Laminate countertops
 

Hi everyone, I need new laminate countertops installed and Home Depot is saying it would be 6 weeks before they'd be done. Has anyone gotten them installed way faster? Thanks for any advice.

Have you considered Granite or Quartz, especially Quartz? Replacing laminate countertops seems like waste of money to me.

I am assuming that these are custom made for your replacements, so 6 weeks is reasonable. If you can use stock sizes and have your installer trim to fit you may be able get these quicker. I am also assuming that you will need the holes cut for the sink, etc. Around a year ago I looked at these at Lowe's and they had various counter tops in stock, no idea if any of these will work for you.

No need to be a countertop snob. Laminate can be a good choice, not “a waste of money.” Countertop choice depends on what the individual wants and/or needs.

As one who spent good money on granite a couple of houses ago, I can tell you that I am so glad we don’t live there anymore. Kitchens were in their “Tuscan Phase” and I was, too. I just loved my Tuscany Tones. It did not matter to me that if my vitamin and my dog’s arthritis pill were loose on the counter, trying to find them was like looking for Waldo. But then I got tired of that look BECAUSE that is exactly what kitchen designers want us to do.

Granite dates fast. And don’t get me started on that silly waterfall look — served no purpose other than parting people from their money.

I could write a therapeutic (for me) big long thing about my life with countertop choices through 10 houses, but I will spare you.

That being said……c’mon, retiredguy123, don’t judge someone’s financial decisions by their countertop choice. Laminate could be a very smart financial decision — and comes with a whole lot less labor and guilt, if you want to change it later. (That is a fact that can definitely apply when buying a resale, too.)

Boomer

PS: But. . .I will not judge you as someone who judges people by their countertops. Your financial judgment, as shows in your posts, is usually quite sound. And you do not come through as one of those types who actually goes around judging people by their countertops.

But usually I do judge people who judge other people by their countertops. :)

Not an unreasonable amount of time in the least.

You got it, Boomer, well said.

I could write an essay on the irrational psychology of countertop choices, I've been watching it for a couple decades now.

It's "the power" of HGTV and keeping up with the Joneses, it seems, that people who previously never gave countertops a second thought would rip-out ones still in good shape to spend many thousands on new ones which provided virtually no added utility - it was all for aesthetics. But, they still lived in a modest-priced house or it was dated through-out the rest of it. Nutz!

People pour a bowl of cereal or make a salad the same way no matter what the surface is.

I did not intend to sound like I was judging someone by their countertops. I definitely don't think of myself as a snob. I just tend to look at upgrades in terms of resale value. I have laminate counters in my house and they are fine. But, if I were going to replace them, it would be with Quartz because of the resale value. I think granite is out, Quartz is in. Most of the replacement cost for countertops is for the labor, not the material. I would not want to waste money on expensive labor to install a material that will not do much to increase the value of my house. All laminate is made of plastic, but some people think that there are different grades of laminate. But, it all has basically the same durability, or lack thereof. I don't have any statistics, but I think that the vast majority of people who replace their laminate countertops, will upgrade the material to a stone type counter.

Actually, I know what you were thinking and why. But in between the either/or of laminate v. stone v. quartz, there is a lot of territory.

You see that I gave you a pass when said I do not judge you as one of those people who judges people by their countertops. You do not seem to be a snob, at all……..

I was just using your comment to fire for effect, not directly at you, but at those people who really do judge people by their countertops. There are a lot of those around and I find them tedious. As that old southern expression says, “They make my azz tired.”

Anyway, retiredguy, peace.

Sincerely,
Boomer

PS: I kinda luv it when a thread jumps the track a little. My people call it conversation. But I hope our OP gets her answer. (Btw, my guess is that 6 weeks lead is the standard answer, but I would be checking around, too, just in case.)

Sorry to hear 6 weeks is reasonable. The problem is that I'm getting new cabinets which will be without counters for a long time. The new cabinets are not exactly the same size as the previous ones so I don't have the option of putting on the old counters on top temporarily. Especially the sink cabinet that will need a smaller sink, I know, why downsize, don't worry about it, there is a reason for it! I could put a piece of plywood in the meantime, that might be my only option.
Tinker, I have looked at the stock counters in Home Depot and Lowes and they're not what I'm looking for, but that was a good suggestion.
I've got a lot of counters to replace and since I am not planning on reselling, I'm quite content to go for the cheaper option that I wouldn't feel devastated if anyone damaged them by mistake. But maybe I will get swayed to stone so they get done faster!

M-
I replaced my new Villa's laminate with quartz recently. If you want any info feel free to contact me. L

Stone will not necessarily be faster, unless what you happen to choose is in stock, and the installer has the time. Our neighbors replacement counter tops took several months. If you can get by with some plywood, go for it, just apply several coats of polyurethane (water based) and sand between coats. This will give you a durable waterproof coating until your final counter tops arrive.

Re-doing Laminate counter tops is a very simple job, most any handyman can do. Laminate can be applied directly over your existing laminate and it's very inexpensive to buy. All you need, is a can of mastic adhesive and a router to do the edges and it will look brand new.

If you're doing something new and don't have any counter tops to do over, they're not hard to build from scratch, you just can't do post-formed very easily.


If you can't find someone to do them and you're in TV, go talk to someone at the Woodworking Shop.

Why not wait to replace the cabinets until the countertops are ready?

My quartz countertops were quoted at 6 weeks but they came in at 2. Got them from Roberto's.

Great advice again Tinker.