Counter top advice

I'm debating redoing the countertops in my condo on the cheap. I'm really just looking for something that looks a bit better, rather than something that adds lots of value. I'm currently debating recovering the laminate countertops with a more modern, better looking laminate. Including buying all tools I think I can do the job for under $200 (priced out at $153) I was looking at the instructions here, and they look pretty straightforward. Other than the laminate and contact cement the only tools I would need to purchase would be a router and a laminate roller.

Any tips or advice?



Only picture I can find that shows the current countertops..... UGLY


http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/8746/im000800iu5.jpg

for $6-8/sq ft. you could buy granite tiles at Home Depot or Lowes. You can also get granite for around $20/sq ft from Panda Granite and some other places. Being that it is a shot gun style kitchen it shoud be straight forward.

If you go to Home Depot, they also have the pre-made counter tpos in the cabinets section.

Last I checked, Empire counter tops would also do the laminate for around $15/ft, and I think that is per liniar foot rather than square foot.

If you were really adventurous, you could try making thecounters out of concrete. There are recipes for doing that on the internet.

The pre-fab counter tops at Lowes/Home Depot are the way to go. You just pull the current tops, put on the cut-to-fit replacement tops, and throw laminate strips on the exposed ends. Probably wouldn't cost any more than the DIY laminate, since you really don;t need any new tools. They have some cool feaux-granite, as well as other modern looks.

Also, I have a roto-zip laminate cutter (mini-router) that you are welcome to borrow for the job.

Counters look fine. Spend the money on track events.

I have never had much success in placing new laminate on top of old and getting the old laminate off is a bear. It is better to replace the top as the base materials are cheap. Tile or stone will be high maintenance and will stain eventually but will increase the value at time of sale...maybe. The manufactured stone like Corian are not DIY. Best bet is to remove the old top and use it as a template to make the new.

Peter Fehn, the SCCA autocross Safety Chief, is a general contractor. He has already done a lot of work on my house about a year ago, and I was pleased with the price and results. He is about to start on my granite counter tops on Monday, if the rain does not make his house painting gig run long. We are doing new tops, back splashes, and re-staining the cabinets. If you are interested in hiring someone, then I would suggest him. You can ask me again in a few weeks when the job is done, but I am pretty confident in his work.

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Originally Posted by Radio-Active

for $6-8/sq ft. you could buy granite tiles at Home Depot or Lowes......

If you were really adventurous, you could try making thecounters out of concrete. There are recipes for doing that on the internet.

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I had debated tile, but from a food safety standpoint, grout is a nightmare. Looks nice, but is a bitch to keep clean.

As for the concrete countertops, I'm not that adventurous, lol.

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Originally Posted by OZMDD

The pre-fab counter tops at Lowes/Home Depot are the way to go. You just pull the current tops, put on the cut-to-fit replacement tops, and throw laminate strips on the exposed ends. Probably wouldn't cost any more than the DIY laminate, since you really don;t need any new tools. They have some cool feaux-granite, as well as other modern looks.

Also, I have a roto-zip laminate cutter (mini-router) that you are welcome to borrow for the job.

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I had looked at the pre fabbed sections. They ran about 2x the cost ($81 for a 7' section at Lowes) of just the laminate, and I'd still need the strips for the ends and the backsplash. Also, that 'look through' area poses a problem because most of the prefabbed tops have a built in backsplash, and that won't work.

That being said, It would be nice to just drop something in. Any other sources for prefabbed tops locally?

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Originally Posted by creek

I have never had much success in placing new laminate on top of old and getting the old laminate off is a bear. It is better to replace the top as the base materials are cheap. Tile or stone will be high maintenance and will stain eventually but will increase the value at time of sale...maybe. The manufactured stone like Corian are not DIY. Best bet is to remove the old top and use it as a template to make the new.

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That first part of your statement was my worry.... i was hoping to sand and prep the existing surface and lay over it. I agree with you on the tile or stone aproach. And unfortunantly, the manufactured stone and Corian are considerably more expensive. I'd love to go with a marble-look stone, but its not worth the investment.

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Originally Posted by jrj512

Peter Fehn, the SCCA autocross Safety Chief, is a general contractor. He has already done a lot of work on my house about a year ago, and I was pleased with the price and results. He is about to start on my granite counter tops on Monday, if the rain does not make his house painting gig run long. We are doing new tops, back splashes, and re-staining the cabinets. If you are interested in hiring someone, then I would suggest him. You can ask me again in a few weeks when the job is done, but I am pretty confident in his work.

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Thanks for the heads up. If i get stuck I'll keep him in mind. I'm pretty ok with home improvments... Retiled the kitchen, installed crown molding throughout the condo, and removed the old walpaper in the bathrooms and refloated the walls.... talk about a pain in the ass. I'm not as fast as a contractor, but I can normally get the job done correctly with a little advice.

Oh, OZMDD- If i do go the laminate route i'd love to borrow the router from you. That cuts another $30 from my cost.


I've decided to move to phase 2 with my place..... do alot of the things I wanted to do before I moved in, but ran out of time 2 years ago. Other projects on the list are to sand, prep, and paint all the kitchen cabinetry and install some knobs. for some reason there are no handles on my cabinetts...... I want to go with a white oil based enamel paint like i used on the doors and trim. That was another bitch of a job when I moved into the place... they had painted over the oil based enamel with latex paint.... a couple of times. So the paint was easyto chip/ flake off, but a bitch to strip.

Builders Surplus has two locations, Haltom City and Duncanville? and Seconds and Surplus sells Granite pretty cheep.

What? They don't sell JDM counter tops on eBay? :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by jrj512

Peter Fehn, the SCCA autocross Safety Chief, is a general contractor. He has already done a lot of work on my house about a year ago, and I was pleased with the price and results. He is about to start on my granite counter tops on Monday, if the rain does not make his house painting gig run long. We are doing new tops, back splashes, and re-staining the cabinets. If you are interested in hiring someone, then I would suggest him. You can ask me again in a few weeks when the job is done, but I am pretty confident in his work.

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Interested in the same. Could you do a couple of before/after pics? Are you going with a different stain? I'm leaning towards darker on mine...Also, could you pm me the price he quoted you on the countertops (per sq.ft. and cabinet stain).
Thanks
D

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Originally Posted by trickyrix

What? They don't sell JDM counter tops on eBay? :rolleyes:

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Damn... why didn't I think of looking there!!! :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Ataim

Builders Surplus has two locations, Haltom City and Duncanville? and Seconds and Surplus sells Granite pretty cheep.

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How hard is it to install granite? I am under the impression special tools are required for cutting and that it would be a PITA......

Why? Not to be a rude but in your pic it looked like four linear feet of counter in a condo. I don't think you're going to recoup that cost. :confused:

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Originally Posted by sxk122

Damn... why didn't I think of looking there!!! :rolleyes:



How hard is it to install granite? I am under the impression special tools are required for cutting and that it would be a PITA......

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Cutting is easy. You just need a diamond impregnated blade. You can get them at HomeDepot or Lows.

The pita is the polishing.

Why bother? You can't see the counter top anyway :) Buy some paint and get rid of those dull white walls......

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Originally Posted by Nails

Why? Not to be a rude but in your pic it looked like four linear feet of counter in a condo. I don't think you're going to recoup that cost. :confused:

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No offense taken. I'm not looking to recoup cost, I want something I like looking at. As for the cost, Seconds and Surplus has some bargains (I completely forgot about them), and because I'm looking for such a small area I could find a damaged larger counter for super cheap.

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Originally Posted by HudsonHawk

Cutting is easy. You just need a diamond impregnated blade. You can get them at HomeDepot or Lows.

The pita is the polishing.

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Sounds like more work and tools than I want to screw with.

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Originally Posted by MadMerv

Why bother? You can't see the counter top anyway :) Buy some paint and get rid of those dull white walls......

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Haha. That picture was taken a couple years ago when I first bought the place. Walls have since been painted a khaki color, and we did the fireplace wall as an accent wall in a deeper earth tone. Also, the camera that took that pic kinda sucks.... the floors and counters aren't yellow.

This isn't completely true to the color, but this shows the lighter colored wall

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/2639/nookyh5.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jrj512

Peter Fehn, the SCCA autocross Safety Chief, is a general contractor. He has already done a lot of work on my house about a year ago, and I was pleased with the price and results. He is about to start on my granite counter tops on Monday, if the rain does not make his house painting gig run long. We are doing new tops, back splashes, and re-staining the cabinets. If you are interested in hiring someone, then I would suggest him. You can ask me again in a few weeks when the job is done, but I am pretty confident in his work.

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Done!

Before:

http://forums.dfwmiata.com/attachmen...1&d=1243550329

After:

http://forums.dfwmiata.com/attachmen...1&d=1243550336

He even threw in a cat. ;)

jrj512 what did you change are those new knobs on the cabinets??

Very nice! :clap:

PS
There appears to be a 4-legged creature growing out of the granite!

I think it looks good!

Thanks. We really like it.

The kitchen is a great place to spend money. You will get to enjoy it and most likely get your investment back!

Here is what it looked like when we bought the house. We had Peter and his crew in the house working for three weeks before we moved in so we could get rid of all of the wallpaper and ceiling popcorn.

http://forums.dfwmiata.com/attachmen...1&d=1243562916

My kitchen is the twin to yours.

I pulled down the wallpaper and refloated the walls. Ripped up the Layers (3) of linoleum and installed tile. Replaced the plastic fluorescent fixture with a decorative fixture. Stove has been replaced and I have the new refrigerator picked out and the funds set aside. I am in the process of refinishing the cabinets at the moment, and once those are done I'm going to jump into refinishing the countertops. Then the new fridge can go in. Pricewise, even TCB can't beat me. Including any tools I've had to buy-- Under $100 to refinish the cabinets (although after working on it for 8 hours Monday and 13 today I want to kill myself) hoping to relaminate the counters for under $100, was able to tile for about $150. Stove was $400, Fridge will be about $600

jrj..... strange question....

Where did you get the new hardware; I like your knobs.......

(heck, I like the whole kitchen, lol)

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Originally Posted by sxk122

Where did you get the new hardware; I like your knobs.

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We bought a sample at Lowes and then once we knew that we liked them, we ordered all of them from Ace Hardware online. The previous owners had knobs on all of the cabinets in the house, so we had to buy a lot.


http://www.acehardware.com/product/i...Id=38409510103

Looks fantastic. :clap: Exactly what I was wanting for my cabinets. Same change, mine may be a bit lighter "before", but that's the "after" I am looking for. Thanks for the pics. I'll be looking for Peter at the next ax.
SA

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Originally Posted by jrj512

We bought a sample at Lowes and then once we knew that we liked them, we ordered all of them from Ace Hardware online. The previous owners had knobs on all of the cabinets in the house, so we had to buy a lot.


http://www.acehardware.com/product/i...Id=38409510103

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Not a bad price, and I'm digging the oil rubbed bronze finish....

My cabinets have no hardware at all and it bugs me. I'm going to have to dig around the ACE site. If you remember, how much less were they from ACE rather than Lowe's?

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Originally Posted by sxk122

If you remember, how much less were they from ACE rather than Lowe's?

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I really do not remember.

finished coat 3 on the cabinets today. time to go shopping for hardware this week, go see what lowes/ home depot/ elliots can do on price.

Ok, now you guys have me thinking about redoing our kitchen cabinets. jrj512, the kitchen looks great. It's hard to tell from the pictures, were the cabinets stripped and restained a darker color or were they painted? We've got bleached oak cabinets and I think we'd like to restain to a darker shade.

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Originally Posted by jrj512

Done!

Before:

http://forums.dfwmiata.com/attachmen...1&d=1243550329

After:

http://forums.dfwmiata.com/attachmen...1&d=1243550336

He even threw in a cat. ;)

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Originally Posted by Keifersmith

It's hard to tell from the pictures, were the cabinets stripped and restained a darker color or were they painted?

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I like my cabinets like l like my women -- stripped. ::Naughty:

They were stripped and re-stained. It is a very dark stain, though.

I'll have pics shortly of my cabinets; I sanded mine down and have painted them. I like white kitchen cabinets. Oil based enamel paint for the win.

also jrj, does your kitchen 'feel' bigger now?

Mine feels bigger and brighter (white in my case). I'm wondering if the solid color is less distracting than the oak finish.......

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Originally Posted by sxk122

also jrj, does your kitchen 'feel' bigger now?

Mine feels bigger and brighter (white in my case). I'm wondering if the solid color is less distracting than the oak finish.......

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No, but it feels much warmer and comfortable.

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Originally Posted by jrj512

No, but it feels much warmer and comfortable.

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I'd expect those countertops were cold on bare skin.

Well cabinets are done. counter tops are up in the next couple weeks.

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/3...c00287x.th.jpg http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/579...0286rww.th.jpg

Can't wait to get the new fridge and Spacemaker. Sorry about the crap quality of the pics.

Well, it's been more than a couple weeks, but I installed the counters this past week. Also installed new faucets, re-plumbed the sink, and installed a new spacemaker microwave. As always, few things were as simple as I would have hoped... counters were a cinch, but the plumbing was giving me fits because it had been ghetto-rigged by the previous owner, and the old microwave did not want to budge.


A refresher... the kitchen when i bought the place....
http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/4957/kitchen2p.jpg

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/1064/im000779.th.jpg http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/4124/im000775.th.jpg


A combination of sheet laminate flooring and shitty tile. School style fluorescent lighting fixture. 1982 almond stove in wonderfull condition. Yellow counters. Yellowish oak cabinets. Kinda hard to see, but beige floral wallpaper above the cabinets. But, the condo was where I wanted, at a price i was willing to pay.


Now--

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/4285/counters.jpg

1' square flooring tiles in a diamond orientation. Cabinets re-finished in a semi-gloss oil based enamel. hardware added to cabinets. New countertops in a faux granite laminate. (I decided against granite and corian due to cost- both would have to be profesionally installed, and would not increase the value of my place in the small quantity I was working with as Michael stated. Removed wallpaper and went with a smooth texture (never doing that again- smooth takes a lot of work). Crown moulding installed throughout the condo. Replaced the fluorescent fixture with a better looking model. New faucet to replace the generic crappy one that was in there. Parent's and sister bought me a stove last christmas, and my girlfriend bought a new spacemaker microvave to replace the old one.

The tile, crown moulding, light fixture, and walpaper-removal were completed 3 years ago before i moved in. The cabinets, counter-tops, and appliances have all been done this year. I'm officially a member of TCB.

INCLUDING any and all tools and materials purchased, the cabinets with handles cost me less than $125. The countertops came in at $175. The Faucet and plumbing supplies cost $150. The Samsung microwave ran $160 after a 10% discount coupon I had for Lowe's, but Sara bought that.

So under $450 for the cabinets, sink, and counters.... I'm rather pleased.

One thing I am noticing now in this photo is that the light fixture needs to be refinished.... either white to match the cabinets and moldings, or a dark almost blck faux stain like the 3 photo frames (which I also made, from scrap lumber and $9 of atwork from IKEA)


http://img55.imageshack.us/img55/2259/faucet.th.jpg http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/9...ksplash.th.jpg http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/1622/im000808.th.jpg

Nice!

thanks. it's not as nice as yours, and there are things that could have been done better, but overall it came out ok.