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Installation of the Marble Kitchen Countertop

Bob and Chris Vila enter the penthouse apartment to look at the installation of the kitchen countertops. This particular kind of Italian marble-like stone is a schist called Pietra Cardosa, from the area of Cardosa, Italy. It is fairly porous, with great abrasive resistance, but may require a bit more care than the average countertop as it cannot be polished to a shine. Nick Tagios from Tagios Tile and Marble explains the attachment of the countertops to the Cherry Craftline island cabinet. First a bead of silicone caulk is laid down to adhere the stone to the wood. Tagios and crew level the top with shims. To install the bridge that will become the kitchen�s island sink surround, steel bars are added between the slabs by sawing out a line and then sealing the bars inside with the stone-colored epoxy. Supports are attached to the sidepieces of stone and the bridge is laid between. To eliminate the line and space between the two stone slabs a dyed two-part epoxy is added. After the epoxy dries the counter top is sanded to remove any excess epoxy.

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Installation of the Marble Kitchen Countertop

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" What kind of stone are you putting -- is the is the counter made of different could also. Yet some hurdles are are so that opera so this is a -- a marble. Yes it is okay straight -- looks like a slate column yes it's a rough finish and we're interrupting you but what's happening next we're going to silicone the the -- the stone right down to the cabinet okay we're looking at the area where the kitchen sink will be installed. That shim stays there. We moved it a little bit. Yeah even though the cabinets were laid down. A week ago and everything is on the level there's always is -- the need for little British shimming when you're working with stone like this. And then the cushion of the silicone. It's irrelevant. Right -- what you have to do next what are the clamps and so forth he would do and it's a four piece centers we have two world so we've got one. Strip of the stone and another strip of the stone yeah I need to surround for the drop inside that OK and and so what -- what we have to do is make a temporary. Supported Yellowstone. The bridge. The removed through here a little bit of space -- Vila there's so that we. The adhesive. So nick. How exactly would make the epoxy match up the stone a stone's sort of an off gray almost over the green and this -- three different colors white black and green walker and we mix that in with the clear epoxy to transparent proxies. And we came up with this grey color that matches pretty good. And the so this is a two part epoxy yes you have put the heart burn right so you can basically work where this all day long right until we put them. Are there just may yet make as much as you need. Once you put the hardener in though you've only get a little bit of grace time right we have maybe two minutes yeah before it gets hard work hard. There's. Going to push. After this hardens do you have to sand it or what yes we do an end. So nick the proxies during this piece of marble in here letter. But what about the program note we've got about eight inches of this thing so structurally how to keep that keeps falling down on the floor well we have these metal rods that we pre cut. To about five inches long occur there about quarter by an 18. And for free custom love grooves underneath the stone friendlies. What's right in there and -- posse -- Santa Claus and correct. All right it's been on for about ten minutes and so we can take the class off. And it's a little bars in there. It's beautiful congratulations. It's a professional job."

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Kitchen Countertop Options by Price

Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. Countertops are such a big part of any major kitchen remodel and there are so many new options, deciding on the best choice can seem a little daunting. Starting with the budget can make the decision easier. Countertop materials range widely in price, anywhere from $11 to $200 per square foot installed. Generally speaking, while high-end countertops can boost your kitchen s look, you don t want them too far out of sync with the price point of your cabinets and appliances. Heavier materials like concrete and natural stone can also require added support, so cabinet and countertop quality should be consistent. Once you ve decided what you can spend, you can narrow your countertop options. For smaller budgets, get creative with ceramic tile at $11 to $30 per square foot. Or, check out some of the new high-tech options in laminate, which can be fabricated and installed at $36 to $45 per linear foot. Solid surface countertops offer lots of creative color options from $40 to $60 per square foot installed, and an integral solid surface sink is a great easy-care feature. In the $50 to $100 range, there are many choices. Among them are wood and butcher block with its warm beauty and natural antimicrobial properties; natural stone like slate, soapstone, marble, travertine and granite with all the quirks of nature built in; and engineered quartz countertops with a wide color range and more consistent patterns. Stainless-steel and concrete countertops are generally the most expensive at around $100 on up per square foot. But they can also be fabricated with integral sinks and they re great if you re going for that restaurant or industrial look. Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com

Installing Quartz Kitchen Countertops

Dupont has provided a new product for the solid surface kitchen counters called Zodiaq, which is made of natural silica, quartz, and about eight percent polymer. Zodiaq quartz surfaces are made of a naturally refractive material that gives it a subtle sparkle. It is extremely hard making it resistant to scratches, chips, cracks or dulling and not porous making it hard to stain. The man-made stone countertops are easier to care for than 100% natural stone and are installed in the same manner. In our kitchen the installer used a technique called a mason�s mitre that gives the joint between the pieces additional surface area for the polyester epoxy to bond. The epoxies from Dupont are specially formulated to match the countertops color. David Miller from Desavino and Sons is on hand to explain the countertop installation. One of the unique things about a Simplex house is the exacting consistency of measurements. A digital image is sent from Simplex to the countertop fabricator and they either create a template from the image, or cut the countertop directly from the image provided by Simplex.

Installing Corian Countertops and Sink

Bob is with Andrea Johnson from Corain as Scott Lawyer of Solid Surfacetops arrives to install the shop-fabricated Corian countertops in the Punta Gorda kitchen. This counter features an integral sink that is attached to the counter by the fabricator in his shop. The seam between the sink and counter is made with liquid Corian that forms an impermeable and invisible seam between the sink and the counter. These integral sinks have no edge or grunge line, which makes for easy cleaning and a sleek look. The Canyon color chosen by the homeowners is dark, like the Porcelanosa metallic-look tile. Johnson remarks what a good job the homeowners have done matching the counter color to the tile. Bob adds that the cool, dark colors bring a soothing, cooling presence to the interior spaces of this hot-climate home. Bob then watches as the crew from Solid Surfacetops installs the counter pieces and creates an invisible seam. The two sections of Corian are fitted with wood blocks that will hold the clamps as the sections are glued with liquid Corian that matches the countertop and clamped tight to set. Once the glue has set and dried for about 25 minutes, the clamps are removed and the seam is sanded to give a seamless look to this two-piece installation.

Manufacturing Marble Kitchen Countertops

Evan Zgonis of Olympia Marble and Granite gives Bob a tour of the facility where the kitchen countertops are being manufactured. The marble slabs are brought in from the yard by crane. Once the slabs are brought in, the majority of the process is then automated. The first step in the countertop fabrication process is to square off the edges of the slab with a water saw. After that, the marble is brought to a CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) machine. The machine's cutting head is controlled by a computer that has been programmed with the dimensions for the countertop design. The designs were created from a template made on site. The key points are marked on the slab, and using a CAD program, they are then fed into the computer. The machine can make complex cuts by utilizing different blades and manipulating the slab, all automatically.