Replacing a worktop and sink

heatherw_01

How difficult is this to do? We only have a small kitchen and would love to replace the worktops.

Is it really a job for a professional or can a DIYer do it?

Anyone know any good places to buy from?

quatro

I have done this before and it was a case of taking the old worktop off [which can be used as a template for the new worktop] by unscrewing it from underneath and easing it away from the tiling. The new one should be the same thickness as the old if the existing tiles are not being changed - and can be put back into the same position, fixed from underneath, and an edge strip glued and filed along the edges - in the case of a laminate worktop.
A local DIY or builders merchant can offer a selection of laminates or wood worktops - and could even cut the right lengths for you.
To do the worktop with the sink you would need to turn off the water supply then cut the water pipes and disconnect the waste pipe, below the sink so it can all be removed. Have a bucket and plenty of rags ready to mop up water spillages.
The new worktop would need to be cut to take a sit-in sink, placed and fixed where the old worktop was and the new sink and tap fixed in and plumbed in. It is a straightforward job unless you have a combi boiler in which case a valve has to be fitted when the sink is plumbed in.
The professional part of the job comes into play where any worktops are at right angles to each other and need to be joined. If you dont want to use a metal joining strip it is difficult to get an 'invisible' join in the laminate and a carpenter would need to do it.
If you have a galley kitchen [ei. straight lengths of units along one or both sides of the kitchen] the job is an easy one - but it all depends on the design of your kitchen, what sink you want and what material you would like the worktop to be.

mhuk

Ikea also sell worktops. If you have to cut them use a router not a jigsaw or circular saw.