywall screw them in.  But that's a pain, too.

My drywall patch on this job was about 2/3 up the wall.  I would have removed the drywall from floor to ceiling and shimmed, but there is crown molding at the top I didn't want to disturb, and I wanted enough area to feather out the butt joints between the old and new pieces.

I should have put a square into the corner before I hung the drywall to see how far out it was and shimmed then.  But I wasn't that smart, and I wasn't sure how the old and new drywall pieces would match up.  So I didn't, and I've been floating and feathering to make up the difference.

I have yet to see those cardboard shims.  Those would be far easier to staple.  Maybe in the future I'll find them, or I'll rip 2x4 shims on the table saw and glue and pin them before hanging the drywall.

Ironically, it was a drywall shim problem for a glass tile backsplash (that needed to be perfectly flat) that got me interested in the Festool system to begin with.

I used those Trim Tex shims for one project where I had to replace the drywall from floor to ceiling.  Stapling them was a real pain.  You need a very stout staple driver.  I suppose you could gang a bunch of them together and drywall screw them in.  But that's a pain, too.

My drywall patch on this job was about 2/3 up the wall.  I would have removed the drywall from floor to ceiling and shimmed, but there is crown molding at the top I didn't want to disturb, and I wanted enough area to feather out the butt joints between the old and new pieces.

I should have put a square into the corner before I hung the drywall to see how far out it was and shimmed then.  But I wasn't that smart, and I wasn't sure how the old and new drywall pieces would match up.  So I didn't, and I've been floating and feathering to make up the difference.

I have yet to see those cardboard shims.  Those would be far easier to staple.  Maybe in the future I'll find them, or I'll rip 2x4 shims on the table saw and glue and pin them before hanging the drywall.

Ironically, it was a drywall shim problem for a glass tile backsplash (that needed to be perfectly flat) that got me interested in the Festool system to begin with.

Solves the stapling problem;

http://grexusa.com/grexusa/products.php5?id=A11AD

Tom

Mix up some 90 minute dura bond relatively thick. It should be the consistency of peanut butter. Slather it on both sides of the corner and i mean really get it on there. Take an old beat up speed square and pull it down the corner like your screeding concrete.

Like the idea with the Durabond and Speed square.

Oh if you've got that kind of room this is what id do. (I thought you were in a tight corner for some reason)

Mix up some 90 minute dura bond relatively thick. It should be the consistency of peanut butter. Slather it on both sides of the corner and i mean really get it on there. Take an old beat up speed square and pull it down the corner like your screeding concrete. Don't worry about the edges unless they are high. Let it set up overnight and then you'll have a good 90degree corner to skim off of. Take your widest knife and put one end directly onto the corner you made and the other out as far as you can and fill that gap with mud. You can use 90 minute again if its a big gap but you probably don't need to. Then you just need to finish it up and fill any holes that showed up. I like to mix some soap and water into a green top with a paddle mixer for the final coat.

Great idea!  Why add the soap?  Does that reduce the bubbles that come through the mix and leave those little pinholes?

Yea the soap actually really helps with your finish coat and keeping the fisheyes down. I always thought it was some old timer bullcrap but I did it a while back and it produces a real creamy mud for skimming. Also makes it easier to go back over and add a little mud to a low spot that's still wet. Mix it up good with a paddle on a drill and don't be shy with the soap. (Dish soap, hand soap it all seems to work)

Awesome, thanks!  I'm using the green lid compound for a skim coat.  Which compound would you guys suggest?

I'm pulling it from the 5 gallon bucket into a smaller bucket and mixing with a paddle drill.  I need to get in the habit of adding the soap.  The fish eyes are a real bitch to deal with.

I re-taped it.