A.   General Information
         Because countertops are used as a working surface they have to be durable, waterproof, easy to clean and attractive. Some common countertop materials are plastic laminate, ceramic tile, and manufactured "solid surface". By far the most popular is the laminate countertops. They may be custom-made or prefabricated post-form type. Many post-form countertops have pre-attached backsplashes and front edge treatments and are available in almost any color and are easy to install. Laminates are durable and stain resistant, but they're usually impossible to repair. Ceramic tile countertops have exceptional durability and a natural look. You can repair damaged tiles using the same steps you would use to repair tiled floors or walls. For heavy usage, you can protect your grout joints by applying a silicone grout sealer about once a year. Solid-surface countertops are made from acrylic or polyester resins mixed with additives. Superficial repairs are possible on most of them, but major repairs and new installations should just be left to a professional.

B.   Countertop Problems & Repairs
         Solid-surface countertops develop a mellow luster with use and age. If you make repairs that remove the surface glow, you have to blend it in to keep an even appearance. To get rid of scratches and stains, first try using a mild detergent, rubbing the area in circular motion with a wet sponge or cloth. If that doesn't work, try using a gentle abrasive powder and a plastic scouring pad. For deep scratches or burns, you can use fine-grit sandpaper. Blend the repaired area with a mild abrasive liquid and a sponge or cloth.

Ceramic tile countertops can be repaired by replacing the damaged tiles and grout.  Before breaking out the tile, carefully remove the grout. It's common to break a good tile while trying to replace a damaged tile, so be careful and focus on the weakest points of the damaged tile. Take your time while chipping it away.

C.   Countertop Installations - Remove and Replace
         When removing an existing countertop, you'll need to disconnect any plumbing and/or electrical. Disconnect plumbing fixtures and appliances at the shutoff valves. Disconnect electrical at the main power panel.

Usually countertops are fastened to cabinets with screws driven through wood or plastic mounting brackets fixed to the top inside corners of the cabinets. Remove the screws and any other mounting hardware. Unscrew the take-up bolts on the underside of mitered joints. Use a utility knife to cut caulk beads along the backsplash and the wall. Using a flat pry bar, lift the countertop away from the base cabinets. If you can't pry it up in one piece, cut the countertop into smaller pieces. Post-form laminate countertops come in stock lengths, which you can cut to fit over your cabinets. They're available in straight sections and in mitered sections for installation in a corner. For any exposed end of your countertop, buy an end-cap kit. This includes a wood batten strip and a pre-shaped strip of matching laminate to cover the end after the section is cut to size. For a precise fit, trim the backsplash to follow any unevenness in the back wall. This process is known as scribing. Begin by measuring along the tops of the base cabinets to figure out the size of the countertop. Walls are barely flat or square, so measure at the front and back of the cabinets, and use the longer measurements. Use a framing square to establish a reference line (R) near the middle of the cabinets. Take four measurements (A, B, C, D) from the reference line to the cabinet ends and walls. Allow for overhangs by adding 1" to the length of each exposed end, and 1" to the width (E). Also allow for 1/16" gap where the countertop butts against appliances.

 Lay the new countertop facedown on a flat work surface, and use a jig saw to cut it to length. Clamp a straightedge in place to use as a cutting guide. If the saw chips the laminate surface, use a blade with finer teeth. To finish the exposed ends, attach the batten from the end-cap kit to the underside of the countertop, using waterproof wood glue and small brads.

Smooth any unevenness with a belt sander. Then, attach the self-adhesive laminate end cap to the end, slightly overlapping the edges of the countertop. Hold the end cap in place, and press it with a household iron set at medium heat to activate the adhesive. After the end cap cools, use a fine-tooth file to trim the edges flush. Position the countertop on the cabinets, making sure the front edge is parallel to the cabinet faces. The bottom of the countertop's front edge should be even with the tops of the cabinets. Make sure the countertop is level. If you need to, use wood shims to level the countertop and to make sure it's supported evenly from underneath.

 When the miter joints are dry-fitted together and the countertop pieces are snug against the back walls, the next step is scribing the backsplash. Post-form countertops have a scribing strip, which is a thin lip of wood and laminate on the end of the backsplash, which makes it easy to shape. Set the compass arms to match the widest gap between the backsplash and the wall. Then, move the compass along the length of the wall to transfer the outline to the scribing strip. Sand the backsplash to the scribe line using a belt sander with a coarse-grit belt. Hold the belt sander parallel to the top of the backsplash to avoid chipping the laminate. Bevel the strip slightly inward from the top surface down. Test-fit the countertop. Lay out the position of the sink and other elements to be installed in the countertop. To mark the cutout for a self-rimming sink, set the sink upside down on the countertop, and trace the outline with a pencil. Remove the sink, and draw a cutting line 5/8" inside the sink outline.

 Drill a starter hole just inside the cutting line to make the sink cutout. Use a jig saw with a fine-tooth blade to complete the cut. The next step is joining the mitered ends, if you have them. If you have a short countertop, you can do this on a bench, but it's easier to assemble long countertops on top of the cabinets. The miter joints are held together with special take-up bolts that sit in grooves cut into the countertop core.

Apply a bead of silicone caulk to the mating surfaces of the miter joint, and spread the caulk evenly with your finger. Fit the joint together. From inside the cabinet, install the take-up bolts, and tighten them so they are just snug. From above, check the joint to make sure the front edges are flush. Tap along the surface of the seam with a wood block and a hammer until it is smooth. Then, tighten the take-up bolts. Position the countertop tightly against the wall, and fasten it to the cabinets by driving wallboard screws up through the mounting brackets and into the countertop core. Make sure that the screws aren't long enough to puncture the laminate surface. Run a fine bead of caulk along the joint between the backsplash and wall. Smooth the caulk with a wet fingertip.

Countertops Industry Glossary of Terms

American Colonial: Traditional design elements inspired by the American Colonial period and influenced by English Georgian style.

Antiquity Glass: Blurred, tempered glass with seeded impressions.

Apron Front Sink: (farmhouse sink): A sink with a large apron in front that sits on a short cabinet.

Backsplash: A material which offers a water guard between the countertop and the wall

Bugholes: Small cavities in concrete which are created by trapped air.

Build-up: Strips of material that are sometimes attached to the under-side of countertops to raise it flush with the cabinet tops.

Bullnosing: The process of adding a finished edge to an unfinished natural or man-made tile. It also protects the edge from chipping and cracking.

Butcher Block: See "Wood countertop."

Caesarstone: A man-made stone that is many times harder than natural stone, making is scratch and stain resistant.

Cambria: See "Solid Surface."

Cantilever: A beam projecting beyond its supports. For instance, the area where a countertop overhangs a cabinet by a few inches.

Carpenter's Glue: An adhesive used to bond one wooden element to another. Often stands up to heat and moisture; works best with porous materials.

Casting Table: A table made for casting concrete slabs.

Ceramic Tile: A type of countertop made from inexpensive, yet durable, ceramic sections.

Concrete Countertops: A handcrafted countertop surface pre-cast in molds and built to the customer's specifications. It can also be cast in place top of the base kitchen cabinets.

Cooktop: An assembly of stove burners that fits into countertop.

Drain Board: Depressions in a countertop which allows water to run into the sink

Drop-in Sink: A sink which contains a rim that fits over the countertop

Edge Return: A thick countertop edge that gives the appearance of a thicker slab

Engineered Stone: A manmade stone composed of quartz particles and has a nonporous surface resistant to scratches. Unlike natural stone, it's easy to maintain though just as expensive.

Food contact surface: Any equipment or utensil which normally comes in contact with food or which may drain, drip or splash on food or on surfaces normally in contact with food. Examples: cutting boards, knives, sponges, countertops and colanders.

Formica Stone: A natural, durable non-porous quartz surface that requires little maintenance

Framed Construction: A cabinet box that resembles a flat, empty picture frame attached to the front to which doors are attached

Frameless Construction: A cabinetry style in which doors are attached directly to the sides of the cabinet box with hidden hinges.

Gloss: A way to describe a finish which has a deep shine and smooth texture.

Granite: An expensive, elegant, durable countertop material made from igneous rock, which requires a lot of maintenance and constant sealing. Often there are many small specks throughout the stone creating a salt and pepper look.

Grout: (slurry) : A cement paste used to fill bugholes in countertops

Honed Finish: A smooth, but not shiny finish on stone. The finish is ideal in terms of maximizing wear, and minimizing maintenance.

Inset Doors/Drawers: Doors and drawer fronts recessed to fit level with a cabinet frame when closed.

Integral Sink: A sink made out of the same material as the countertop to form a continuous surface.

Knockout: A rubber material placed in a form where there will be a hole in the countertop.

Laminate: A thin material adhered to particle board substrates. Often referred to as brand names such as 'Formica' or 'Arborite'

Limestone: Any stone consisting wholly or mostly from calcium carbonate.

Marble Countertops: A rare and expensive stone surface that requires a lot of maintenance, yet is a luxurious inlay for islands and countertops

Matte: A smooth finish with very little shine.

Melamine: Particle board coated with a plastic material which is used in concrete countertops because of its smoothness.

Mitre: A seam in a countertop, usually in a corner, where the counter changes direction. Non-porous: A material that won't stain. It isn't affected by chemicals, acids, and temperatures; therefore it is always clean, safe, and resistant to bacteria buildup.

Nosing: The edge treatment of a countertop. See "Bullnosing."

Oak Trim: is a moulding specially shaped for the edge of tile countertops. It provides durable protection from everyday impacts that can chip ceramics. And the wood adds a warm, natural accent to the tile. By following these instructions, you can easily cut, install, stain and finish this counter trim yourself. The moulding is usually installed on the edge of your counter before laying in tile.

Onyx: A microcrystalline variety of quartz, usually having parallel lines of color.

Overlay Doors/Drawers: Doors and drawer fronts that partially or fully overlap the face frame when closed

Penetrating Sealer: A sealer which enters into the concrete surface to increase water resistance

Polished Finish: A high-shine finish attained by machine-buffing stone with successively finer buffers and compound. Polished finished require periodic renovation when used on soft materials for flooring.

Post-form: A method for making laminate countertops where the laminate is formed around a pre-determined substrate.

Pulls: A term used to describe any knob or handle attached to finished cabinets or drawers. Pulls come in a large variety of sizes and decorative styles and colors to match personal tastes.

Pyrolave: Countertop material made from enameled lava rock

Quartz: A rock countertop material which, unlike granite, never has to be sealed or polished.

Rodding: The process of embedding steel with epoxy to the bottom side of stone to increase strength in relatively weak areas, such as sink and stove front & back rails.

RTA or Ready to Assemble: Cabinets that arrive ready to make in a kit; an economical option for do-it-yourselfers.

Sealer: Solvent used to protect and enhance the appearance of a countertop surface.

Seam: The thin line where two pieces of slab come together. This should be a tight fit, much less than the typical tile grout line.

Seamstone kit: A store-bought kit that allows one to sand and polish seaming material without scratching the granite surface.

Shim: A thin piece of wood used during installation to insure that countertops are level.

Slate: A fine-grained rock that tends to split along parallel cleavage planes. Slate is relatively soft and porous

Soapstone: A naturally dark gray, yet smooth countertop surface made of talc-quarried, metaphoric stone. It is non-porous and easily maintained.

Solid Surface or Cambria: A solid, natural stone surface made which offers a non-porous surface that can also integrate kitchen sinks. Often referred to as Corain, a Dupont product, cambria is a natural stone quartz surface that is non-absorbent, therefore greatly reducing the potential for bacterial growth.

Stainless Steel Countertops: A countertop made from a stainless metal, which creates a contemporary and industrial look. These countertops are heat resistant, durable, and easy to clean but are expensive.

Stock: Factory-made cabinets in standard sizes and shapes, but choices are kept to a minimum: a few common sizes, one or two types of woods, etc.

Template: A physical form used to stand in for the space into which a countertop will fit.

Top Mount Sink: A sink that hangs on top of a stone slab cut out. It has an exposed lip on top of your counter.

Travertine: A form of limestone deposited by hot springs.

Trim Tile or Field: Field tiles are placed in the main or center area of a project, and the tiles placed along the edge become the trim tiles.

Undermount Sink: A sink that attaches to the underside of a stone slab. This style accentuates the polished edge of the sink cut out and allows you to have your fixture cleanly on the granite. Urethane: A type of staining sealer providing resistance to temperature, weather, and scratches.

Veneer: A thin piece of wood attached to particleboard to create the illusion of wood surfaces.

Vessel Sink: A sink which sits on top of the countertop.

Wax: Applied to some countertops as a temporary protectant.

Welded Wire Mesh: For concrete countertops where a woven mesh of wire is used as secondary reinforcement in concrete slabs to control shrinkage cracking.

Wet Polishing: A method used to polish concrete countertops to eliminate grinding dust.

White Cement: A portland cement which turns into a white paste when dry.

Wood Countertops or Butcher Block: Countertops that come in a variety of hardwoods, such as maple or oak, and are easily cleaned, resealed, yet can be damage over time. Countertops, Berwyn 19312 PA - Action Information to You, from the staff of Contractors Solutions Inc. . Morton 19070 Countertops, Contractors Solutions and The Able Group Contractors - Working together and helping everyone. . Upper Darby PA, Make-Overs, Office Fit-Ups, Home Renovations, Construction, Moving and Equipment Relocations, Countertops for 19082.