Preparation

In order to put the new countertop in your kitchen or bathroom, the old material has to come out. That’s a big job for someone who’s not sure what they’re doing. Luckily, at Affordable Granite, we handle removing old countertops and disconnecting the plumbing and electrical. We do all of this to make sure that the remodeling room is in the best condition possible for the new countertop to come in.

What you have to do for this step is clear everything out of the kitchen or bathroom that might get in the way, along with things that you might need (since our team will be in there for a good chunk of the day). For example, you should grab food, silverware, and electronics; just to make sure that you’ve got them if you need them. If you do this after clearing off the old countertops, it will be a big help to the installation team.

Another great help would be to create a path leading to where the remodel is happening. Keeping children, pets, and furniture out of the way of the installers makes the project go a lot faster.

How Much Longer?

Our customers always want to know how long a countertop installation is going to take—it’s one of the most popular questions that we get. The truth is that there’s no firm answer to that question; it varies from project to project. The time spent on your countertop installation depends on factors like

• project size,
• design,
• material of the new countertop,
• accessibility,
• disassembly/removal time of the old countertop.

On average, installation of a natural stone countertop takes anywhere between four and eight hours, but the exact time of your specific project will come down to those details.

The Installation Itself

Installing a new countertop isn’t difficult, but it must be completed with great care, following these steps:

1. Slabs are cut to fit measurements taken prior to the project beginning.

    a. These include cutouts for sinks, cooktops, and custom edges (if need be).

2. Slabs are then set on the bare countertops.

3. Slabs are leveled, then secured,

4. Seams are joined with epoxy created to match the stone.

5. Seams are then smoothed to create a barely visible joint.

Cutouts and Sinks

Countertops come in many different shapes and sizes to fit each of our customers’ kitchens or bathrooms. The team at Affordable Granite can take care of any unit cutout that your countertop might need—even if that cutout needs to occur onsite. In situations involving kitchen cooktops, specialty sinks, and faucet holes, onsite cutouts are usually called for.

If an onsite cutout must occur at your home, we recommend covering any nearby furniture with a plastic sheet. We minimize the dust as much as we can, but a plastic sheet will help ease your mind when it comes to keeping your furniture clean.

After the Installation

An installation is finished once your countertop is

• placed,
• sealed,
• leveled,
• dried,
• quality-control checked.

After all of these boxes are ticked off, you will need a professional to reconnect the electricity and plumbing that was disconnected prior to starting the project. We’ll also go over with you how to properly care for your new countertop.

Your Completed Project

Having a new countertop installed into your kitchen or bathroom makes for a fresh start in the room. Affordable Granite wants to make sure that our customers understand everything that goes into a countertop installation so you can feel that excitement without any residual worries.

If you have questions, or would like to discuss your own remodel, give us a call at (813) 546-5499.