Install a Preformed Laminate Kitchen Countertop

• Step 1 Measure

  

  Pre-formed laminate countertops come in standard sizes, with any mitered corners already cut. When you install yours, you'll cut off any excess length and join the mitered corners.

  Sketch the shape of the new countertop on paper, noting the length, width and depth of all sections. Accurate measurements are especially important if the counter includes mitered angles. Include the overhang you want on the front and ends. Subtract 3/4 inch from spans that end with an end splash. 

  Before you order, review the dimensions of each section. If any spans are too large to fit through your doors, decide where to have the manufacturer divide that span to make the seam as inconspicuous as possible.  

  When ordering, ask your supplier whether you'll have to install buildup strips to make the countertop level. If so, order them also.

  If you're replacing both your countertop and cabinets, see our step-by-step instructions for installing the kitchen cabinets.

• Step 2 Remove the old countertop

  When your new countertop arrives, empty your lower cabinets and remove drawers. Use a utility knife to slice through any sealant around the sink and between the wall and countertop. Turn off all water valves under the sink, turn on the faucets to drain water from the faucet supply lines and then disconnect the plumbing attached to the sink and faucets. With a helper, lift out the sink. If you plan to reuse the sink, make a template of the opening, to use later when you cut the new opening.

  From inside the cabinets, remove the screws that attach the cabinet and countertop. If the countertop is also attached with construction adhesive, pry off the countertop, taking care not to damage the cabinets. Lift off the countertop and remove it from the kitchen.

• Step 3 Cut to length

  If you need to cut the countertop to fit, choose an end that you'll cover with an end splash or end cap. Apply a strip of wide masking tape over the approximate cut line; the tape helps prevents chipping. Then mark the actual cut line on the tape — you can use a framing square to ensure that the line is perpendicular to the front of the countertop. Carefully cut along the line with a circular saw equipped with a fine-toothed blade.

• Step 4 Add buildup strips

  

  Buildup strips are narrow strips of inexpensive wood about 3/4 inch thick and 1 inch wide that serve three purposes:

  • If the underside of the front of the countertop is thicker than the back, buildup strips raise the back edge of the cabinet top so the countertop sits level.
  • They give you something besides the cabinet to attach the countertop to, making it easier to remove the countertop next time.
  • They add support when installed perpendicularly across the cabinet, especially for large cabinet boxes that don't have supports built in.

  Use glue or wood screws to attach the strips along the back and side edges of the cabinet top.

• Step 5 Cut the sink opening

  

  Apply wide masking tape to the approximate cut lines for the sink opening. If you plan to reinstall the same kitchen sink, use a felt-tipped pen to trace the template onto the masking tape. If you're replacing the sink, make a template of the basin of the new sink, and trace the template's outline onto the masking tape.

  To start the cut, drill a starter hole on the line. Insert the fine-toothed blade of a jigsaw into the hole and cut out the opening, following the cut line.  

• Step 6 Join mitered joints

  

  The pre-cut mitered joints come with T-slots for draw bolts that pull the joints together. Apply construction adhesive or wood glue along the joining edges. Insert the bolts in the slots and then use a wrench to slowly tighten the bolts. To make the two pieces flush, place a wood block on them and tap it with a rubber mallet until the joint is flush. Remove any adhesive that oozes from the joint before it dries.

• Step 7 Attach end caps and splashes

  

  The end caps for the exposed ends of the countertop come treated with a heat-activated adhesive. For best adhesion, experts recommend first applying adhesive to the end of the countertop and letting it dry to the touch. Then place the end cap over the end of the countertop and iron it with a steam iron.  

  To attach an endsplash, drill a few evenly spaced pilot holes through the lower part of the endsplash where the countertop edge will overlap it; make the holes slightly larger than your wood screws. Apply an adhesive — either wood glue or construction adhesive — to the end of the countertop, and then screw the endsplash into the end of the countertop. Remove any excess adhesive that oozes from the joint before it dries.

  If the backsplash is not built in to the countertop, drill pilot holes, as you did for the endsplash. Apply adhesive to the back of the countertop and the end of each endsplash. Using wood screws, screw the backsplash to the countertop.

• Step 8 Trim the backsplash

  

  Because walls aren't even, you probably need to trim the backsplash to make it fit snugly against the wall. Scribing transfers the shape of the wall onto the backsplash, marking the excess to remove. You can use a compass with a soft cover on the pointed end so it doesn't scratch the wall, or a more accurate tool called a profile scriber that rolls along the wall.

  Set the countertop on the cabinets and push it into position. Place a band of tape on the back edge of the backsplash. Starting at one end of the countertop, place the pencil end of the scribing tool on the tape and the other end on the wall. Slide the scribing tool along the wall, with the pencil pressed firmly enough on the tape to leave a continuous line.

  Then use a belt sander to trim off the excess. 

• Step 9 Secure the countertop

  Remove the countertop from the cabinets. Drill pilot holes slightly larger than the wood screws into the front corner braces and any supports you added. Apply silicone sealant to the back of the backsplash and endsplash and generous beads of construction adhesive or wood glue to the surfaces the countertop will rest on — either the cabinet edges or the buildup strips. Put the countertop on top of the cabinets and move into position.
   
  From inside cabinet, screw wood screws into the pilot holes; make sure the screws are short enough that they don't break through the laminate. Then wedge pieces of scrap lumber between the countertop and the upper cabinet to press the countertop down while the adhesive dries.

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