What to Consider Before Replacing Your Kitchen Counters
Changing a kitchen countertop isn’t the easiest job on the planet. In fact, it’s quite the hassle and involves a ton of time and effort both on your end and on the contractor’s end (if you choose to hire one).
But sometimes, you have to do something about the worn out, old material sitting on top of your cabinets and island. Sometimes, that laminate surface has burn marks, or scratches and chips on its edges. Sometimes, that stone surface just can’t do its job properly anymore.
This brings us to ask the question, “How do we know when it’s time to replace our countertops?”
Here, we’re going to mention a few things you should highly consider before dedicating money towards the replacement of your kitchen countertops. By the end, we hope you choose what’s right for you and your kitchen.
Think about your current countertop material
What do you have currently installed for a countertop? Do you have laminate or a solid surface? If you do, the replacement install will go smoothly, especially with Marble Company, considering such surfaces simply screw into place. Taking them off of the cabinets and island will be a piece of cake.
On the other hand, if you have hard stone installed, the replacement may be a little bit more involved – the material may crack, produce debris, and make a pretty big mess. Unfortunately, this makes repairing it highly difficult, too.
What’s your current countertop situation? Is replacing it worth it? You will have a ton of countertop options if you move forward with the consideration.
Will the cabinets withstand the new material you wish to install?
Before moving forward with such an inconvenient remodel, make sure you have everything in order so that nothing goes wrong. This includes getting the dimensions and weight of the countertop material you’ve chosen.
There’s no point in following through with the replacement countertop if it’s going to put too much pressure on the cabinets, and possibly the floor down the road.
The plumbing may need to be reworked
Almost every time a kitchen countertop is replaced, the plumbing in the kitchen has to be removed and reworked, too.
In this department, your primary concern is the sink. If you’re redoing the surfaces of your kitchen, it’s likely that you’ll need to replace the sink (unless it’s mounted under an existing stone counter).
If the sink needs to be replaced, the faucet needs to be reconfigured and sometimes replaced, too. This could turn out to be the biggest inconvenience.
You can almost never change the kitchen countertop without changing the backsplash
The countertop and the backsplash are two peas in a pod – you can’t change one and not change the other. The two surface materials need to match somehow to attribute to the overall design of the room.
Plus, it needs to be replaced while the countertop is being installed, too. This is because it’s always mounted on top of the countertop surface.
What will your appliances look like with a new countertop material?
Your old appliances, whether it be your cook top, your dishwasher, or your plug-ins (microwave, can opener, etc.), you need to make sure they go with your new countertop material. Don’t have a microwave from 1999 sitting on top of a brand-new, perfectly veined marble surface; it won’t look right.
The lighting may need to be rewired, too
All homeowners do not have to think about this consideration. The lighting on your ceiling and walls don’t have to relocate just because you’re changing your countertops.
However, if you have under-cabinet lighting, this will definitely have to be reworked properly. And, fare warning, it may be easy to install, but it’s not easy to run the wiring with a new countertop.
Once you install a countertop surface, your layout is practically marked into place
There’s little room to go back and change things once you lock your countertop into place (unless you want to redo the entire countertop, AGAIN).
Plan out your entire kitchen before you settle on a countertop installation product and date. It’s very difficult to rewind and start from scratch once that’s finished (so make sure your cabinets, appliances, and flooring all look great and go well with your countertops).
Advice for all homeowners: Shop carefully and make sure you’re doing the right thing for your kitchen. Don’t rush into purchasing, installing, and replacing a countertop until you consider all the work that comes along with it. You’re better safe than sorry, after all.
But don’t think we’re trying to convince you out of it – because if it’s needed, then it’s needed.
Map out your remodeling guide, check out what you’ll have to move around in the room, and consider your countertop options (what’s best for you, for your cabinets, for your floors, and for your pockets). Once you’re done with that, you should be good to go!
