Countertop Replacement

New Counters on Cabinets That Still Have Years Left

A lot of Scottsdale condo kitchens have cabinet boxes that are perfectly serviceable under a laminate or tile top that has worn out. In that case replacing only the countertop is often the best money you can spend on the room. It changes how the kitchen looks and feels, it is quiet compared with a full remodel, and in most buildings it needs far less paperwork.

It is not the right call every time. Before we quote, we check whether the cabinets can carry it.

Checking the Cabinets First

Stone and quartz are heavy, and they do not bend to fit a crooked cabinet run. We look for four things:

• Level. A cabinet run that is out of level by a quarter inch shows up as gaps along the backsplash or a slab that rocks. Shimming can fix a little. It cannot fix a sagging base.
• Water damage. Particleboard sink bases that have swelled from a slow leak will not hold a new undermount sink safely.
• Box strength. Plywood and good quality particleboard are both fine. Thin builder grade boxes with loose joints may need reinforcement.
• Layout. If the kitchen does not work the way you cook, new counters on the same boxes will not change that. It may be worth talking about a full remodel instead.

The Elevator Question

In a condo, the countertop has to reach the kitchen. That sounds obvious until a fabricated nine foot run arrives and will not turn the corner out of the elevator. We measure the lobby doors, the cab depth and diagonal, the hallway and your entry before fabrication and design seams around what fits. When a long seamless run matters to you, sometimes a freight elevator booking or a different seam location solves it. We show you the options before anyone cuts a slab.

Choosing a Surface for a Scottsdale Kitchen

Scottsdale’s municipal water is very hard, and dried mineral spots show on every counter near the sink. What differs is how the surface reacts when you clean them.

• Quartz needs no sealing and resists staining. It is a resin bound product, so it should not take a hot pan directly, and very dark solid colors show water spots more.
• Quartzite is a natural stone that is harder than granite and handles heat well. It should be sealed, and some stones sold under the name are softer than they look, so we test samples.
• Granite is durable and forgiving once sealed. Busy patterns hide spotting and small chips.
• Porcelain slab is thin, light and very resistant to heat and staining. Its lighter weight is a genuine advantage in a building where every slab is carried in, though edges need care during fabrication.
• Marble is beautiful and the one to think hard about. Acidic cleaners people use to remove hard water scale will etch it.

Thickness matters too. A 2 centimeter slab often needs a buildup strip at the edge, while 3 centimeter material sits directly on the cabinets and raises the counter height slightly.

The Sink and the Backsplash

An undermount sink is the easiest to keep clean in a hard water kitchen because there is no rim for scale to collect around. If the existing tile backsplash is bonded tightly to the old counter, some tile will usually break during removal, so plan on a new backsplash or a short band of new tile.

How the Job Runs

We template once the old counters are out or, when possible, over the existing tops. Fabrication follows, usually a couple of weeks. Install day covers removal, setting, seaming and cutouts, then a plumber reconnects the sink and dishwasher. Most kitchens are without a sink for one to two days.

Call (480) 379-3060 to have your cabinets and your elevator measured.