Kitchen Counters - part 1

In my last post I shared that to hire someone to do our kitchen counters it would have cost $1700. Originally we were going to put butcher-block counters in, but after reading some testimonials from people who have butcher block counters, I didn't think I would be happy with it. My dad had some large pieces of Corian that he wasn't using so he offered them to us for our kitchen. I like the look of Corian so we decided to go with that. So, the $1700 was for installation only - not including materials.

Because we are trying to do this kitchen on the tightest budget possible - we decided to tackle this project ourselves. Before beginning, Mark watched lots of You Tube videos on how to install Corian. This project was intimidating at best. When we mentioned to people that we are installing this ourselves they looked at us like we are crazy. Maybe we are.

Here is the Corian after cutting the various pieces to size and laying on the cabinets to check for fit.  

Here is Mark cutting the hole for the sink.

When you cut Corian it makes a lot of white plastic dust particles. It is a messy job.

Here he is cutting the holes for the faucet. 

Here is where our undermount sink will sit when it is installed.

This is just the first part of the project. To finish, the Corian will need to be glued at the seems, sanded and polished and affixed to the cabinets.

A rough estimate of how much it cost us to install this product ourselves: $600 - This includes having to buy all of the tools that were needed to cut, sand, glue & finish the job. This also includes the cost of a Stainless Steel under mount sink & a new faucet.

Total Savings: $1100

In many cases it is well worth it to hire a professional to do a project that you are unable to do yourself. But there are times when it pays to do it yourself...to take a risk and try your skills. When you complete a project such as this, you feel a great sense of accomplishment and pride knowing that you did it with your own 2 hands.

KayteeJane