Need some help with my countertops... please (pics enclosed)

[marriednamobile]

I was browsing some laminate countertops, then while checking mine I realized that they weren't like regular countertops.
The front "face" is just a piece of wood attached to the "countertop" which is, well particleboard I think, that is supported by a wooden lip underneath around the sides and back...

It's covered though, I thought it was laminate, but it must be some sort of sheet material?
What is this?
And what do I do when I go to replace these?

My L shaped countertop is higher on the side next to the sink, is there some way I can make these even?

[JD]

This is a non factory countertop. This does not mean that there is anything wrong with it. Sometimes a pre-made top from home stores just does not work out for the cabinets at hand. In-stock cabinets will have a built in back splash and a rolled front edge. When being used in an "L" like yours, the different heights would cause a problem where the two sides join. Personally, I would have corrected the cabinet problem instead of making new counters like shown, but then that may not have been the builders view.

You can buy Formica or Wilsonart laminate in sheets and laminate it to particle board, MDF or plywood with contact cement. The flat edge like that is called 'Self-edge'.

JD

[Jim from Canada]

I have to do my counter tops too. I have the material to do it. BUT, it means building new cabinets because of the "cheesiness" of the original. Of course, while I have the old cabinets out, I might as well rip out the dry wall behind them and fix that up too. A simple job always finds a way to expand itself into a total reno...lol. Gotta wait until the budget catches up with the ambition! As always. Of course, we just wallpapered the kitchen too!

Jim

[NMBowtie]

That is pretty standard construction for newer MH countertops, almost everything is non-standard sizes so they build them to fit and do it the cheapest way possible (ie: pieced together, not pre-formed). It does make replacing them in the future fun though without some custom construction.

As for the countertop where the sink is setting lower, my GUESS would be that they did that to keep any water that overflows or splashes from the sink from running off across the whole countertop. I really don't know, but I have seen things like that in some homes I have looked at. If you want to bring it up even when you replace the countertops, probably the easiest way would be to shim it up to the thickness of the other countertop using a wood spacer attached to the top of the cabinet box or bottom of the countertop. Or, that may be the way they raised the existing section, and you can just remove some spacers to lower it all to the same level. Won't really know until you tear into it unless you can see up from inside the cabinets.

[Greg]

I think you have two choices, Live with it, or do a total countertop change. You would need to add some on the top of the low cabinets to bring it up even.

The reason I say total replacement is that you would not have a good seam there, it would stick out like a sore thumb. Personally I like to do tile tops, it would be an easy and possibly the cheapest way out. Greg

[Jim from Canada]

If you do a tile counter top, use a schluter membrane between the base material and the tile. It will ensure that the base material (usually MDF) gets no contact with water.
http://www.schluter.com/media/schlueter ... s_2006.pdf
You do not have to use the kerdi band part as shown, just the ditra.

[NMBowtie]

You can also tile straight over the existing laminate as long as it is still well adhered to the base material. You need to use a special adhesive, though, not just regular thinset mortar. I used Henry 314 Ceramic Tile Adhesive on mine, and it has held up for several years now, even on the tub surround where I have been walking/standing a lot while re-doing the bathroom ceilings and tape and texturing the walls. I have not had a single tile pop. That way, the laminate still provides water protection for the base material if it gets wet enough to soak through the grout (which should be sealed as well).

[marriednamobile]

thanks for all the replies.
so refinishing the countertops sounds like the easiest way to go, but if I was hell bent on making these even with each other, instead of trying to raise the sink side counter, couldn't I shave down the L end to match the sink side height, then plop the countertop back on?
and
if I want to add some more cabinet space, at the end of my L, the is quite a bit of extra room, so since these are not stock cabinets, would I just measure and build to acclimate the "uniqueness" of my cabinets?


here are some pics of the inside of the L end cabinets




THANK YOU SO MUCH!

[Greg]

You could trim down the high side, but I think you are going to have problems with the seam, both making it look good and getting it sealed. Greg

[marriednamobile]

I'm such a newbie at this, I'm sorry, but could you explain why I'd have a hard time getting the seam to look good and to be sealed?
I'd really appreciate it.

[Greg]

If you are going to stay with the top you have now, you will need to find a way to seal the seam where the two sections meet. When you order a top that is custom fit they have a factory cut seam at a 45* angle into the corner and the 2 halves bolt together from the under side and perfictly flat. The cut is precise enough that all you need is a fine bead of sealer in the joint and it is water tight with no gaps.

This was the reason I went to a tile counter top over the old counter when I did my first one. After I remodeled and enlarged the kitchen I did a second tile top on the counter I built from plywood. Greg

[nwwoman]

In looking at her pic of the framing used for those countertops, I see that I have the same set up.

I had a Moen faucet installed last year. Noticed recently that -- aggg -- my countertop behind that faucet has a deep crack in it from the end of the faucet counter plate back to the wall behind the faucet. It looks like it has gone through the laminate and particle board, but not completely. I also noticed that, as a result, the metal edge around the sink has separated from the countertop back there and can easily let water drip through if I'm not careful. I am careful.

I looked beneath the sink and I can see that the faucet install resulted in a 1 x 2 (or thereabout) being put flush to the wall and directly under the faucet and the countertop below it. He screwed through to the board and it looks like the drill hole created the crack in the counter. The crack is in line with the drill hole.

SOOOO, this message thread gave me an idea....could I patch and tile? Possible? Or do I have to do entire new countertops?

If it's the latter, anyone know where I can get how-to's? I do have marks book.