Buying a small countertop - problems

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  • ivwshane
    Established Member
    • Dec 2003
    • 446
    • Sacramento CA

    Buying a small countertop - problems

    I am so close to finishing a laundry room remodel I started 2 years ago the last thing I need is a countertop and I figured that would be the easy part: just go to HD pick a product and have them install it. Well, every place I've called has a minimum order and no one it seems wants to install my 2'x3' counter.

    It appears I need to look at remnants but I'm concerned about the installation and the walls being out of square.

    Does anyone have any advice for me? To be more specific I want a quartz countertop with a cove or ogee edge.

    My last resort would be to make a solid wood butcher block type counter.
  • cabinetman
    Gone but not Forgotten RIP
    • Jun 2006
    • 15218
    • So. Florida
    • Delta

    #2
    Originally posted by ivwshane
    I am so close to finishing a laundry room remodel I started 2 years ago the last thing I need is a countertop and I figured that would be the easy part: just go to HD pick a product and have them install it. Well, every place I've called has a minimum order and no one it seems wants to install my 2'x3' counter.

    It appears I need to look at remnants but I'm concerned about the installation and the walls being out of square.

    Does anyone have any advice for me? To be more specific I want a quartz countertop with a cove or ogee edge.

    My last resort would be to make a solid wood butcher block type counter.
    Did you try all the box stores? You could go to a local cabinet shop, or a shop that deals with tops. You don't have a location, so recommending a shop isn't an option for me. Look in your Yellow Pages and there should be a few.

    You could glue up some hardwood. Or, look for some Corian. Or you could make a plywood top and cover with granite or marble tiles (which, BTW, you can get at the box stores). Or, make a laminated top with Formica.

    .

    Comment

    • JimD
      Veteran Member
      • Feb 2003
      • 4187
      • Lexington, SC.

      #3
      I don't know how far you are from these stores but I think you will have better luck going there and talking to somebody than trying to do this by phone. I suspect they take you to be price shopping and they don't want to give you much information by phone.

      Comment

      • LCHIEN
        Internet Fact Checker
        • Dec 2002
        • 20914
        • Katy, TX, USA.
        • BT3000 vintage 1999

        #4
        Angie's list? or Craig's list?
        Loring in Katy, TX USA
        If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
        BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

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        • jAngiel
          Senior Member
          • Oct 2003
          • 561
          • Ryobi BT3100

          #5
          You could try a place that fabricates granite countertops. We have one here that does large jobs and when I went there to ask some questions I asked about a huge pile of scraps, some would have been big enough for your countertop. They usually throw them out but they let me take a few of them for my own use free of charge. They offered to cut and polish the edges any way I wanted for a very reduced rate.

          You could also make your own template with a hot glue gun and some thin wood strips and take it to any fabricator and ask them to make it for you to install. Not having to go out and measure and install would make it pretty easy for them. If it's one of those man made materials you can grind and/or sand the back edge to fit the wall pretty easily without having to worry about polishing it up. They're usually heavy enough to stay in place with a bead of silicone.
          James

          Comment

          • vaking
            Veteran Member
            • Apr 2005
            • 1428
            • Montclair, NJ, USA.
            • Ryobi BT3100-1

            #6
            I would say stone is an overkill for a laundry room. Laminate is cheap and resistant to chemicals. It is afraid of knives but I don't think you have a lot of knives in the laundry.
            Butcher block is also a good choice. Ikea sells inexpensive butcher blocks counters ($130 for 6' section). They used to have 2 types, thin and cheap stuff (1-1/8" thickness, beech only) and a good one (1-1/2" thickness, oak/beech/birch selection).
            I used oak counter in my kitchen, works well. Finished with Waterlox also holds well against moisture. The thick style is definitely still available.
            Alex V

            Comment

            • chopnhack
              Veteran Member
              • Oct 2006
              • 3779
              • Florida
              • Ryobi BT3100

              #7
              To each their own. The granite place local to me often has remnants in excess of your size so a good deal could be had. Start checking your local granite dealers. Be warned the fabrication charge will probably be more than the stone. Last time I was at one location, there remnants section was selling for $75 a piece - some large enough to do a small vanity. HTH happy hunting.
              Last edited by chopnhack; 11-28-2012, 09:19 PM.
              I think in straight lines, but dream in curves

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              • ivwshane
                Established Member
                • Dec 2003
                • 446
                • Sacramento CA

                #8
                I found a place but when everything was said and done they wanted $1000 for a piece. That included installation and putting a profile edge on it. That sounds high to me for a 2'x3' counter.

                I'm doing some testing with wood to see how that would look.

                Comment

                • cabinetman
                  Gone but not Forgotten RIP
                  • Jun 2006
                  • 15218
                  • So. Florida
                  • Delta

                  #9
                  Originally posted by ivwshane
                  I found a place but when everything was said and done they wanted $1000 for a piece. That included installation and putting a profile edge on it. That sounds high to me for a 2'x3' counter.

                  I'm doing some testing with wood to see how that would look.
                  Why not make a plywood top and cover it with tiles, like granite, marble, or porcelain.

                  .

                  Comment

                  • dusty
                    Forum Newbie
                    • Nov 2012
                    • 51
                    • AZ
                    • Shopsmith Mark V Model 520 and a Mark V Model 510 with a BT3K Rail Kit, SMT, and Router Table

                    #10
                    Originally posted by ivwshane
                    I found a place but when everything was said and done they wanted $1000 for a piece. That included installation and putting a profile edge on it. That sounds high to me for a 2'x3' counter.

                    I'm doing some testing with wood to see how that would look.
                    They can charge this much because you can't DIY. If you are not willing to pay that price (I would not), it seems that you need an alternate plan.

                    Comment

                    • ivwshane
                      Established Member
                      • Dec 2003
                      • 446
                      • Sacramento CA

                      #11
                      Originally posted by cabinetman
                      Why not make a plywood top and cover it with tiles, like granite, marble, or porcelain.

                      .
                      Because it wouldn't look right, style wise.

                      Comment

                      • jseklund
                        Established Member
                        • Aug 2006
                        • 428

                        #12
                        If you are concerned about the walls being out of square, then you may want to move the counter away from the side wall at least a couple of inches. If you were using laminate, you could scribe to the wall pretty easily but with stone, it's gonna be, um, more difficult.

                        I'd look for a run down granite place on a back road and not something on a main drag....

                        I know a guy who used some leftover granite and made his own countertops, but I have no idea how he did all the work...
                        F#$@ no good piece of S#$% piece of #$@#% #@$#% #$@#$ wood! Dang. - Me woodworking

                        Comment

                        • ivwshane
                          Established Member
                          • Dec 2003
                          • 446
                          • Sacramento CA

                          #13
                          I've decided to go with a brazilian cherry countertop since I had a ton of scraps left over I could use, which means this will be free

                          If it turns out like crap then I'll bite the bullet and look at stone again.

                          Comment

                          • Daryl
                            Senior Member
                            • May 2004
                            • 831
                            • .

                            #14
                            Since this project has been on going for two years, I bet your wife would be happy with just a scrap of sheathing plywood thrown on top. This from experience.
                            Sometimes the old man passed out and left the am radio on so I got to hear the oldie songs and current event kind of things

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                            • chopnhack
                              Veteran Member
                              • Oct 2006
                              • 3779
                              • Florida
                              • Ryobi BT3100

                              #15
                              Good recycling on your part. I don't know your area, but if you start asking around the cab makers you should get some good leads on who does the volume of granite installs in the area. If your heart is set on stone, finding these guys should make for a much cheaper bid.
                              I think in straight lines, but dream in curves

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