Quartz is slowly but surely gaining popularity amongst home owners and designers. It is also an affordable yet stylish raw material to diversify the layout of the kitchen. Today, more and more people continue to experiment and discover the beauty and versatility of quartz kitchen countertop, as they look way better than granite or other natural stone countertops. The luxury feel it gives is what people love about quartz work tops.

If you’re looking on installing a quartz countertop, you should carefully plan and organize the whole layout first. Most of the times during a kitchen renovation, the countertops come last and you need to plan for the cabinet and sink installation first.

Read on for our easy guide on how to install a quartz countertop without the additional hassles:

Discuss the Details First

Before doing anything, it’s important to be clear on what you have envisioned for your kitchen. As we all know, quartz is readily available across the market in a variety of shapes, textures, patterns and colors. Have a discussion with your manufacturer, narrow your options down and choose your materials and the cut of the stone that you would like according to the layout of your kitchen.

Prep Your Space Up

Contrary to what you might believe, your cabinets are not the only thing you need ready before installing kitchen countertop. Before scheduling an appointment for all the masonry work, keep your space prepped up by finishing all the electrical and plumber work on hand, ensuring the cabinets are installed, have the walls painted and dried up and ensure that the flooring is in place. Keep your appliances at least on hand if not actually installed. This will ensure that the most accurate template and hence installation will be done.

Have A Physical Template Ready

It’s one thing to have all the measurements of your kitchen ready, on the other hand you could get a physical template ready. A template is made of many wooden strips that are laid around the periphery of the countertop and then glued together. It also helps with providing the countertop contractor the most precise information regarding edging, sink cutout, curves and back splash. That’s why we recommend coming up with a physical template instead of simply measuring things out. A template can provide the most accurate information about your counter installation and it will help make the final product much more precise.

Do A Dry Lay

A dry lay simply means placing the quartz pieces on the counters to double check that they are of the right measurements and don’t seem to fall out of place.

Install Your Kitchen Sink

Once you’re done with the sizing’s and fittings, schedule an appointment to get your sink and faucet installed beforehand. Remember if you’re using an undermount sink, it will be attached to the underside of your quartz counter with clips and epoxy. This will take 24 hours to set. Unless you want to use the sink and faucet right away, have your plumber come in a day before the countertop is installed to have it hooked up at the right way.

Install Ledgers Where Necessary

If your kitchen countertop does not support the entire area of installation, have some ledgers placed beneath those missing edges.

Protect Your Cabinets

Adhesives help to join the cabinets with your quartz work top. Sometimes, the adhesive may stick to the cabinet face making things look uneven and messy. Always apply a strip of painters tape on your cabinets surface to avoid the dripping adhesive coming in contact.

Use Support When Needed

Quartz countertops are indeed heavy, and not just any type of cabinetry can withstand the immense pressure of the stone slab. Have a supporting network of plywood or Backer board ready to go beneath the counters to help support and reduce the burden on the cabinets.

Install Cabinets

Once in place, have your quartz countertop placed on the cabinets. Cover the edges with adhesives and seal any joints with painters tape.

If the whole procedure is confusing or if you want a professional to do countertop replacement Durham NC, hire quartz countertop installers. You may be able to save money by buying the material and getting it installed from the same shop.