How to Install Solid-surface Countertops
- 1). Place the sheet of solid-surface counter onto the cabinet base. Mark the length of the counter for cutting along the edge of the sheet. Mark a line along the back of the counter, following the contour of the wall if the wall is not a completely flat surface. Remove the counter from the base cabinets, and cut it to fit.
- 2). Place the countertop on a pair of sawhorses with the bottom of the counter facing up. Use a grease pencil to mark the cutting line along the width of the counter to cut the counter to fit the length of the cabinet base. Cover the line with a strip of masking tape. Center the tape along the line, then mark the line again on the tape. Cut the counter along the marked line with a circular saw. Use a fine-tooth carbide saw blade to make the cut in order to avoid splintering the countertop. Remove the masking tape.
- 3). Use a belt sander to smooth the edge of the counter where you made the cut. Attach 50-grit sandpaper to the sander, and then run the sander along the length of the cut to remove any roughness. Flip the counter over, and sand down the rear of the counter to the contour line marked to follow the wall. Wipe the sanded area clean with a damp cloth.
- 4). Place the solid-surface countertop in position on the base cabinet. Pull it forward slightly, and brush a strip of contact cement along the rear of the counter. Push it back to the rear of the wall, and tilt the front up. Place a bead of silicone caulk along the top of the base cabinets. Lower the counter into place against the cabinets, pushing the cement-covered rear against the wall. The caulk will provide a seal between the counter and the cabinets beneath. Make sure you place the seam-support strip running along the side of the counter, so that it's positioned where adjoining counters can be placed over it.
- 5). Place a bead of epoxy over the seam-support strip, and then install adjoining counters over the strip, butted tightly against the counter you've already placed. Place clamps connecting the pieces, using the plastic clamping blocks attached to the tops of the counters. Tighten the clamps to hold the two counter pieces firmly together as the epoxy dries. Do not remove excess epoxy that seeps from the seam. Wait for the epoxy to dry completely according to the recommended drying time of the epoxy manufacturer.
- 6). Remove the clamps. Remove the blocks with a sharp blow to the sides, using a hammer. There's a slight residue of glue on the counter that you can sand out when you remove the epoxy. Use a power sander to smooth the seams between adjoining counters. Make several passes with the sander, beginning with 100-grit sandpaper then changing with each pass to a finer grit until completing the smoothing with 220-grit. Wipe the counter clean of residue with a tack cloth, and then buff the entire surface to a gloss, using an orbital sander with polishing bonnet attached.
Source...