I got a call from a lady last night. She selected some Silestine from Home Depot and paid up front on her credit card. Their sub came out to her new condo, she hasn't moved in yet, and announced that "It can't be done.", as in they cant fabricate and install the Silestone because of the column pictured below:






The salesclerk at Home Depot apologized to the customer profusely. Now before I write up a proposal with my fifteen-years-experience-done-this-a-million-times attitude, I thought I'd run it by everyone here. Is there nothing extraordinary here or has the kid from HD who took a lot of pictures and pronounced this impossible lost his mind?

Joe

Joe, wasn't the column put up after the laminate was installed. It looks like it is sitting on it.  I did something like this once, just placed a jack under the top wall, just a little weight off, the countertop slid out, piece of cake.

Another job with round steel post, I just took some poster board and sissors and cut the template to fit. Worked great.
You are going to ask her, if she will pay you $5 more to watch you do it blindfolded?  No doubt you will turn this into a pieceof cake. Just don't forget, since you are her second choice on this, great time for a PITA charge!!

Posted By Kelsey Crisp on 11 Nov 2009 08:05 PM
Joe, wasn't the column put up after the laminate was installed. It looks like it is sitting on it.  I did something like this once, just placed a jack under the top wall, just a little weight off, the countertop slid out, piece of cake.

Another job with round steel post, I just took some poster board and sissors and cut the template to fit. Worked great.
You are going to ask her, if she will pay you $5 more to watch you do it blindfolded?  No doubt you will turn this into a pieceof cake. Just don't forget, since you are her second choice on this, great time for a PITA charge!!

Kelsey:

You can't confirm from the pictures, but there are no seams in the pictured plastic laminate top. Your theory is correct.

Joe

Joe,
I'm assuming there is a notch and ear at the left end wall (outside view). If there is no ear on the inside, and if the piece could normally be gotten out a single sheet of quartz (Silestone is 54" x 118", I think), then even if it couldn't slip under the chase there would only need to be two tiny seams on the inside of the "L". If it needs a seam anyway, then it should have been no big deal to the HD fabber.

More important is KC's point. If there is no seam in the laminate, as you say, then the chase and trim was built afterwards. Unless it houses and masks wiring (possible) or plumbing (less likely) then you shouldn't have an issue. If it does and they can be disconnected, no problem. If not, you still have the tiny seams. If a support was added after, because someone didn't trust the cantilever, you still have the tiny seams.

What the customer will need to decide about is whether you shim up and trim under, or add a quarter round at the bottom of the chase and set the top at the bottom. (I assume also that the laminate top is sitting with full build up, rather than drop faced).

The current installation is impossible if the lady is asking for the top to be one piece, no seams.

I definitely looks like the post was cased after the counter installation. W have done tops were the consumer will add the post after but that is for the experienced DIYer. You may want to stipulate in the contract what you propose to do and make sure she understands how "Difficult" this project will be.

We have made quarter round molding for stuff like this as well. Makes it so you don't have to have that perfect fit and allows for expansion and contraction.

It can definitely be done. There are some things you need to check out though.

If the post is sitting on the existing top then you will need to check the material thickness of the existing top. If the material is thicker than Silestone then you will need to put some kind of trim around the base to cover up the gap. Also, if you're going to have to jack up the post to remove the existing top I would be careful that you don't go overboard and end up cracking paint/drywall at the top of the post.

If the post goes through the top then you will need to put seams in the new top, which isn't a big deal.

Thought you might like to see what "can't be done" looks like. Yours truly on sales, template and install, Dan Toy of USA Stone on fabrication and delivery:










Collected and she's very happy.

Joe

So you just ended up with two pieces for the bar top?