The countertops were ready to be installed. The countertops were in 5 pieces. The desktop, the one by the refrigerator and the last 3 pieces were for the u-shaped countertop for the sink and peninsula. On the bottom of the countertops was strapping about every two feet. I was not sure I should remove them. The strapping prevented the countertop edges from fitting over the front of the cabinets. Was this strapping used just for shipping? Or was it there for extra support? I tried to remove one piece of strapping. If it was temporary, they sure glued it down well. This was a head-scratcher. I called the store, but nobody there could answer my question. My plan to get these countertops installed over the weekend might be at risk. I made a command decision: the strapping would stay.
I tackled the desktop and refrigerator countertops first. I did not anticipate any problems with these simple rectangular pieces. However, I did struggle getting them squared up with the wall. The manufacturer provides additional laminate on the backsplash. This is designed to fit the countertop against any irregularities of the wall.
Using my knowledge from watching DIY shows, I knew I needed to scribe a line on the backsplash laminate that would match the low and high spots of the wall. After I squared up the desktop countertop, I pulled the countertop slightly forward. With a scribe, (actually a compass), I marked the top of the backsplash with the attached pencil as I dragged the needle along the wall. That process seemed to work well.
I decided I would use my Sears® orbital sander to remove the excess laminate. That method removed the laminate very slowly. I went for my Sears® small hand plane. Wow, that was too aggressive. I backed off the blade and that worked better. Back and forth I went with the countertop, removing high spots as I went. Eventually, I had a tight fit.
The refrigerator countertop was troublesome. Since the side by the refrigerator needed to be flush with the cabinet, I discovered the wall was not square with the cabinet. I needed to remove quite a bit of laminate to get a tight fit on the back wall. I would leave gluing down them until I had all the countertops fitted and installed. Unto the sink countertop…