Counter top advice

[sxk122]

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

[Radio-Active]

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.

[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.

[Nails]

Counters look fine. Spend the money on track events.

[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.

[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.

[sxk122]

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

[sxk122]

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.

[Ataim]

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

[trickyrix]

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

[SixAce]

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.

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

[sxk122]

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

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

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

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......

[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.

[HudsonHawk]

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



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......

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

The pita is the polishing.

[MadMerv]

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

[sxk122]

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.

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.

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

The pita is the polishing.

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

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

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

[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.

Done!

Before:



After:



He even threw in a cat.

[POS Racing]

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

[sammm]

Very nice!

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

[blackzx3_13]

I think it looks good!