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Kitchen Countertops and Other Home Remodeling Projects.
PatboyX
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I pretty much need a new kitchen countertop. It is an ancient bit of warped Formica that was in place when I moved in a few years back. I thought PA might have some advice on some simple points of kitchen design as I am a first-time homeowner and have little experience with semi-large projects like this.
- Should I assume this is going to have to be done by someone?
- I am thinking of replacing the sink at the same time. Any experience with types of sinks to avoid or features that have changed your life so amazingly, I should opt in for them?
-My kitchen is smallish so the countertop is actually only about five feet long.
-Any vendors horror/wonder stories that may be relevant? Especially in reference to nation-wide vendors like Home Depot or Lowes.
-Any general remodeling advice?
Thanks for any advice.
- Should I assume this is going to have to be done by someone?
- I am thinking of replacing the sink at the same time. Any experience with types of sinks to avoid or features that have changed your life so amazingly, I should opt in for them?
-My kitchen is smallish so the countertop is actually only about five feet long.
-Any vendors horror/wonder stories that may be relevant? Especially in reference to nation-wide vendors like Home Depot or Lowes.
-Any general remodeling advice?
Thanks for any advice.
"lenny bruce is not afraid..."
PatboyX on
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Posts
Find a few sinks that you like the look and function of and then go from there.
Granite is more expensive, takes longer, and is usually not something you can do on your own. Concrete countertops are kind of trendy at the moment, and can be done on your own, but there's kind of a steep learning curve and messing it up means you just spent a whole lot of money that's gone.
Check Lowe's or Home Deopt, both tend to have those weekend-warrior classes on random home repairs. See if they're doing a countertop installation one any time soon. Otherwise, go to your local library and look for a book on kitchens and kitchen remodeling.
A few general pointers, though...
1. Find a reliable general contractor. A good one is worth their weight in gold. General contractors are your basic go-to guys for any sort of home repair or renovation: they're qualified to do a lot of stuff themselves, and even if a specialist needs to be brought in for something, they'll have a personal address book filled with the names and numbers of trustworthy people. Of course, saying "find a reliable general contractor" is kind of like telling you to finance your home repairs by finding the fountain of youth and selling tickets to it: easier said than done. You'll need to ask around for recommendations - friends, neighbours, workmates - and even then, honestly, you'll probably go through one or two shitty experiences before you find somebody good. (There's an old saying about contractors: "Reasonable rates, quality work, quick project completion times - pick two out of three.")
2. An extra 4" of sink width is much more useful than an extra 4" of counter space. I cannot overstress the importance of having a big enough sink. Double sinks are also fantastic - when I have the luxury of using one, it is so nice being able to use the first sink to rinse off all the food and gunk, then dipping the mostly-clean-already plate into the hot soapy bath of the filled second sink to take care of any lingering traces of grease. By comparison, there is nothing worse than trying to do dishes in a too-small sink with no room to soak anything, nowhere to rinse stuff off, water slopping all over the floor because it overflowed when you tried to sneak that extra bowl in...
3. Countertops are available in a wide variety of materials: vinyl veneer, Formica, wood, natural stone, stone composites. They all have their advantages and disadvantages. Butcherblock wood is great because you can cut right on it, but the downside is you need to keep it properly oiled or it will stain. Granite or marble are great because they're highly heat-resistant, so you can put pots right on them without worrying about scorching the countertop; on the other hand, they're highly prone to chipping and scratching. The list goes on. Figure out what your budget will cover, then decide what your priorities are.
Granite is of course beautiful but generally way too expensive unless you're made of money. You also never recoup the costs -- it's typically the kind of thing that most people get in their kitchen because the previous owner paid for it, and then sold the house. Most people won't stomach the cost for something that's essentially aesthetics, especially when many people keep their kitchens relatively "busy" and don't see their countertop much ;D
Basic formica is the cheapest, but soapstone and "faux granite" is also inexpensive and quite nice.
Depending on how much countertop you have, you can do it with a buddy. It's not hard to figure out -- for the full slab stuff, you just lay it on the counters and then fasten it on. For the tile-based stuff, you just lay down an underlayment and then put the tiles on. That's a bit more complicated but also not difficult. Again, though, to really get an idea of what things will cost, it's easiest to take your measurements into a store and have them run through all of your price options. It's free and you shouldn't feel pressured to buy anything you don't want to. Know your budget before you go in.
With solid surface and stone countertops you can get an undermounted sink which looks pretty cool, the top of the sink is glued to the bottom of the counter and the hole is routed to match up perfectly with the sides of the sink.
I really like engineered stone. It looks and feels pretty nice and it doesn't have some of the issues that natural stone can have like porosity and low tensile strength. It is also cheaper. Heavy as a motherfucker though, I did not enjoy going along on stone installations.
Same with faucets. Basic ones are super cheap, fancy ones are a bit more expensive. It's best to see what you'd like and then pick from the ones available. My wife and I did a detachable head one because we only have space for 1 basin (similar to you, only about 5ft of counter space).
I replaced the sink and faucet myself with no prior plumbing experience. Well, no, I replaced the toilet the day before, and THAT was with no prior plumbing experience. Only trick I learned was to use plumbers tape on the connections, and get plumber's putty for the drain. And make sure you shut off the water prior to working on it.
Given the scope of my project, a five foot bit of countertop minus sink space, I really don't see myself going for the granite. I wanted to do this for myself but also because I know I will be selling this place in a year or so and would like it to look slightly more appealing to people who are not me.
But the current counter is Formica and warped. Of course, it is older than I am so I assume it could be that but I do have some concerns over the quality.
I also highly, highly, highly, recommend getting a waste disposal unit for your sink. Massively reduces the amount of bin bags you go through as well as reducing the mess and stink of a kitchen bin.
What I suggest for kitchen remodelling is to have a long hard think about what you use your kitchen for. Some people are avid chefs, some prefer to work on the hob, some prefer to do a lot of oven baking/roasting, some people live primarily off convenience food, microwave and oven meals, others rarely eat at home but are huge coffee fans etc. So plan your kitchen around how you use it. What currently annoys or hinders you? How could you rearrange things or add or remove appliances to fix that problem?
But anyway, since you mentioned selling in a few years, think about what will be good for you, but also what your potential buyers would like. Yes, granite and concrete look great, but are expensive and require some care. A good formica top is cheaper, and requires zero extra care. Essentially you don't want to price yourself out of the market because you're trying to recoup the cost of upgrades.
This right here - I don't have a dishwasher, so I have to wash everything by hand, but even if I had a dishwasher I'd still love the sprayer hose on the sink. It's fantastic, even the fairly cheap one that I have.
Another thing to consider is a garbage disposal - I don't find it as crucial as the sprayer hose, but some people like it and it's definitely convenient.
Talking 100% or more increase in your homes equity.
Granite should be installed and measured my a pro.
If you don't want to go all out for the granite, go for granite tiles. These are things that you can install with a little elbow grease. Also, a pretty solid boost to your equity that you'll get back when you sell.
If you're selling, it better match the cabinets.
My advice is colored by my own disappointments in my countertop/sink area. The metal trim providing the seal to the porcelain sink is coming up and traps dirt/crumbs. Porcelain's worn around the drain and at top edges. The sink fixture is a single lever that controls pressure and both hot/cold water flow. The lever has worn (within first 3 months) and has a lot of play and the water only stays on if you put it on full blast, otherwise the weight of the lever pulls the faucet/valve into the closed position.
Unless you're the only house in the neighborhood with granite countertops. Even worse, even before the economy went in the shitter, these types of increases weren't doing much for the overall home value. This is from last February, and I'm sure it's even more true today.
Do granite if money is no object. That's the only time I'd suggest it.
in his case, it might actually be affordable... granite is expensive b/c you have to buy a whole slab since most people have more than 5ft of countertop.... the OP could probably get away with a granite remnant (which are much cheaper than an entire slab)
check out a stone mason... see if they have any inexpensive remnants, and ask how much it would be to cut to your desired size...
Bingo.
5 feet is a remnant length and for what he'd end up paying for it he would see his money back.
Obviously you don't want to be the most expensive house on your block but a slab like that will see a return, almost guaranteed.
Soapstone needs to be sealed. Concrete is really pricey and needs to be sealed. Marble is really really expensive.
etc..etc.. Butcher block is great and you can get a 5 foot remnant piece for not all that much. That just requires some sealer and some special cleaner.
Regardless of what he ends up putting down it's going to increase the value of the home. Much more than old nasty Formica.
It's not as simple as 'granite work surface, bam +$10,000'. It didn't work like that during the housing market boom and it sure as hell isn't going to work like that now. Granted, a nice kitchen will make your property more appealing than your neighbour's and that does count for an increase in value because people will be inclined to offer more for the property they are more attracted to in the hopes of getting it. But really, a granite worksurface is going to be a relatively minor improvement on it's own. If you completely refit the kitchen with new units, flooring, utilities and a new worksurface, that might provide a noticeable increase in valuations, but any good quality worksurface will help in that instance.
Furthermore, it's a buyers market right now in the worst possible way. People aren't going to be sky's the limit bidding just to out-bid the competition and get the property they really, really want because they all know that there is very little competition on the market right now. Anybody who does buy is going to be doing so with extreme frugality and caution - they aren't going to be wooed by a slab of granite.
Which is not to say don't get granite. It's lovely. Just don't buy into the hype.
Unless everyone has granite, or half the houses do.
We did the labor ourselves and we translated the savings into better quality concrete. The biggest issue is space, as each countertop needs several weeks to cure before the final installation. If you were to undertake such a project, you would need to plan it out over the course of dozens of weekends, some of which you be work-intensive and others which would be babysitting a concrete slab. Another factor is the coloring agent which has the nasty habit of staining just about anything with which comes into contact; the sealant applied to the finished concrete will lock it in and prevent rub-off. In terms of the final installation, you'll need some friends or family to help you hoist the slabs into place.
In case you're thinking of replacing the floor as well, do the countertops first in case you bang up the floor during installation. You won't feel too bad if your crappy linoleum is ruined, but you'll pull hair out if your shiny-new, factory-smell, pride-and-joy new flooring has some scuffs and scratches.