Installing a Pre-cut Granite Countertop
I have a potential job next week installing a granite countertop for a customer who didn’t want to wait the three months it would take (so she says) to schedule the granite guy’s crew.
It will already be cut-to-fit, of course, so it looks like all I’ll have to do it remove the old countertop and then place and fit the new one. I expect I’ll have to shim, etc. to get the pieces to match up.
I found one article on FineHomebuilding.com, and it said that the countertop is basically glued to the cabinet frame with clear silicone caulk, and that the pieces are also joined together using clear silicone caulk (as the silicone allows for expansion and contraction. That all seems pretty straightforward.
Does anyone have any experience, tips, do’s and don’t, for me?
Thanks. Much appreciated.
– Eric
Replies
The countertop guys glue any joints with epoxy. It can be color matched to the top. I have had it siliconed down to the sub top, however the top shops epoxy it down. They use the horse shoe shaped plastic shims for leveling. Sometimes they run leveling screws up from the bottom to act as a shim until the adhesive dries.
John
We stopped using epoxy for the seams because it kept cracking.
We've been using Silicone and have had no problems in the last 2 years.
Three months sounds crazy. Around here it's 10 days to two weeks from template to install. I hope you have some very strong guys helping you, those tops weigh a ton. Last top I did was 6 x 8 and it came in around 400lbs. if I remember correctly. I second the epoxy for joints, color matched. Silicone down, also.