Laminate Countertop Installation

I didn’t think we’d ever do a laminate countertop installation because I’ve always wanted ‘real’ stone. However, installing a laminate countertop without a backsplash turns out to be the best compromise and is the finishing touch in our laundry room!  Our laundry room started out like so many other builder spaces: dark, dank and in the basement.

There’s nothing much we could do about the location. Our house is too small to relocate it, but we can certainly remodel it with beautiful finishes to make it a pleasant space to do laundry in! 

Laundry Room 001

Upcycling at its Best

We ended up purchasing the cabinets, sink and original countertop from Habit for Humanity’s Restore. Although Hubs motivation to buy was the huge, deep stainless steel single sink, we support the Restore because the proceeds help build homes for disadvantaged families.

Of course, we’re all about upcycling. Why send things landfill if they can still be put to good use? Unfortunately though, the counter had seen better days. It also detracted from our beautiful new tile work on the backsplash (see how to tile a wall)!Laundry Room Before_BOF.jpgBy the end of the build, our budget was feeling stretched.

We were surprised to learn that a new laminate countertop without a backsplash would have to be special ordered. Because of that was it was pricey. Who knew that leaving something off an item would cost more?IMG_0779_BOFOne day we stumbled upon a new to us big box store. Actually, we thought our car was breaking down and got off the highway to check things out. It turned out the car was fine, so we popped into the nearby store to check it out.

Finding a Laminate Countertop without a Backsplash

Here comes a stroke of serendipity: a pile of laminate countertops. Brought in as a special offer. they were not only sans the backsplash but also sans the inflated price tag. Exactly what we were looking for! Unless you look really close, you would swear they were quartz!Installing a laminate countertop without a backsplash is the final touch in our laundry room! This budget friendly project looks expensive for little $$'s!Don’t you just love it when good things happen unexpectedly? We loaded the counter into the car and went on our merry way.

When we got it home, we cut the piece down to fit our cabinets. Hubs then used the old counter to measure the sink opening and made a template out of a scrap plywood.

Laminate Countertop Installation Steps

Test with a Template

Since we were reusing the old sink, it’s just a matter of cutting out the template to make sure it fits the sink. Keep in mind that cardboard or even paper would work for the template instead.Installing a laminate countertop without a backsplash is the final touch in our laundry room! This budget friendly project looks expensive for little $$'s!Adding masking tape on the new counter allows Hubs to see his pencil lines when he traces the shape of the sink cutout onto the counter.

Installing a laminate countertop without a backsplash is the final touch in our laundry room! This budget friendly project looks expensive for little $$'s!

He drilled several holes just inside the line of the sink. Typically, you’d only need one to get a jigsaw blade into to start the cut, but there’s a method to the madness. Having the additional holes allows him to stop and reposition himself. That way, he doesn’t have to contort himself, and the jigsaw, to cut around in one go.Installing a laminate countertop without a backsplash is the final touch in our laundry room! This budget friendly project looks expensive for little $$'s!Using the holes in the middle, Hubs makes a cut right through the centre. IMG_0789_BOFBack at his starting position, he then cuts from the large hole to the one on the left. The large hole you see at the bottom is bigger to accommodate the tube for the overflow.

Walking around the counter to the other side, Hubs runs the jigsaw to the corner. Then he stops to add a 2×4 underneath the waste piece fastened with clamps. He finishes by cutting the perimeter until he’s back to the second hole. IMG_0796_BOFBelow you can see the 2 x 4 clamped under the left side of the cutout. With the 2×4 support, he doesn’t have to struggle to hold the waste piece from underneath as he cuts.Installing a laminate countertop without a backsplash is the final touch in our laundry room! This budget friendly project looks expensive for little $$'s!With the cut complete, he simply lifted the waste piece up and out.Installing a laminate countertop without a backsplash is the final touch in our laundry room! This budget friendly project looks expensive for little $$'s!

Repeat on Other Side

He removed the 2×4 and started the process again on the other side to cut the rest in the same manner….IMG_0802_BOF… and remove the second piece.IMG_0808_BOFCap off both raw ends with the supplied laminate using contact cement before setting the counter in place. You might not think it’s necessary to cap the side that’s against the wall. But if you leave it exposed and it comes in contact with water, it could eventually rot!

Dry fit the sink to make sure it fits and mark the hole for the faucet. Remove the masking tape from under the sink. Then apply painters tape around the perimeter of the sink (on the counter) to catch any excess caulking.IMG_0809_BOFDrill the hole for the faucet.IMG_0816_BOFThen attach the counter to the base cabinets with screws from underneath (measure to make sure the screws aren’t longer than the material so they don’t poke through the countertop!).Installing a laminate countertop without a backsplash is the final touch in our laundry room! This budget friendly project looks expensive for little $$'s!

Caulk

We applied water proof caulk rated specifically for sink areas to both the counter, as well as underneath the rim of the sink itself.

Installing a laminate countertop without a backsplash is the final touch in our laundry room! This budget friendly project looks expensive for little $$'s!Hubs donned some gloves just in case and lifted the sink from the sides to avoid the caulk. He lowered it into the gap and made sure the caulking was seated well. Installing a laminate countertop without a backsplash is the final touch in our laundry room! This budget friendly project looks expensive for little $$'s!Underneath the sink, there are mounting clamps that get tightened against the counter. Use some wood blocks if necessary to bridge any gaps. Don’t be tempted to skip this step. That’s what will keep the sink tight to the counter and seal the caulk.Laundry Room Counter 003_BOF.jpgBefore the caulk dries, smooth any excess caulk that squishes out with a wet finger then lift up the painters tape leaving a clean surface.

Connect Plumbing

Once the clamps are in place and the caulk is finessed, you can reconnect the faucet. The faucet we used was saved from when we renovated our old kitchen.

We finished off the gap between the counter and tile with clear silicone.Installing a laminate countertop without a backsplash is the final touch in our laundry room! This budget friendly project looks expensive for little $$'s!

Now that our laminate countertop installation is done, having a new laminate countertop without backsplash make me very happy! It helps modernize the space and shows off every inch of the tile. See how we customize Ikea cabinets for our laundry room makeover here.

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Installing a laminate countertop without a backsplash is the final touch in our laundry room! This budget friendly project looks expensive for little $$'s!

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Installing a laminate countertop without a backsplash is the final touch in our laundry room! This budget friendly project looks expensive for little $$'s!

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12 thoughts on “Laminate Countertop Installation

  1. Isn’t it great when you can support a terrific organization while at the same time finding just what you need? Like all your projects, you do an amazing job with your tutorial and the end result is extraordinary.

    • Thanks so much Alys; you’re always so complimentary! I never thought I’d ever have so much to write about when I first started my blog but now my ‘free’ wordpress site is almost at it’s limit. I’m going to have to look into something more permanent to continue writing and I’m not sure where to start 🙂

      • Sara, you’re quite amazing. You have a keen sense of style, mad skills and a breezy, easy-to-read writing style. You deserve every one of those compliments. I reached my photo limit last year and I upgraded to a business plan. I think it’s $99 a year for unlimited photos. Well worth it once you’ve been blogging this long (over six years for me). I guess it depends on where you want to go with your blog. My organized at heart blog is on WordPress.org (not.com as it is here). There are more themes and tons of widgets you can use, many free or nominally priced. That’s another option, too. It’s more complex, though. I had to buy the domain, pay for hosting, pay for Akismet and there are always updates. Best of luck!

        • Thanks for the advice; you’re always a wealth of information! I’ll likely keep it simple; I’d rather spend time writing than figuring out widgets 🙂

        • I just looked into upgrading to a business plan and it’s almost $400 for unlimited storage; if you upgraded for only $99, that’s a bargain! The next plan (premium) is cheaper in comparison but only 13G of space – I’ll easily go through that in a year! Looks like I might have to explore a hosted site afterall! I took the first step in purchasing my domain name. You’re right about it being pretty complex; the staff at the hosting companies all seem ‘outsourced’ and aren’t very helpful (I get different answers every time I ask the same question!) so it should be an interesting (aka overwhelming) experience. I hope I’ll be able to at least maintain my followers so I don’t have to start from scratch 🙂

          I’m wondering if should merge my craft site to amalgamate it all under one site or if it should remain separate? What do you think? I’ve learned that you can add subdomain or subdirectories, however I don’t know if you can maintain separate mailing lists in different areas of the same site once it’s merged together. I wouldn’t want to alienate anyone.

          • There are sites that will reduce the size of your photos by 90% and I used one for awhile. It was a lot of extra work though, exporting then re-importing so I gave up. I think its great for folks with one or two pictures per post, but like you, my posts are photo-heavy.

            As for merging your two sites, I guess the answer lies in your subscribers or followers. If you have a lot of crossover, then one site with different categories might be easier and more affordable to manage. I wonder if the 13G of space is per year or over the life of the blog. That would be a good question to ask. As for dealing with hosting companies, I feel your pain. Best of luck and please keep me posted, Sara.

  2. Love how you re-did your laundry room. I especially love the tiled backsplash. Where did you get it from?

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