I have been watching your videos for 18 months, throughout the process of finishing my basement. I love all your videos, very thorough and with great details, plus the little 'tricks'. Thank you!

You are so reassuring that everything will be okay. It makes me feel really good for when I eventually do my own work and make these kind of mistakes, it will be okay. Thanks for all these videos. I really enjoy watching them and gaining knowledge.

Jeff is the Bob Ross of home renovation.

@HomeRenoVisionDIY

4 жыл бұрын

Cheers!

@stokesjoshua2007

Ай бұрын

so positive

Yes!!! My KZread reno father strikes again! ..this gentleman seems to help me with everything.. thanks again good sir!

Every time I have a question or want to look at something for my house or projects, YOU'RE there! Fine, I subbed already...thanks for the videos!

Great video with some awesome tips. One thing I learned a long time ago was to cut my top a little long and then use a belt sander to bring it to the line. Just make sure you run your sander so it is sanding downward on the laminate. Works great and makes a perfect fit every time.

@HomeRenoVisionDIY

4 жыл бұрын

I finish the edge with silicone bead anyway so not too worried about that 1/16th of an inch! Cheers!

Oh wow these look way better than my grandma's Formica countertops! You've opened my mind up!

Jeff great job with the Formica counters. After 35 years we are changing my parents Formica counters tops although they are still in good shape. Style change. As you said they will almost last forever if taken care of. Thanks

@HomeRenoVisionDIY

4 жыл бұрын

sometimes getting the basic materials is a great way to stretch the dollar. after all we are not all millionaires! even if we like to act like it! Cheers!

Thank you for doing things that are irregular and showing us the "how-to" to make it look right. I know it must take you more time to film and work through problems but its super helpful.

@billchen3609

2 жыл бұрын

⁵

Your countertops needing to sit crooked to correct the curvature of the wall reminds me of a similar situation I had at my last home. I had an L-shaped laminate countertop installed. I had them manufacture the countertop as one solid piece to eliminate the unsightly 45-degree corner seam. To get things to sit correctly without a huge gap between the countertop and wall, they cut the drywall and slightly recessed part of the countertop into the bowed wall. It worked and it looked great after I tiled the backsplash. Still straight at the front and the appropriate spacing for the adjacent stove. Thanks for another great video!

@chrisgraham2904

3 ай бұрын

Yep! I've often seen them cut the drywall and slide a sliver of countertop into the wall, rather than make the tricky laminate cut. The laminate cut is unforgiving, but even if you screw up the drywall cut, it can be easily fixed. A quarter inch bead of silicone caulk can make the whole world right again.

I have set hot pots down on quartz and granite numerous times with no issue at all. The stone wasn't even hot to the touch afterwards. Extremely durable stuff

No reason that us North Americans can't keep a high-quality metric tape measure handy for work like this. Makes life a lot simpler than juggling fractions. No doubt Jeff knows this one already, but another trick for finding a centerpoint when the number is odd is just round your funky measurement down to something easily divisible by 2. Then use that number to measure toward the center from each cabinet. Rather than strain my eyes finding half of 35 7/8" on the tape measure, I would measure half of, say, 34" (17") from each cabinet and make a mark at each spot. You'll now have two marks an inch or two apart; pretty easy to eyeball or measure the center of that with great accuracy. Another great video Jeff! Looking forward to the next one.

@12:28 "There's a quarter plus a bit." is how I build every one of my projects! LOL

You've convinced me Jeff.. I was gung ho on the designer look of quartz or granite for my 100 year old house... but really have some bells and whistles I wanted to buy and not dump into a countertop as well as protect myself in case of damage. Young renovater/DIY-er getting good tips from a pro, thank you!!!

@HomeRenoVisionDIY

4 жыл бұрын

Cheers Megon. The money I saved was equal to the coast of the stove!

You are amazing Jeff . Love your work and it has become my first video to watch on KZread .

Love this and ALL of your videos thank you!!! I would love to know what measurements to do and exactly what terminology to use when talking to a countertop sales person. I get a rough idea of what I need in regards to measure it out, and needing caps at the ends but a demo-convo would help and make me feel like way less of a idiot marching into a countertop shop, and make sure I get the right thing I want.

I spy with my little eye a repair job on that power cable. I'm pretty sure anybody that gets a lot of use out of their corded circular saws has that little love tap lol I love it

@HomeRenoVisionDIY

4 жыл бұрын

every once in a while I change the whole cord! 5 bucks and I get a new saw!

As always, great content and even better teacher. I do have a question; when you were positioning the counter top, how come you didn’t just use the metric system? It’s very easy to divide I find.

Thank you for your tips ! I’m finishing my cabin by myself and need all the help I can get!🙂

@HomeRenoVisionDIY

4 жыл бұрын

happy to help!

its 2021. laminate these days looks amazing. very under rated building material

@netm203

2 жыл бұрын

Yup just need to find someone to install it for me

I love your videos. Thank you for doing them. So informative for the DIY'ers. Great content. Keep doing them. I love all the details you give us.

@one8088

Жыл бұрын

NO. He's not too good

Thanks for sharing your skills, I have an IKEA kitchen install coming up and this is a great help. This will be my 2nd IKEA kitchen fit 👍easy install👍 it will be better with your tips.

@matsudakodo

2 жыл бұрын

IKEA + Laminate sounds like the best bang for the buck by far

The company I install countertops for offers undermount stainless steel sinks (and quartz sinks!) in laminate! Very cool, totally seamless.

Thank you! I’m glad you chose this video it aligns perfect for my project time!

@HomeRenoVisionDIY

4 жыл бұрын

right on. we are tiling in the next video. happy to help!

This dude is awesome. He can do everything

Wish I'd watched this last weekend before I measured for my countertops. Missed by a half inch, but made it work.

Just discovered your channel and it's like you're the Townsend (KZread channel where he takes a look at frontier foods and crafts) of Home Renovations. Neat, wholesome, informative.

Good video glad you popped on . You are always one of the best on all of YT but haven't been popping on my feed for a good while . Respect

@HomeRenoVisionDIY

3 жыл бұрын

press the bell for notifications and set to all. Cheers!

Helpful, engaging, informative and funny. Thank you for a great video.

RE: Beginning of the video. funny enough our current renovation has a similar layout with 2 windows either side of a range/hood, even the cabinetry layout looks the same. We were able to create a vaulted ceiling using the attic space above which for an old house is a great feature.

@HomeRenoVisionDIY

4 жыл бұрын

Congrats Andrew. I say anytime you can vault a ceiling do it! Cheers!

Back in the 90s I learned how to make my own laminate countertops because nothing was standard. My ex-wife was a chef and she wanted deeper countertops. In another, I wanted a very odd shape to accomodate the design of a peninsula. The dimensions/shape would pretty much double the cost of standard c-tops so I resolved to learn to do it. Both c-tops had oak trim in some way. The first one, I wobbled with my router and created a little conversation-piece gouge, not big but noticeable. The second one, lesson learned, had perfect finishing though maybe the design could have been a bit different. That said, if I ordered it, it would have been the same unless some pro had convinced me otherwise.

here's a top tip for you, if you need to cut a worktop, especially if the cut edge is going to be visible and has to have edging tape glued on, flip the work top over and clamp a known straight edge (such as a long offcut of worktop) to the worktop to act as a cutting guide, also cut from the front to the back. This has 2 positive effects, 1: the direction of cut on the blade prevents the veneer from chipping (even at relatively high cutting speeds) and 2: by cutting the front edge first you remove the risk of material braking away at the end of the cut from the most visible part of the worktop.

It’s amazing how most of the “finishes” we see in houses are really just there to cover up small imperfections.

@jianshen2223

3 жыл бұрын

That is what finishes are!

I think this is the first time I've ever seen Jeff actually wear a piece of safety equipment. That laminate must be sharp stuff.

You can also trace the countertop against the wall and remove like 1/4” of drywall so the countertop insets a bit. Instead of have 1 side 1/2” away from the wall, you can cut the difference and have 1 side 1/4” away and the other side kicked into the drywall 1/4”.

@miramichi30

2 жыл бұрын

How would you go about making perfect indentation in the drywall like that? Sand it?

Be still my heart, two countertop videos in a row from your channels 😍

@HomeRenoVisionDIY

4 жыл бұрын

Cheers Mary, just in time for you to get info on your choice. At the end of the day this one is the same cost as the concrete!

Genius cheat method on halfing those fraction measurements. I actually convert my decimals to fractions and do real math to find the half🤦🏾‍♀️ So I'd take 3.75....divide in half on a calculator and convert the decimal to a fraction and reduce..... you've saved me the extra time ⏲️😌

@Home RenoVision Thank you so much for the instruction! I feel the same way about laminate. I wanted to get Corian, but it was so expensive. I went to Home Depot, and they had up a chart, showing the strengths of each countertop type. Laminate was rated "Excellent," in almost all categories, and "Very Good," in the others. I think it had fewer weaknesses than any other type. From reading that chart, you'd think that laminate was the best overall countertop money could buy, (and Home Depot can make a lot more money selling quartz, granite, and Corian). Add to that the fact that all stone and solid surface countertops admonish that nobody should ever sit or stand on them. Not a problem with laminate that has a good solid hunk of wood under it, and we all know perfectly well that the kids, (or even a height-challenged adult), are going to hop up onto the counter to get something out of a high cupboard. It's not "if" but "when." I spent many hours browsing and ordering samples until I found a laminate that I absolutely love. My beautiful laminate arrived just today!

Great content man this guy is good. Planning to renovate my kitchen ( total gut, floor walls ( new insulation) cabinets etc. and I’ll be watching all your videos on kitchen renovation. 👍

I know this is off topic but you seem knowledgeable and I trust your input more than the people at the orange big box store. I was to put up river rocks I collect around my gas fireplace. The fireplace is drywall builders special. The rocks are no bigger than 2 inch diameter and no deeper than 1 inch. Do I need mesh? Could I use just max strength mortar? What are your thoughts. Thank you again for you time! 👍🏼🙏🏻

Aaaaaand you get a sub. Holy crap your channel is great. Keep it up!

current laminate qountertops look so much better than they used to, and they are incredibly affordable!

Can you do a segment on joining 2 pieces of laminate counter for a corner install or give help. What's the best adhesive to connect the 2

Would you recommend this still with the appliances switched? We have a super similar layout to your kitchen, but are choosing to do the induction cooktop in the island and sink against the back wall. (hate the look of range hoods so going with a flush mount over island) - is Laminate ok next to the sink or should we stick with Quartz throughout?

So glad I now know how to install Laminate Countertops. Now all I need is a kitchen! :D Another awesome video! So many helpful tips and tricks! If we ever build a house, you're our guy!!

@HomeRenoVisionDIY

4 жыл бұрын

Cheers and thanks for the laugh!

Going to do this for my bathroom

Great video John.. Thank you

you should try a sanding disk on a grinder to cut the scribe, works beautifully if you need it perfectly tight to a weird shape. don't even need calk

Hey Jeff what impact driver extension do you use?

You do so many great videos.

Can't wait to see next video.

So my countertops came without the side caps put on. I know how to secure them to the countertop but how do I shape them to the countertop? What tools do I need because right now they only fit length and height wise they do not match the curves in the backsplash and front of the countertop.

18:32. Love that sound

never though of only doing stone on the island n saving money that way wow im dumb great tip!

Great tips! Never knew laminate could be so cost effective and look so good!

you can always pack out whatever you use for splash backs be it tile, glass or stone. And you can always run a stanley knife along the plaster and punch the counter top into it to get your front over hangs even when its covered with a splash back. Saves time having to scribe the benchtops, getiing tools, running cords etc etc, lift once they say.

@hytekrednekbama4400

4 жыл бұрын

damage sheetrock to make your job easier?

@yeahnah7220

4 жыл бұрын

@@hytekrednekbama4400 I presume your not a tradesman or have any hands on experience in the building industry. When it's non structural, electrical or plumbing, what matters is what's seen by the eye. Putting your counter top be it laminate, stone or the new kid on the block, porcelain on the substrate, up against the wall and running a stanley knife along the top edge where required to push it back has no negative outcome. The top of the benchtop is tight with the plaster and in any case it's being covered with tiles, glass, porcelain or stone anyway and won't be seen. There's other time's such as in a U shaped butlers pantry when a piece is between walls. Going in on an angle with one end up and one end down wont work without damaging the wall. By simply opening up the plaster 20mm x the width you give yourself that room required to get the stone in undamaged along without damaging a wall. Don't forget it's not a cheap piece of plywood that weighs 200grams. We're talking weights of 20kg up to 200kg and in the case of marble a material that if not handled delicately and correctly will literally fold in half and crumble. When it's something like a Calcutta marble who's price just keeps going through the roof that might be a book matched job. Yours, the builders and ultimately the owners cheap bit of plasterboard is the least of anyone's concern. You realize plasterers have to fill and smooth where the plaster is attached to the house frame? Then there's accidental damage that occasionally occurs from anything such as cabinets being carried in, ladders hitting the wall and all sorts.

@hytekrednekbama4400

4 жыл бұрын

@@yeahnah7220 my point was that i prefer to build my cabinets and counters to fit the room, not modify the room to fit my cabinets

@yeahnah7220

4 жыл бұрын

@@hytekrednekbama4400 my point is that shit happens and maybe the bench top was measured 5mm too long in a spot or since being measured a small alteration was made somewhere. If you think a house or any commercial building is made millimeter perfect and doesn't require small alteration or changes during the final stages you're kidding yourself. Architects merely design and specify plans and then its down to every body to make it work.

When I scribe an cut laminate I put tape first then scribe onto the tape covers both sides of cut without having to line up tape

@tay13666

4 жыл бұрын

I also go really wide with the tape to keep from scratching the top with the saw

love your channel, your tips have helped me a lot. With regard to the space for the range, instead of all the measuring, why not just use an appropriate sized jig to set the space?

Why use a circular saw to cut the wall's scribe line and not a jig saw? or something meant to cut curved/non-straight lines?

This man is the goat

I added a laminate counter to a recessed area of the kitchen. It's about 8 ft and holds all the appliances: blender microwave toaster etc. Best decision ever.

Awesome content! Learn something new in everyone of your videos. Thanks for taking the time to make them.

Can you tell me which local (Ottawa) company you use for the countertop?

Awesome video.

What do you think of Ikea upper cabinets? In particular the bracket that holds the cabinets to the wall. I think the brackets with just three screws into the cabinets are too flimsy to hold much weight. What’s your opinion?

Is laminate water resistant and heat tolerant as good as granite? It seems unsafe to place my hot dutch oven on a laminate countertop. I lived in LA, the price for granite countertops is only $10-40 per ft.

great video thank u

I live in the UK and have had IKEA and other manufacturers' cabinets in the past. There are are 2 interesting differences between IKEA cabinets and i the other manufacturers (UK : Magnet, Howden, Wren, B&Q, Wickes etc) First, IKEA back panels are pretty much right back to the wall and all water and waste pipes are done inside the cabinet whilst the other manufacturers set off their back panels so that water and waste pipes go behind the back panels with side panels getting chopped on long runs. The IKEA method is must better since if you spring a leak or need to modify plumbing or electrics even, you don't have to hack off the back panels with a multi-tool. Second, the overall cabinet depth is 600mm - deeper than the other more imperial-sized manufacturers, so once you have added your door, the overall depth is approximately 620mm or even a smidgen more (allowing for the back rail) so you need a worktop depth of 640mm. UK manufacturers' cabinets are appreciably smaller front to back and are designed to be about 570mm wall to door front since almost ALL laminate worktops made in the UK are 3m or 4m long but only 600mm deep. So, if you are in the UK and choose a fantastic IKEA kitchen, if you ARE going to fit laminate worktops these MUST be 640mm deep and not 600mm, so you cannot buy from places like B&Q or Wickes (UK equivalents of Home Depot and Lowes I guess) but it is perfectly possible to buy 640mm deep laminate and what I went for, solid wood worktops from online merchants and the prices are not much more expensive. Of course, if you are having quartz or granite worktops, dimensions do not really matter except that the normal granite and quartz slab sizes in the UK at least tend to be either 1200 or 1440mm deep. I worked this out well in advance since my island/peninsula HAD to be no wider/deeper than 2x640mm. I went for 28mm Wenge real wood panels and bought 4x4m lengths at £500 each (about $650 each) and left it to my expert worktop fitter to make all the magic happen but had I not known about worktop depths, I could have been making very expensive mistakes on worktops by making the island/peninsula too deep.

@tryagain.k1821

4 жыл бұрын

Hi, As I understand it the service void on IKEA cabs is underneath the cabs. It is 80mm high, the leg height. The usual service void around here is 70mm between the cab back and the wall and the leg height is about 140mm which mean the internal volume of a "normal" UK cab is much reduced in comparison with IKEA cabs. IKEA sells counter tops that are 635mmwide.

Yay! The granite bandwagon is so stupid, imho. They are cutting up mountains in Brazil for most granite. I don’t need anything that bad! Laminate is fine! I put butcher block on my island and native (quarried 100 miles from me) soapstone on the small area around my sink & stove. I love my farmhouse soapstone sink!

This guy is the Bob Ross of home renos!

It's a shame and ridiculous that some people won't buy your house if your kitchen isn't fitted with stone countertops. Today's laminates are beautiful, durable and economical and available in every colour, size, profile and surface finish and will outlast stone with less maintenance and care. Cheap and easy to replace a section if laminate should get damaged.....just try to match a natural stone five years later if a small section or small counter needs to be replaced (every stone finish is unique like a fingerprint). I find it's a good practice to seal any unfinished particle board edges with a silicone layer to keep water out forever (sink cut-out, faucet & soap dispenser holes and edges that are being butted against the walls.)

@patrickpieszala5683

3 ай бұрын

Agreed!

Jeff put a thick bead of caulk on the laminate facing the floor on over hangs, it stops water to wood. You'll thx me in 20 years.

I keep a bit of superglue around for cuts.

Hi gn Jeff Happy New Yr!!!

@HomeRenoVisionDIY

4 жыл бұрын

Cheers Raj, to you as well!

Hi.. Can you make video for epoxy countertop vs laminate countertop?

I got a good deal from IKEA on laminate countertop only the surface is kind of rough. Is there something I can coat it with to make cleaning it more easy?

What's your opinion on epoxy coating countertops? They are getting popular.

Is there a way or a pattern or a good material that can be put side by side with laminate without looking awkward? I want to use laminate but I have a stainless steel sink that I would really like to undermount. Is there a way to put an under-mountable material just under the sink and mix it with laminate on each side ?

Looks great

@HomeRenoVisionDIY

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Mona, it is the perfect balance of performance and affordability. Cheers!

With all the writing and numbers on the wall - @15:43 makes me wonder if this was the inspiration for the movie "A Beautiful Mind".

Laminate with pressure applied bullnose and/or backsplash it 1/32" thick to accommodate the extreme radius on the edge. 'Regular' formica is 1/16" thick. In a kitchen you need think about durability and use the 1/16"? Those finished edges are 1/16" formica?

When I set up my desk at the start of COVID, I bought an 8ft Laminate worktop from IKEA for $70 rather than their $250 veneered one. It's great, and when it's time to redo our kitchen, I don't see a reason not to use it instead of something more expensive.

Concrete countertops are an option. Can be cheap or not, but won't have any problems with water, heat, or wear that laminate may.

Were is a good place to buy counters tops??

Hey Jeff, what are your thoughts on butcher block counter tops? What do you recommend we seal them with? I was leaning more towards polyurethane instead of the food grade oils that usually require monthly applications. Cheers!

@HomeRenoVisionDIY

2 жыл бұрын

you can just be sure to use a cutting board!

Excellent!

@HomeRenoVisionDIY

4 жыл бұрын

Cheers Michael!

14:15 "heres a great tip if you're not good with math" metric says hi

Thanks for the Video! Do you install standard outlets sideways, or are you able to find horizontal outlets with the outlet portion turned 90 degrees? I like the outlets being sideways, but don't like having the plug turned sideways..

@HomeRenoVisionDIY

2 жыл бұрын

this is not standard and no I am unaware of a side ways plug. Cheers!

👍🏻👍🏻 very detailed 👍🏻👍🏻

@HomeRenoVisionDIY

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Cheers!

Thank you

What do you think about those epoxy coatings that you can put on laminate if your refreshing a kitchen?

@chrisgraham2904

4 жыл бұрын

When my mother left her home for a retirement residence, I did the Rust-O-leim "stone effects" epoxy coating on the laminate kitchen counter tops before the house was sold. It is a long and messy process. Cleaning and roughening the surfaces before applying a primer, followed by two applications of the granite stone effect materials and then followed by the clear epoxy coating. Masking and protecting surrounding floors and surfaces to catch drips and runs as the epoxy levels itself. With drying times between each application, the whole process took five days and the fumes required frequent venting of the house. The end result was impressive, but because the home was later sold, I don't have any experience with the longevity of the product.

Just installed my counter top's last week on my kitchen project, was nervous about it after i ordered , can't even count how many times i measured and checked and then wondered if i gave the right measurement's, took 3 week's to get mine because of the christmas holiday's.and i was sweating it every day until they arrived. On my project i tore down back to the original stud's, and re-framed the 2 wall's that the cabinet's would be on, Wish i could just post a before and after pic of my kitchen, only turned out great from watching all your video's. Keep the education coming Jeff, we all have thing's to learn.

Thanks!

I wish you would install countertops with 16 inch overhang.

Love the vid but spray foam in the windows?

Could you use these types of cabinets in a bathroom for a vanity?

@fritz4345

4 жыл бұрын

They are probably too deep and too high.

If you need to move the counter out more then a quarter inch and you can't hide the gap just use a belt sander to contour the back of the counter top to the wall. Works like a charm and no one will ever notice.

@HomeRenoVisionDIY

4 жыл бұрын

great advice

@justangvano

4 жыл бұрын

@Alex Mack If your wall is bowed you are going to create the same bow on the counter top. The best way to do that is with a belt sander, taking away material as needed until you have the correct curve. My wall in my home was wavy so moving the counter top out was not an option. I would place the counter top against the wall to see where the wall was curved in and with a pencil mark the areas where material needed to be removed on the counter top. This allows the counter top to be inset where the curve of the wall is inset making it appear to be straight against the wall.

How do you install if it has a 45. Like a countertop that meets up from two walls in a corner?

@HomeRenoVisionDIY

4 жыл бұрын

get the counter guys to install for you. Best to design the space to keep things simple if you are DIY

Can I pour clear epoxy directly over my Formica or do I have to paint it first..I like the pattern on my Formica but would like the glassy look from the expiry. Every video I watch I see they paint it first. Anyone tried to Epoxy directly over the existing Formica?

One thing, don't know if it's addressed, but if you use pre-fab slabs from a supplier, you'll have raw edges. (ETA, I see these have raw edges.) Oh, they have those end kits! Note that they are iron on and the adhesive is not suitable for use beside a stove. It will release in short order. Belanger recommended scraping the provided adhesive and using contact cement. A little tedious but effective. Another note though, if you're cutting an edge that needs to be finished, the cutting of that edge needs to be very true, I would use a guide.