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Not always. We have laminate affixed to plywood. I know b/c there is a 18" section of edging that is missing (b/c we moved the peninsula 90 degrees)
Good eye ruby. 100% of all store bought ready made countertops are made with particle board. About 75% of all custom made counter tops are made with plywood. You have a top made in a custom shop. It should outlast anything that can be bought in the big box store.
Actuallly;there are alot more counter tops being made from MDF than plywood because it works very well as underlayment on them.it can amke a very satble underlayment where only the best grades and multi-laminate plywood would do as good.
Actuallly;there are alot more counter tops being made from MDF than plywood because it works very well as underlayment on them.it can amke a very satble underlayment where only the best grades and multi-laminate plywood would do as good.
Tex I have never seen an MDF underlayment. I cant really think of a good reason why it makes a bad underlayment except maybe it's weight. MDF is quite a bit more heavy then plywood or particle board. As already stated, nearly all are particle board. Some are multi ply plywood, usually 5 plys. Plywood warps so is not really the best countertop material. Same reason why fully wood boxes make less then perfect cabinets.
I wont use plywood for countertops but people I have watched if they do, usually do because customer insistance and contractor refusal to explain why it's not the best choice, I see them cut eighth inch groves into the plywood. They set the circular saw to eighth inch depth and just make a whole bunch of cross cuts or curfs as they call them. Theory suggests this prevents warping which is what plywood does by nature. I say it's just easier to use a superior material for countertops which is particle board.
Need advise/help in how to remove quartz kitchen counter top having new wood cabinets intstalled. Live in Miami, Fl.
thank you
Milliegz
Not an easy thing to do. Not doable by non professionals at all. What did the store that sold you the cabinets tell you? Sounds like they didn't care worth a hick, just wanted to make a cabinet sale. The quartz seams will break because the cement that hold the seams together is stronger then the quartz. A professional can cut the seam/s then remove the sections.
Sounds like you are replacing identical cabinet box sizes so the counter can be reused. Oh boy. I have a method that I invented and have used hundreds of times over the years but putting it into a small post like this is not easy. Nor will the average whomever be able to figure it out anyway. I published an article in a national trade journal explaining my method in great detail about 5 years ago. Guess I can't mention the name here.
So here is how you do it, leaving out a whole lot of fine details, here are just the basics. I remove 1 or 2 base cabs at a time by disassembling it in place. I bash out the face frame, bash down the floor and fold it inward to remove. I bang the side panels inward at the bottom then I can remove them. Remove the screws from the cab back nailing fin and now remove it. I only remove 1 or 2 cabs at at time so the existing CT is always supported. I will cut 1" from the perimeter of the base cab so it is now shorter.......33.5" tall rather then 34.5. I do this because the CT overhangs the base faceframe and many times the cab sits on the concrete floor and tile was added later.....so the cab has to be shorter to scoot it into the space and under the undisturbed CT.
I usually cut a fist sized hole in the toe space so I can get my hand in there to shim the cab back up to touch the CT. I screw it to the wall and it's secure. When one new cab is in I remove the next one, always leaving me a space between to work.
Now you ask what about those fist holes I cut from the toe and what about the exposed ends where I cut that inch from. No matter what cabinet you buy, you get a toe skin that goes over the toe area. The end run side you have to order a side skin to glue to the end.
That is just a quick overview. I never broke a top in many many years doing this. I had to invent this because in the early 2000s there was a fad going around where you can buy granite skins. These were quarter inch thick granite that you could just lay over your existing CT no matter what it was. The CT edge was usually about 2+" thick which was a dead giveaway what product it was. This was a very cheap way to get granite tops without disturbing anything or making any mess. So not too far after people got this installed they realized how gross their old cabinets were and called me. I would install new cabs under the existing CT without making any mess at all.
Removing a granite top could destroy the cabinets if it's done incorrectly. In most installations, the granite is either siliconed or epoxied to a plywood subtop that's screwed to the tops of the cabinets. Since it's screwed down from the top prior to the granite, it's impossible to remove the plywood/granite in one piece. In other installs, the granite slabs are adhered directly to the cab tops if you look up from the bottom and see the stone inside the cabs, there's no plywood subtop. You run the risk of wrecking the cabs in this instance as well if you don't take the tops apart properly.
Bob
I have granite countertops, and before installing them I set the screws into the plywood from below. If I wanted to remove the countertops, all I would have to do is to remove the screws. The only real trouble with granite tops are the joint points, since these sends are epoxied against each other. To unglue them you have to use the right heat gun.
I have granite countertops, and before installing them I set the screws into the plywood from below. If I wanted to remove the countertops, all I would have to do is to remove the screws. The only real trouble with granite tops are the joint points, since these sends are epoxied against each other. To unglue them you have to use the right heat gun.
Need advise/help in how to remove quartz kitchen counter top having new wood cabinets intstalled. Live in Miami, Fl.
thank you
Milliegz
I am going to assume (hope) that the quartz tops were already there when you purchased the place.
I had some people in several months ago looking for new quartz tops for the house they just bought. They didn't like the color of the laminate tops that were there (they were in almost new looking condition). During conversation, it came out that they planned to replace the cabinets in a couple of years, but they would need to replace them later as it wasn't in their budget at the current time.
My suggestion to them was to put up with their laminate tops for a while and do the project all at once. First, If they did the top first, they would basically be locked into their current footprint and appliance locations. Second, there was a good chance that the quartz tops would break somewhere in removal to replace the cabinets. Since they wanted to move the existing cabinets to the basement, the method described by desertsun41 would not be possible.
So far I haven't sold them anything, but I am more comfortable with myself than I would be if I had pushed them to new counters.
No. But heat guns soften epoxy. Epoxy is used to joint two sections of granite while the pieces are held against each other with a special rig. Then the excess of epoxy is trimmed along the surface. When you look at the counter it's very hard to tell there is a crack between the pieces since the epoxy's color matches the granite. Then if you have to separate the granite pieces, a heat gun and utility knife are used to soften the epoxy at the joint, and score the joint with the knife before the pieces can be separated.
This was quite the interesting thread. I think I shall just keep my thoughts to myself at the moment. I do hope the original poster had a successful removal of tops and is enjoying their new kitchen tops.
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removing quartz counter top to reinstall putting in new wood kitchen cabinets
