14

Mar

What to Consider When Replacing Kitchen Countertops

What will you do when it is time to replace the kitchen countertops? In general, you should upgrade when your countertops are not matching the design vision, are too hard to maintain, and/or become irreparable. Solid-surfacing quartz kitchen countertops with deep cracks, scorched marks, and pitted areas are the best for replacing, which are badly stained and broken. Laminate countertops suffer from outdated patterns or colors, water damage, deep knife cuts, or staining that might need replacing as well.

Before you go shopping, you need to do your homework. Find out if the old countertops can be revived or repaired. If you require new countertops, you should shop with the right measurements in hand so you can estimate material costs. Learn more now.

Consider the Existing Material

The high-definition laminate countertops, or materials with a solid surface, screw into place, so changing them is easier, especially if you will replace them for selling. Hard stones will fall prey to pitting or cracks. Therefore, even if it is not the easiest countertop to replace, you might want to do that instead of just repairing it. This is especially true if the countertop is very old and not properly maintained.

The Cabinet Quality

Before you choose the kitchen countertop material, the first thing you need to consider is the quality of your current kitchen cabinets. One thing is that you will need to decide if you want to replace or keep them. If you want to replace the cabinets within the next couple of years, you should replace everything all at once so that you can avoid paying double installation fees.

You should also be sure that your cabinets are able to support the weight of new counters. Other lower-grade cabinets might not have the structural integrity to hold up other countertop materials.

Precise Measurements

Before taking out the tape measure, you need to make a sketch that represents countertop placement in the kitchen. You need to mark off sections of sink countertops, continuous countertops, and peninsula and island countertops to separately measure them. You need to measure the depth and length of each section, then multiply the depth and length to find out the area in inches and write the measurements. Divide the measurements by 144 to determine the square footage of each section. You can add up the square footage numbers so you can get the total square footage of the materials you need. This is going to help you estimate the cost of different materials, which is going to guide you in choosing countertops that can fit your budget.

Backsplash

A new countertop means that you will also need a new backsplash. These two elements go together with one another, and you want to make sure the materials will either match or coordinate.

Normally, the backsplash should be replaced at the same time as your countertop because it is mounted on the top. When you are planning a budget for the countertop replacement, you should not forget to consider the backsplash material cost and installation.

Sink Configuration

You also have to consider the sink configuration when you are ready to replace the countertop. If your sink sits below the countertop level, you might have to replace it when you replace the counters. However, sinks that sit on the counter will normally be replaced or have the plumbing reconfigured before you put in new counters.

The new counter could be taller compared to the previous countertops, which means the sink drain pipe will not reach the bottom.

You can check quartz countertops Rockville anytime when you are ready for new countertops.

07

Nov

6 Tips On How To Prepare Cabinets For Granite Countertops

So, you have settled on granite? Good choice. But before you place your newly selected countertops in their assigned area, you have to ensure the space is ready for the new guest. How do you do this? Here are tips on how to prepare cabinets for granite countertops:

Remove the old countertops.

If you are replacing the countertops, you must first remove the old countertops before installing new ones. Start with removing the seal anchoring the countertops to the wall using a knife or any other sharp object.

Depending on the countertops, you may be having screws anchoring the old counters to cabinets. The screws will most likely be underneath, so look them there and remove them if present.

Once the screws are off, it’s time to remove the old countertop.

If the house is new and you are installing the countertops for the first time, the only thing you need to do is to ensure the cabinets are in good condition and level. Place a flat slab on top of them, and it should contact the cabinets in all areas.

If the cabinets aren’t level, you have a reason to worry as installing granite countertops will create pressure points that increase the chances of the countertops breaking.

Level the surfaces

To ensure your countertops have a long life, work on leveling the surfaces. One of the things you can do is to place shims under the cabinets to level the tops. You can also place plywood over the cabinets and place shims underneath the plywood.

You should note that placing plywood over the countertops will add height to the cabinets. Before installing the countertops, ask yourself whether you are comfortable with the added height.

Have enough supports

Granite is heavy, so you shouldn’t have large portions of it hanging over thin air. In areas where the countertops don’t have cabinets to rest on, add supports. There are plenty of materials you can use for this. Consult your contractor.

Remove plumbing

If you already put the plumbing systems in place, you may have to remove them as they often get in the way during installation. Over the years, we have seen homeowners removing the faucets and other plumbing appliances without first turning off the water.

Don’t do this as it often creates a huge mess that takes a lot of time to clear. Sometimes the water causes serious cabinet damage that you have to hire a contractor to help you fix them.

To be safe, turn off the water before you remove any plumbing appliance.

If installing the countertops for the first time, you obviously don’t have sinks or faucets in place. So have them delivered and be ready for installation to make it easy for installers to make a template to the sink’s exact specifications, so you have a perfect installation.

The same thing goes for faucets. If the granite installers have to cut space for them, they need to be on the site at least a day before installation.

Remove the dishes from the cabinets.

If you are like other homeowners, you don’t want your dishes exposed to the chaos of countertop installation so remove them before the installation process begins. Of course, you should place them in a different room.

If you have many dishes and don’t want to go through the trouble of removing them, then returning them, cover the top drawers with a protective sheet to protect them from dust and other debris.

Be present on the day of installation.

Even if everything is in order, you may still have to make last-minute decisions. For example, if you don’t want a lot of sink to show, you have to ask the granite contractor Rockville to move the granite edge flush with the wall of your kitchen sink.

If you don’t mind the top flange of the sink showing, let the contractor know about this to make the necessary adjustments.

The other decision you need to make is the location of the seams. Even if you bought the largest granite slabs, you have to deal with seams as long as your kitchen is large. Discuss with the contractor about the location of the seams. For an even and beautiful look, aim to hide the seams as much as possible.