temporary plywood counters

13 years ago

Hi everyone,
I am pretty set on Alaska White granite for counters, but the slabs that are coming out of the quarry (apparently there is only one quarry) are not to my liking (too dark, not enough white and taupe) and actually I can't even find a distributor in the KY/central US area that even has any at all. So I am considering temporarily installing painted plywood and just waiting for the the granite, or SOME granite I can love. Several questions:
1. I have two sinks, main one is silgranite that will be undermount, and is next to the DW. Don't really want to be without a main sink for what could be months, but also am wondering how hard it will be to de-install the undermount and re-mount it on the granite. And, can I install the DW without the sink and food disposer installed? If we did not do this sink now, we would just have a solid counter there until the granite comes in, but I would not want to wait on having a DW.
2. The other sink is a bar/prep sink, Houzer hammered pewter finish with a rim that can be either undermount or drop in. Final install will be undermount but was thinking of doing the temporary install as drop in, because it might be easier to de-install later.
3. does anyone see any issues with de-installing and later re-installing faucets (Brizo Vuelo)
4. Gas cooktop - Thermador SGSX365FS - is there any issue with installing it in a plywood counter? cannot see why there would be, if it can be in a laminate counter which is also a flammable substance. but want your opinion
5. costs - have a quote of $900 for laminate counters (incl install), plywood is about $200 including install labor, plumber will of course charge for install and then de-install/re-install.
have I overlooked anything? thoughts? I saw granite I loved in January, by the time I got back to the fabricator, it was gone. Extremely frustrating quest since then, the entire kitchen color scheme revolves around this granite with it's combo of cream, white, gray, and taupe. (whitewashed maple main kit cabinets/fridge/DW, fruitwood stain on maple mini-bar that is a transition from kit to living room, cafe brown silgranite and hammered pewter sinks, cocoa bronze/stainless faucets, brushed nickel HW, natural cork floor, stainless hood, microwave & oven, no backsplash as of yet, will either be just painted or some white/quartz look tile)

THANKS!!

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Comments (7)

raenjapan
13 years ago
"1. I have two sinks, main one is silgranite that will be undermount, and is next to the DW. Don't really want to be without a main sink for what could be months, but also am wondering how hard it will be to de-install the undermount and re-mount it on the granite. And, can I install the DW without the sink and food disposer installed? If we did not do this sink now, we would just have a solid counter there until the granite comes in, but I would not want to wait on having a DW. "

I'll address this part, at least. My silgranite sink we had in our last house could be installed either drop in or undermount. Not sure if that's normal or not. What sink are you using?

Also, we have a stainless undermount in this house, and although you wouldn't want it to be permanently installed that way, it does have a flange and could easily be installed drop-in for a while. If your silgranite can't be installed from the top, I'd probably look into picking up a cheap top mount either off craigslist or at habitat for humanity, or even just a $60 cheapie from Lowes. I would not try to undermount a sink on a plywood surface.

Yes, you can install a dishwasher without a garbage disposal, and it won't be a problem to change that when you get your real sink.
mama goose_gw zn6OH
13 years ago
Go get this sink:

Cast Iron Porcelain Farm Sink - $65 (New Albany, IN)

Use it temporarily on the plywood, then make it into laundry sink, or potting bench sink, or sell it for at least three times that price. Save your lovely new sink for your new counters.

Lots of used sinks and faucets on CL.

Here is a link that might be useful: Louisville CL sinks
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raenjapan
13 years ago
The thing about using an antique sink like that (although it's super charming) is that the old plumbing holes are not easy to retrofit. Worth it for a permanent installation, but a PITA for something temporary.
czarinalex
13 years ago
I had plywood countertops for about 3 months while we were renovating due to a flood in our kitchen.
Our sink base cabinet was completely destroyed and we had an odd collection of base cabinets which were temporarily usable.
We did not attach the plywood(it was actually 2 sheets on top of each other for rigidity. I wrapped plastic tablecloths around them for easy cleanup. Our sink was a $50. free standing plastic laundry sink on plastic legs from Home Depot with a $19.99 kitchen faucet. We did not hook up the dishwasher but probably could have with the right drain assembly.
When the sink base came in and we were waiting about a week for the granite templating/fabrication/install, we put the laundry sink standing in the base cabinet! A little high but it worked.
cookncarpenter
13 years ago
During our re-do, we had temp plywood tops for a couple weeks. I mounted our old Kohler under mount on top for the time being. You don't need much lip to have the sink sit on top.
joellen01
Original Author
13 years ago
thanks to everyone for your help. getting a temporary cheap sink is a great idea I had not thought of at all. That way I don't have to risk damage to my "good" sink during the change over phase.
sombreuil_mongrel
13 years ago
I used 3/4" MDF for counters while waiting for soapstone. I even sealed the tops with sanding sealer. I left out the prep sink at that time.
Casey