And Finally The White Laminate Is Gone!

I've been wanting to replace the counter tops in my kitchen since the day I moved in. Six years later and I finally got around to doing something about it. Stopped in two local granite stores in my town and ordered a gorgeous piece of Fantasy Brown granite when the owner made me an offer I couldn't refuse. He also agreed to remove the old counters for $150. I was planning to do the removal myself but at that price we had a deal. He came to the house that day to take measurements and so my project began.

Before picture of kitchen with white laminate counters

We made plans for the new counters to be installed the following Saturday but they did not do plumbing so I woke up early that morning to prep the kitchen. I had to remove all the items from the counter, remove the items in the top drawers and disconnect and remove the existing kitchen sink and faucet. The install came with a new sink and I decided to splurge and get a new high arc kitchen faucet even though I had replaced the kitchen sink and faucet when I first moved into the house. Since I had replaced the sink before I wasn't too worried about removing it. However I forgot exactly how the sink clips work and it took me quite a bit of effort to remove them. Finally figured out to use a nut driver to loosen the nut holding the clip because you can slide it over the long end of the screw. I then using a big long handled screwdriver to knock the clamp loose. Protective eye wear might have been a good idea! Working under the sink is awkward and invariably I get banged up from contorting and straining in such a confined space. Makes me appreciate a plumber. I did however eventually get the clips removed, turned off the hot & cold water valves, disconnected the water lines and drain lines and was able to lift the sink and faucet from the counter.

Tools and clip from top mount sink

  

Plumbing after sink and faucet disconnected

While I had the sink area cleaned out, I decided to patch up a few spots - always thinking of ways to keep out the unwanted critters that live around me on the farm.  I took steel wool and plugged up any holes or around any exterior wall plumbing and then taped over with my very fancy zebra duct tape. The mice won't chew on the steel wool and the tape just keeps it secured.

Plug up holes with steel wool

Duct tape over steel wool

Steel wool around exterior plumbing

Installers showed up and began the process of removing the old laminate. It took them almost two hours and I was so glad I paid to have them do the work. They had to be very careful not to damage the walls or cabinets and given the age and condition of my cabinets, that was no easy task. Next step was to carry in the heavy pieces of stone. The counters were comprised of two large sections for the peninsula and the sink area and one small piece next to my stove. It took about two hours for them to install the counters, caulk the sink and edges, secure the joints and finally clean and seal the surface. Took over four hours for the total project but boy did I love the finished product.

I originally had been looking at more simple styles of granite but for some reason the colors and movement of this stone struck a chord with me. Although I was told it was a granite, I found out when researching the name that is actually considered a quartzite which is between granite and marble on the hardness scale. Quartzite is a great alternative for the marble look without the risk of marks and etching. It still should be sealed once or twice per year to protect it but after reading about many people with the same stone I was confident it was a good choice for me and I loved the final look.

Something else to consider when ordering stone is whether you want the flow of the stone to go the same direction. I was a little concerned about this since the stone I chose was fairly busy but in the end I don't even notice the change in direction where they pieced the two sections together. Just keep this in mind though because not everyone would be happy with what I have so if this does matter to you, make sure to discuss with your installer. You may have to order two slabs of stone to have the grain going in the same direction.

Stone seam - grain going two directions

Now that the installers had left, it was time for me to get the sink and faucet connected. Installing the faucet and hooking up the hot and cold water was a cinch. The new faucets are almost foolproof on installation. I chose a Delta model that has an easy top mount option that allows you to tighten the faucet mount from the top. If you've ever tried tightening one from underneath behind a deep sink you will truly appreciate.

Hooking up the plumbing proved to be quite a different story. The new deep under mount sink sat lower than the old sink. I tried to reconnect the plumbing the same as before but the deeper sink was causing issues. Since it was getting late, I made a trip to Home Depot and grabbed several plumbing pieces that I thought would allow me to rework it. I then tried a different configuration but the trap (j piece) was too low and I was worried that the water wouldn't drain out the exterior pipe. In addition the new plumbing took up so much of the under sink space that I figured I needed a better solution.

Second attempt at re-plumbing new sink

So finally I tried the same configuration but with a shorter top piece connecting to each drain. This raised the entire plumbing up to resolve my exterior drain issue but now I didn't know what to do with the piping for the dishwasher. I now didn't have enough height to put this piece at the top so I resulted in putting it in horizontally.

Third attempt at re-plumbing sink

This seemed to be a better configuration so I sent a picture to my very handy brother-in-law to see if this looked okay. Meanwhile I tested my design for leaks by running water down both drains. No water seemed to be leaking and just when I thought I was in the clear I realized the water wasn't draining out but was going into my dishwasher. Now that the dishwasher hose connection was horizontal, the water took the lowest path which was into the dishwasher rather than out to the main drainage pipe. I then tried twisting the dishwasher line upward and my problem was now solved.

Original dishwasher line going horizontal

Modified dishwasher line now going vertical 

Just to be sure, I left the sink area clear except for some basins and paper towels and I monitored for any wetness for a few days. After I was certain I didn't have any leaks, I put everything back under the sink.  I'm loving my new sink,faucet and counters but now I have to figure out what to do about a back splash so stay tuned.

Finished product with new quartzite counters, under mount sink and high arc faucet with sprayer head