Granite is one of the most exclusive, expensive and preferred stone for attractive and elegant kitchen countertops. They add an enchanting look to your home and immediately upgrade your decor to incorporate a more stylish, chic and warn look. The material on account of being extremely resilient and luxurious is highly priced and one of the large chunks of expenses of installing granite countertops is the expert labor charges. Installing granite countertops is indeed a specialized skill that requires professional expertise with sophisticated tools; however you can succeed in installing your own countertops with a little cognisance, creativity and resourcefulness. Here are some fabulous tips to take you through the process of installing granite countertops for your kitchen. It will not only help you cut costs but will also be an extremely fulfilling exercise to give your home decor a mesmerizing look.
The foremost decision to be taken before installing your countertop is picking the kind of edge that you would like your countertop to boast. There are ranges of edges from Bullnose edge and Polished Square edge to Wood trim and a ceramic cap draped look. The idea is to choose an edge that blends perfectly well with the overall look of your kitchen and exploits the available space to add a touch of class to it. Before installing a new countertop you would have to take-off your existing countertop with care. Other fixtures like sinks and faucets have to be removed as well to clear the entire space for the new countertop. A majority of the countertops are fastened with the help of screws fixed at the bottom. It is important to remove them. You may have to use putty to knife to loosen the sink and remove it. The next step is to open the screw that puts the countertop together and place it. Take care to ensure that the paint and wall is not damaged.
A lot of installation professionals recommend fixing plywood before you get down to installing the countertops to support the countertop in the most hassle-free manner. Another practical option is to stick the countertop slabs on plywood using high-end glue. This is helpful to bring the different slabs at a level. The most crucial aspect of granite installation is taking the right measurements and deciphering the correct placements. If precise measurements are not followed, the do it yourself installation can go horribly wrong and you'll end up spending much more than you intended to save. To cut the granite, use a diamond tip saw, which is a highly specialized tool. There may be seams in your countertop installation, which makes it all the more simple to lay slabs in an aesthetic manner to suit the whole look of your kitchen. Every manufacturer lists down a set of instructions to be followed while laying your granite countertops and it is wise to follow them to the tee for increased efficiency and productive results. If you have even a slightest inkling of whether you are steering in the right direction, call your countertop supplier for help and let them takeover with their established expertise.
Granite countertops are known for their durability. However before they are installed, they are quite fragile. Most of the granite shops which offer installation services also include the provision for transportation. One should understand that with the right preparation and equipment the slabs can be installed without much difficulty. Granite is considered to be rigid by nature. And with proper support, it will resist cracks.
When you are installing granite slabs for cabinets, there should be proper support for the granite; otherwise the stone can be damaged. Without any support, the granite will have cracks. Both glass and granite should be transported on a vertical edge. If the granite is laid on its back, then there will be cracks, when the vehicle comes across bumps on the road. In order to support the stone and provide a frame to the stone, the professional users take help of A frames. The frames are made of wood so that there is solid support for the stone.
Most A frames are built with a 10 degree angle which helps in supporting the granite slab. The vertical and the horizontal supports are clamped together and hold the granite in place so that it is not removed from its place even if the road is bad. Most A frames are large and can be carried with help of pickup trucks. If you are using the granite slab for the counter, then it will be large in size. In case of Undermount sinks, there will be polished granite which is safe for transportation. Polished cut-our granite are not as fragile as ordinary granite.
There are chances that the drop-in sinks, faucets and cook tops crack on the road. If the granite is used for small vanity tops, then they can be carried without the A frame. The granite should be vertically placed in the unpolished edge. The bottom of the granite should be laid on even, flat surface so that there are lesser chances of cracks and scratches. In case of SUV and minivan, the granite slabs should be put on the rear seats and the other seats can be used for giving support to the slabs.
If you are carrying the granite all by yourself, you will need some extra help. It will be impossible to carry the heavy slab all by yourself. When you carry the granite to the car, it should be carried vertically. You can lift both the sides together to give proper support to the heavy slab. Before you carry the granite to the car, you should inspect the slab carefully and see if there are any cracks or holes. Once you carry it outside the shop, it will be your sole responsibility. When you plan to carry the granite top, you should use proper support like an A frame along with clamps and a vehicle which is spacious. If it is a big granite slab, you will need space. The rear seat should be used for carrying the granite slab so that the whole slab can be kept properly.
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