wrote:
Rick,

I would post at www.johnbridge.com forums. They have a great group of
tile setters that can help you.

I would really think twice about doing this. If your tenants don't use
cutting boards what are the chances they will keep the grout lines
clean and sealed. I would see grout lines as a potential maintenance
problem. Epoxy grout (not sure if safe to use in a kitchen) might
help. Couldn't you put another layer of laminate over the old with
proper surface prep?

Beat me to it. If this is an old-style square section counter without
rolled backsplash and bull nose, you can field-apply new laminate, given
a good DIY book and a cheap router to edge with. If it is the curved
stuff, I don't know of any painless way to redo it, short of pulling it.
Why are you afraid it will break the cabinets? Is it glued down, trapped
in a pocket or in backsplash tile or something? I'd call whatever
company the local apartment projects use to refresh trashed apartments
between tenants. I wouldn't use a company like that for a new custom
home, but for a rental, they probably do fine work. And they will know
where to get a custom replacement top made up at less than retail prices.

I agree with ceramic being a bad choice for a rental. Some tenants are
careful, but they are the exception. Unless the existing counters look
totally horrible, I'd just clean and bleach them, and polish real well.
Few tenants will notice or care about knife scratches, as long as they
are all one color and clean. If there are deep knicks through to the
brown stuff, they sell spot repair kits.

--
aem sends...