The countertop is one of the most vulnerable surfaces in the kitchen. Chips, cuts, and traces of dishes appear on it. At the same time, the neatness of the entire interior depends on its appearance. To freshen up your space without replacing furniture or repairs, you can try restoring it yourself. In this article we tell you how to update your kitchen countertops with your own hands.
How to restore a table edge?
To do this you need:
- Purchase a new melamine edge with glue of the desired shade and thickness (it is usually sold in strips in the same place where chipboard and furniture fittings are sold).
- Remove the old edge by heating the end with an iron.
- Sand the end using a chisel and sandpaper until the chips disappear.
Interesting materials:
How to correctly fill out a work book 2022? How to correctly fill out 6 personal income taxes for the first half of 2022? How to properly brew tea with ground ginger? How to brew flaxseed correctly? How to brew green tea in a teapot? How to properly certify work books 2022? How is Christmas celebrated in Germany? How to provide your services? How to pre-calculate your pension? How to convert GPT to MBR when installing Windows?
Purpose of the kitchen countertop
The tabletop performs a number of important functions, including:
- cutting food, cooking;
- placement of kitchen equipment;
- dining area (table);
- aesthetic function.
Countertops are made from a wide variety of materials to suit every taste:
- wooden;
- plastic;
- from chipboard;
- laminated;
- glass;
- from artificial stone;
- marble.
Wooden countertop repair
When it comes to ease of repair, wood countertops are the easiest to clean up. Most often they suffer from exposure to moisture or high temperatures. If the height of the tabletop increases, it delaminates, or if looseness appears, you should perform the following actions:
- Remove any pieces of wood caused by the delamination of the table top.
- Dry the surface of the countertop.
- Dry the countertop.
- Mix sawdust and PVA glue. The result should be a thick mass.
- Fill the voids on the countertop with this mixture.
- Place the tabletop under the press for about a day.
- After drying, coat it with silicone.
- Place the tabletop in place.
We change it efficiently and correctly with our own hands
The replacement process does not require any special skills, but it will be useful to first figure out how to update the kitchen countertop. This way you can do everything correctly and avoid mistakes that could affect the life of the surface.
Among the tools you will need a drill with drills, a jigsaw, files, sandpaper (preferably fine-grained), sealant, spatula, for marking and taking measurements - a pencil, tape measure, pattern, square.
Tools and materials you will need to replace your countertops yourself
When everything you need is prepared, get to work. First you need to turn off the water and other communications, remove the sink and hob, and then dismantle the old countertop. Experts recommend dismantling carefully; it is advisable to preserve the parts that attached it - perhaps you will need some corners or some screws from an old set.
After dismantling the countertop, it is necessary to remove the remains of the old sealant at the joints with the wall
Having dismantled the old surface, it is necessary to thoroughly wash the place where the new one will be installed, paying special attention to the joints. If there are no holes for the hob and sink in the countertop yet, now is the time to make them.
We use the old tabletop as a stencil for cutting out a new one; we attach pads along the edges to prevent moisture from getting in
In the case of glass, stone or wood, if you are not sure that you can do everything correctly with your own hands and thus not spoil the expensive material, it is better to entrust the cutting of the appropriate holes to specialists.
We make markings for the sink and hob, carefully cut out the holes
Cover with sealant and insert the sink into the new countertop
Next, the tabletop is placed in its place. Before attaching it to the wall and the rest of the headset, you must make sure that it lies strictly horizontally. When all fasteners are installed, the tabletop is ready for use.
We mount the top profile onto the locking mount, then connect the siphon to the sink and install the mixer
The only thing else that can be done is to cover the joints with corners for greater aesthetics and at the same time reliability of use.
Cover the joint between the tabletop and the wall with a decorative plinth and install corners
FAQ
I liked the chipboard cabinet at the furniture store, but it had slabs on the back with a raw edge. Is such furniture dangerous in a residential area?
There is GOST, which allows that invisible joints of laminated chipboard do not need to be sealed. If you are so concerned about the presence of unsealed joints, you can seal them yourself with a special self-adhesive edge tape.
Is there a way to restore laminated chipboard furniture that has been damaged by flooding?
It is impossible to restore heavily wet laminated chipboard.
How to protect the laminated chipboard of a kitchen unit at the edges from water penetration?
Furniture damage can be avoided by pre-treatment. The joint must be dried, then coated with PVA glue. After it dries, apply construction sealant or silicone as additional protection.
Repair of artificial stone countertops
To restore a stone countertop, it is enough to perform the following steps: – reinforce the surface and treat damage; – matt and degrease the surface; – repair minor scratches using repair acrylic or glossy solution.
If the corners of a stone countertop have peeled off: – sand and polish the surface of the countertop; – repair the damage using a mixture of glue and acrylic plastic; – sand the tabletop with sandpaper; – polish the surface.
Prevention of chipping
In order for the tabletop to retain its presentable appearance for as long as possible and you do not have to restore it, it is important to maintain its integrity during use.
- special coasters and mats for dishes
in your arsenal . This will protect the surface from sudden temperature changes and dirt that can become embedded. Frequent rubbing can also cause unsightly abrasions. - Do not forget to use care products for the material from which the countertop is made. For example, wooden surfaces are treated with silicone and moisture-resistant sealants. Immediately after purchase, it is advisable to cover their ends with plastic strips and varnish. This will extend the life of the countertop.
- Locate the surface away from possible impact loads: for example, from the front door or refrigerator door.
As you can see, almost every type of damage has its own restoration technique, which you can do yourself. This will save your finances and does not require much work. The main thing is to choose the right materials and act as carefully as possible.
Subscribe to our Social networks
Scratches
Removing scratches from a surface is as easy as removing abrasions, and maybe even easier. Before starting work, degrease the surface. If the scratch is shallow, it can be quite simply rubbed with a piece of wax (often there is no need to even melt it).
If the scratches are deep, you can use soft wax.
If the scratch depth is more than 3 mm, we perform preliminary cleaning of the surface from dirt for better adhesion of the wax.
Then we polish the work area with a piece of felt. If necessary, tint with furniture varnish. It is recommended to use ear sticks for small scratches; for larger scratches you will need a brush of the appropriate width.
Finally, the tabletop should be coated with colorless varnish.
Note! If there are several deep scratches nearby, it is recommended to completely remove the surface layer of the countertop in this area. This will allow you to avoid repeated damage to the integrity of the treatment area due to exposure to moisture - even with the most painstaking work, microcracks will certainly remain and grow over time.
Wax is applied to the scratch using a rubberized spatula.
Characteristics of the material – laminated chipboard
Thanks to modern technologies, it is possible to create chipboards with imitation of natural wood or stone, as well as apply any other design.
The surface of a bar counter, an extended window sill or folding shelves are often used as a countertop in the kitchen. They also need to be repaired if damaged. These surfaces can be:
- textured (wood or stone) and smooth;
- covered with plastic or glass;
- matte and glossy;
- decorated with a layer of natural veneer and impregnated with a special protective varnish.
Despite their cost, laminated chipboard countertops look very beautiful.
To make countertops, we use a thin layer of natural wood on a base of chipboard or plywood. The base can be melamine, laminated or laminated. Although it is a relatively cheap and fragile material, it has become widespread due to its affordable price and attractive appearance.
Important information! Practice has shown that countertops from Italian manufacturers are recognized as the most aesthetic, environmentally friendly and practical. But they are the most expensive on the world market.
During operation, it is necessary to monitor the integrity of the coating, since water gets into damaged areas and deforms the entire material.
Under the laminated (protected) layer is the so-called “halva” or chipboard (chipboard). These are sawdust compressed and impregnated with resinous substances. Over time, the trim comes off in some areas, and water enters the laminated floor. Because of this, the slab loses its ideal shape.
Types of damage
Often, the same damage occurs in combination of two or more types, so we list the types:
- chips;
- cracks;
- holes;
- burns;
- swelling;
- abrasions.
Each of these types of damage occurred largely due to improper operation and disregard for safety rules, transportation, etc.
Cracks are classified by depth and by the layer to which they propagate.
Naturally, there are deep and superficial. Surface ones are mainly covered with various means. If restoration methods are used correctly, the table surface will be practically indistinguishable from a new coating without cracks.
If the crack is deep and extends into the wood itself, then reconstruction may not yield anything. The maximum that can be achieved is only to delay the complete failure of the part.
How to order countertop repairs in Moscow and Moscow Region
If you have the necessary knowledge, of course, you can repair your countertop yourself. Let’s just make a reservation that not every countertop can be repaired on your own. For example, repairing a marble or glass countertop requires special equipment. Also, in some cases, repair is impossible and a complete replacement of the countertop will be required. If you decide to entrust the work of countertop repair to specialists, welcome to us! We repair or replace countertops in Moscow and the Moscow region. We work with any type of damage, while guaranteeing efficiency and quality. Contact us in a way that is convenient for you, and we will help you restore the appearance and functionality of your countertop.
