Kitchen Countertop Installation

What the fabricator does and what falls to us

Stone and quartz shops template, cut, polish and set the slab. They generally do not level cabinets, pry off old laminate glued to the boxes, disconnect a sink, rebuild a soft sink base or patch the wall when the old backsplash comes away. Those gaps are where counter replacements stall, with a finished slab sitting in a shop while the kitchen waits for somebody to do the in-between work.

We run that in-between work and coordinate with the fabricator you choose, or one we suggest if you have not picked one. You get a written scope that lists who does what and in which order, so nobody arrives on templating day to find the sink still connected and the old top still screwed down.

Steve built the company on better communication, and on a counter job most of that is sequencing. Each trade knows the previous step is done because we tell them, and you know too, because you get the same update they do.

Checking whether the cabinets can carry stone

A granite or quartz top weighs far more than the laminate it often replaces. Before templating we check the bases for level along the run and front to back, look at whether the boxes themselves are sound, and go to the basement to see the floor framing under a long run or a heavy overhang. Cabinets that were set out of level twenty years ago, or a sink base whose particleboard has swelled from an old leak, will not give a stone top the support it needs.

Shimming a run back to level, replacing a sink base, adding support at a seam or under a long span, and bracing an overhang for seating are all ordinary fixes. Some of them mean pulling a cabinet out. We tell you what we found and what we recommend before the template appointment is booked, because the fabricator measures what is there, and if the cabinets move afterward the slab will not fit.

Seating overhangs get particular attention. How far a top can reach past the cabinets without brackets or corbels depends on the material and its thickness, and we build to the fabricator's guidance for the slab you picked rather than to a rule of thumb.

If an overhang or a corner needs steel support hidden in the cabinets, we install it before templating so the fabricator measures the finished condition.

If you are keeping painted walls, we patch and paint the strip the old backsplash covered.

Taking the old tops off without damaging the room

Removing old counters is usually simple, until it is not. Laminate tops are often screwed up from inside the cabinets and glued to the wall. Tile counters can sit on a mortar bed far heavier than anyone expected. Old stone has to come out carefully in pieces. We have the sink and cooktop disconnected by the right trades, cut the caulk and adhesive, and lift the tops so the face frames, the cabinet sides and the wall stay intact.

In houses built before 1978, a painted wall or an old backsplash coming off can disturb lead paint. Where that applies, we follow lead-safe work practices under the EPA RRP rule: containment, careful removal and a cleanup that keeps dust out of the rest of the house.

The wall behind an old top is rarely clean. Expect torn drywall paper, old adhesive, holes from fasteners and sometimes a patch of plaster that lets go. We repair and flatten it so whatever goes on that wall next, tile or paint, has a sound surface to sit on.

Sink, faucet and cooktop details settled before templating

The fabricator cuts the openings for the sink, faucet, soap dispenser and cooktop from what is on site or on the spec sheets at templating. If the new sink has not arrived, or the faucet changes after the template, the holes can end up wrong in a material that cannot be patched. We make sure the sink is in the house and the faucet, accessories and cooktop model are confirmed before the template appointment.

An undermount sink raises questions about how it is supported and whether the sink base needs modifying. A new cooktop may need a different circuit or a gas line moved a few inches. Those connections are made by the licensed trades Massachusetts requires, and we schedule them so hookups happen as soon as the top is set and the adhesive has cured.

Cooktops and ranges deserve one more check. A slide-in range needs the countertop cut to fit its flanges, and a drop-in cooktop needs the cabinet below it clear of drawers that would hit the burner box. We confirm those dimensions against the appliance's installation sheet, not the showroom tag, and pass them to the fabricator in writing so the template reflects the appliance you are actually putting in.

Seams get the same advance thinking. On a long run or an L, the slab may need a seam, and where it falls is partly a layout decision you should have a say in. We ask the fabricator where they plan to put it and walk you through the options before templating, so a seam does not end up running through the middle of the sink or straight across your main work spot.

Backsplash transitions and the final hookups

The line where counter meets wall is where most counter jobs look unfinished. If you are keeping painted walls, we patch and paint the strip the old backsplash covered. If you are adding a stone splash, a full-height slab or tile, we plan the transition with the fabricator so the edge, the outlets and the window stool all land cleanly.

Outlet boxes behind new tile or stone usually need extenders so the cover plates sit flush, and that goes on the electrician's list. Once the plumber reconnects the sink, we check underneath for drips, run the water and the dishwasher, and caulk the joints the fabricator leaves for us. Then we walk the kitchen with you, and the room is cleaned before we leave.

If something turns up along the way, such as rot in the floor under the sink once the old base is out, you hear about it that day, with what it means for the schedule and what we suggest doing about it.

See the rest of our kitchens work, or browse the gallery for rooms we have finished.