Ambitious diyers can now install granite countertops themselves.
Can you cut existing granite countertops.
Then begin moving the blade along the guideline to complete the cut.
Place the base of a circular saw onto one of the lines drawn on the countertop.
Step 1 choose either a standard circular saw or a wet cut circular saw to cut granite.
Attach a vacuum to the hose of the saw and turn the vacuum on to draw away the dust produced by cutting the countertop.
Granite is the hardest natural material you can choose for your countertop so you d expect cutting it to be more challenging than cutting other materials.
After many years in the countertop industry we ve come across many homeowners asking if their granite countertop can be cut or modified to fit their new cooktop fridge or new sink.
If you have straight countertops with no inside corners it s actually quite an easy diy project.
Granite is very heavy and needs to be cut with a sharp blade.
However if your kitchen is like most you ll have to do some cutting and seaming.
While that s true to some extent the procedure and tools you use to cut granite aren t more sophisticated than those you use to cut other hard materials.
Start the saw then push the blade along the line to cut through the granite slab until you meet the adjoining line.
As you hold the blade perpendicular to the countertop cut down into the tape and through the granite.
But if you have basic woodworking skills that s not as intimidating as it might sound.
It is also one of the trickiest skills a diyer can attain.
Of course you eventually reach a point where the front and back portions are too narrow and no contractor in his right mind will do the cuts typically manufacturers installers prefer 4 inches or more around 3 to 3 1 2 inches is where it starts getting real scary though i have seen a front lip as narrow as 2 inches with thick countertop and full reinforcement underneath.
It take very meticulous cutting and routing if done with hand tools rather than a shop milling machine and being a very hard stone takes diamond blades and slow work or one of the new very expensive portable laser stone cutters.
Remember that it s better to cut within the line if you need to since you can always cut away the extra granite later.