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Installing Quartz Kitchen Countertops
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Installing Quartz Kitchen Countertops
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" David Miller and his men are here to install our countertops and also to tell us about Zodiaq, a new product from DuPont, right?"
" DuPont quartz surfacing."
" And we're looking at one section of it here. Tell me about it. What's it made out of?"
" Well, this is a natural silica quartz product, 93% natural product, put together with a polymer."
" So, they actually go out and mine quartz veins and chop them up, so that all the little flecks."
" And they're all white. It's all white before it gets into the mix."
" I see."
" It's pigmented. and then it's put together with a polymer binder."
" It's heavy. What does this stuff weigh?"
" Oh, I would say about 16 to 17 pounds a square foot."
" A square foot. And these are back-splash pieces, but the beautiful shot is over here where it has already been put in place. One thing that we were noticing earlier is that it does not have the high gloss of a natural granite."
" Yeah, it's correct. The polymers do not shine up quite as much as the granite sealers do."
" So, it's a little bit more subtle."
" It is. It is a subtle look and it makes it a little bit easier to care for, actually."
" So, we'll have the sink here and then we've got a nice corner section all the way to over here. What kind of a joint have you made here?"
" This is called the mason's mitre and we do this because of the strength that it gives to the countertop itself, instead of coming on a 45 or a straight line, it gives it an extra measure of security in the seam."
" Okay. And then, is the installation rather, you know, putting the seam together just epoxy?"
" Epoxy. It's a special epoxy. It's a polyester epoxy, knife grade, manufactured by DuPont. Every color has its own epoxy, so that it matches perfectly."
" Now, I was thinking of the big challenge in, you know, islands and corners and all of that in installing stone or marble or whatever making your templates."
" Yes."
" So, did u? I mean when we're building a house in a factory, do you come to the factory to make the templates, or what do you do?"
" We don't in this case. We do normally, 99% of what we do outside is done with templates. A man goes makes a template, but here we get a digital image from Simplex. We take that digital image and transfer it into our computers and those computers either cut templates or information goes directly into the computer-controlled routers, which cut out the pieces to the exact sizes."
" So, you need a lot of confidence in this kind of state-of-the-art technology?"
" It works."
" It works, yeah."
" Okay, is this the back-splasher there? Okay. And how does that install if you're putting in it vertically? Just also with epoxies?"
" This is gonna be silicone on the back."
" Oh, just a silicone sealer."
" Silicone sealer and that will be good enough."
" Directly on to the drywall?"
" Directly on to the drywall."
" And he's put a big bead down at the bottom where the joint will be, so that you,"
" That's correct."
" You make sure you don't have any water to get back in there. This is a very nice detail that our designer-owner thought up. Because we basically kept the counters out, so that we could build that shelf into the frame and then."
" It's a good look."
" Yeah, it's a good look, plus you end up with kind of a nice built-in shelf where you can keep the salt and pepper or, you know, different things that you use when you're cooking."
" Absolutely."
" And we are looking at the space exactly where we will have the stove when this is all finished. I keep getting in the way here. And that is the shelf. Now, do you put the shelf down also just with?"
" With silicone."
" With silicone?"
" Yup."
" And a little bit of shimming and you will have it under way."
" Right."
