Granite counter tops have become extremely popular and are in high demand for use in new construction and remodeling, replacing Formica and Corian as industry leaders. Chances are you will find it in most new homes being constructed. For the purpose of this article, we will use a kitchen remodel as our primary example. I will explain how to remove your old kitchen counter top and install your new granite top. Some of the tools and materials you might need are as follows: a four foot level, pencil, tape measure, caulking gun, wooden shims, silicone caulking, latex caulking, liquid nail, a bucket, some rags, shop vac, and some saw horses.
Granite counter tops are cut from one big slab of stone. You must have templates made of your existing counters and tops so that they can be manufactured to your exact specifications. You should also specify the type of edge you would like on your new counter tops. I would highly recommend that you allow a professional installer or reputable company to install your granite counter tops. They have all the proper tools and knowledge to do the job right. Although it is not impossible for a homeowner to do the job, your skills will need to be more than that of a handy man. Granite is extremely heavy and depending on the size of your project, you are most likely going to need a couple of extra people at the very least to help carry and place the tops. Granite is also very expensive and if dropped or mishandled will break. Incidentally, one small error in your template measurement could render your tops useless. Assuming you made all the correct measurements and are ready to install, we will proceed with the installation instructions.
You will first need to remove your old countertops. It would be a good idea to first take out all the stuff from inside your cabinets. This will prevent dust and debris from getting on it and allow for easier clean up. If this install is for a kitchen, then you will need to disconnect the plumbing such as the water supply lines to the kitchen faucet, as well as the drain. If there is a garbage disposal it will also need to be disconnected. You should always proceed with caution when working with electricity especially when around plumbing and water. The tops will be fastened with either Phillips head screws or Robertson head screws from underneath “inside” the cabinets. You will need to remove these screws before proceeding. If you run into difficulties reaching some of them, you can sometimes snap them off with a flat or pry bar, or simply grab the top by the edge of the top and yank it lose. Just be aware of your surroundings taking care not to damage walls and such. Once the all the screws are removed, lift the tops off of the cabinets and remove. If the tops are too big to be carried out in one piece, you will need to cut them in to pieces you can handle. Sometimes they are connected at a seam with a certain type of bolt. You may be able to disassemble them in that way. After the tops are removed it would be a good time to vacuum the inside of the cabinets as this will be easier without any tops on them. Now take a four foot level and check the cabinets for level noting any problem areas that you will need to shim after the granite tops are set.
Now comes the fun part. As I mentioned earlier, granite is very heavy and depending on the size of your tops can be extremely heavy. Make sure you have enough manpower on hand to prevent damage to your tops by “dropping” them as well as to prevent injuring yourself. Never carry your granite top in the flat position. Always hold it from the edge in a vertical position. Carrying it flat like a pancake will usually result in the top breaking in half especially if there is a sink hole cut into it. Using liquid nail, run a small bead of adhesive on the top edge of the cabinets where it will contact the top. Place the top in its proper location. Using a tape measure check to make sure you have the same distance on the front edge off of the face of the cabinets all the way across the front making adjustments as needed. Do not worry about the gap in the back, the one against the wall, as it will most likely be covered by a back splash. A back splash being about a four inch wide piece by a certain length of granite that goes against the wall. You would have determined the need for these when you made your templates. Some people prefer a tile back splash instead of a granite one, but this would depend on you. Once you have the top positioned evenly across the front, you will need to check for level. Using a four foot level, check the top from front to back, and side to side making adjustments by placing a shim or shims underneath the top where needed until the desired level is reached. You can now attach the splashes using the same adhesive we used earlier. Run a nice bead of adhesive on the backs of your splashes and place against the wall in their proper locations. Sometimes they need to be propped up with something to prevent them from falling over until the adhesive sets. Once this is done and you have allowed about an hour for the adhesive to set, you can caulk in the tops using a combination of silicone and/or latex. Caulk the seams between the splash or splashes and the granite with clear silicone. Caulk the seams between any painted walls with latex. Silicone cannot be painted so be sure you use the proper caulk in the proper locations. This would conclude the installation of your granite top. If you removed a sink, you can now reinstall it.
There are a number of situations one could encounter when remodeling a kitchen with granite counter tops. You will need to consider how many tops you actually will need which may require them to be butted together and seamed. As mentioned earlier in this article, sometimes it is better to pay a professional than to try to do it ones self. Seaming granite properly requires some special tools that can be quite expensive. Also faucet holes are usually drilled on site and the bits needed are also expensive. Unless you are going to be doing more than one kitchen, the cost of the tools you will need could defeat the savings you would realize by doing it yourself instead of paying a professional.
