TEAR OUT AND HAUL AWAY OF EXISTING COUNTERTOPS

The removal of existing countertops can be fairly straightforward, however, there had been instances that tile countertops, for example, can be difficult. For example, when home owners DIY installed their own tile countertops and used lots and lots of crews to screw down plywood and backer board. The removal of these counters is difficult because we have to remove the tiles, clean the grout, and find the head of the screws and removed them with a drill tool. Tile countertops are normally the most difficult to remove because they are heavy and will end up breaking.

Tile backsplashes are also tedious since we have to remove one-by-one with minimum damaging the sheetrock wall. Damages to the sheetrock wall is inevitable as many times tile is strongly adhered to the wall. Sheetrock walls can be easily repaired however.

We recommend hiring a professional to do your tear-out of your existing countertops and backsplash. We have seen many customers DIY ruining their cabinets and damaging the drywall more than it need be.

DIY TEAR OUT

Here are some steps in removing of old counters.

Disconnect your sink drain and faucet.
Cover your floors specially when removing tile, as tiles would break and can scratch the floors.
Remove the countertop in a few pieces as possible and it is easy when you are removing Formica as it is just a piece of plywood.
Careful where to insert your flat bar as you can easily damage your cabinets where they have no (wall) support.
Clean up and garbage disposal