Countertops in Kendallville, IN

Countertops in Kendallville are often a replacement project. Plenty of kitchens still have laminate or tile tops that have done their time: seams lifting near the sink, chipped edges, stained grout. With 85.7% of residents living in the same house a year earlier, according to Census estimates, plenty of homeowners are looking at surfaces that have been in place for a long time. We take out the old, check what is underneath and install a new top that fits properly.

Step one: the tear-out

Removal is where a lot of surprises happen, so we plan for it.

• Laminate usually comes off in sections, but the particleboard beneath may be swollen near the sink
• Tile can be set in a thick mortar bed that adds weight and dust
• Old backsplashes may pull drywall with them

We protect floors and cabinets, haul away the old material and tell you right away if we find damage, such as a soft cabinet floor under a leaky faucet.

Step two: checking the cabinets

Stone and quartz are much heavier than laminate. Before templating, we check that the cabinets are level, solid and well fastened. Sometimes that means adding shims or supports, especially at the dishwasher opening and corners. Getting this right is what keeps a stone top from cracking years later.

Step three: choosing the new surface

For many Kendallville kitchens, quartz is the natural upgrade. It is a big step up from laminate in durability, never needs sealing and resists the stains that tend to ruin older tops. Other choices:

• Granite for natural stone with good heat resistance
• Quartzite for a natural look that is very hard
• Solid surface for seamless installs and integrated sinks
• New laminate for a quick, budget-friendly refresh, with better edges and patterns than older styles

Homes rebuilt after 1992

On July 14, 1992, an F2 tornado struck Kendallville, destroying 31 homes and injuring 28 people. Houses rebuilt or repaired after that storm are now more than three decades old, which means their original kitchens are reaching the age when countertops and fixtures commonly get replaced.

The downtown and older homes nearby

The Kendallville Downtown Historic District was listed on the National Register in 2003 and includes 45 contributing buildings developed between about 1863 and 1940, roughly bounded by Harris and Rush streets and the alleys east and west of Main Street. In older homes, walls and floors are rarely square, so in-person templating is essential to a clean fit.

Owners, renters and permits

About 61.8% of Kendallville homes are owner-occupied, per Census estimates, so we work with landlords as well as homeowners. Whoever owns the property, if the plan moves or adds a sink, that is plumbing work. Ask the City of Kendallville's building office whether a permit is needed and have a licensed plumber do the connections. We coordinate install timing so the kitchen is back in use quickly.

Get a written quote

Call (260) 823-4488 or send photos of your current countertops, including close-ups of damaged areas. We will visit, measure and give you a written quote covering removal, new tops, edges and cutouts.

Get a Free Estimate