Stuipd Question-Countertops

I have a good friend that is redoing his countertops. Just the simple pre-formed laminate kind with the rolled edge and molded backsplash...

Now he wants help in redoing them, and being a Lawyer he probably does need help in this. My question is, how are they attached? He has normal cabinets so I assume they are screwed from underneath? He claims he can see no fasteners or screws. Some morrron would not have glued them down would they? If they have, do you think the old one will pop off easy enough?

Myself I have never redid a standard countertop...all my work has been around cabinets I built from scratch and with butcherblock type coverings.

How old are the old tops? I have seen built in place tops that are screwed or nailed form the top before the finished surface is applied. I do not remember ever running into a kitchen top that was glued down. But there is always a first time. Most times there are screws running through corner blocks inside the cabinets or screws up through the face frame & back nailers. Sometimes screws can be hard to find.

A lot of the countertops I have dealt with are glued down. Usually with something like Liquid Nails! They can be a pain to get off.

travis, they`re most likely just screwed down? if you`re going to replace `em anyway don`t even look for the screws....i take a sawzall and cut the counter between the cabinet boxes into 6` or less pieces and smack the front edge with a large hammer up.........don`t hit the cabinet face!

tod evans said:

travis, they`re most likely just screwed down? if you`re going to replace `em anyway don`t even look for the screws....i take a sawzall and cut the counter between the cabinet boxes into 6` or less pieces and smack the front edge with a large hammer up.........don`t hit the cabinet face!

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For me that would be putting a scrap piece of plywood between the cabinet and my hammer!! A lot of stone and man-made counter tops are put on with globs of silicone (another type of glue). But I would think the squeeze out would be visible from underneath. Should be easy to cut through with a razor knife too. I like Todd's suggestion of the demo saw if there is room underneath to get it in to work with. Jim.

Most common application is using Silicone globs under the counter top and on the cabinets. A few globs will secure the top down. So look to see if a knife will cut loose the old and do the same to put in the new.

It seeems every body does it differently.
My thoughts, if the existing countertop does not have the preformed laminate then the deck top may have been screwed down to the cabinets from the top and then the laminate laid on top of the decking.
Sometimes I have been around when a preformed p- lam was installed to incorporate a very high back splash over an already prepared deck top.
Since you are adding a preformed decktop with p-lam aleady on it you will screw that in from the underside with shorter than go through screws.
As far as removing the existing as tod suggested cutting it into smaller pieces makes sense. If it is nailed down you can wonder bar that up, if it is screwed you may have to delaminate some of the p-lam to get to the screws then back them out, remove piece to trash and redo.
Careful with the p-lam, it has been known to be serious sharp.