I want to remove some plywood countertops and backsplashes in my
kitchen so that I can relaminate them, but I can't figure out how to do
it. Each countertop butts up against the backsplash behind it and is
attached to the cabinet beneath it by two screws at the front, inside
the cabinet. If I remove those screws, the front of the countertop is
loose but the back is still held down somehow. No other screws are
visible from inside the cabinet.

How are these countertops likely to be attached at the back?

Thanks.
--glenn

wrote:
....
.... countertop butts up against the backsplash behind it and is
attached to the cabinet beneath it by two screws at the front, inside
the cabinet. If I remove those screws, the front of the countertop is
loose but the back is still held down somehow. No other screws are
visible from inside the cabinet.

How are these countertops likely to be attached at the back?

More than likely they attached the backsplash to the countertop then
may well have tacked it to the wall in places. I've seen about every
possible from finish nail through the top into the cabinet to screwed
in to the wall studs before the laminate was laid. You may well have
to simply destructively remove a section to actual determine how it was
installed.

But, if it's just laminate, I'd probably just scrap the old tops and
start over unless it's a really, really large area, the extra cost
isn't worth the aggravation of working over old...

wrote in
oups.com:

I want to remove some plywood countertops and backsplashes in my
kitchen so that I can relaminate them, but I can't figure out how to do
it. Each countertop butts up against the backsplash behind it and is
attached to the cabinet beneath it by two screws at the front, inside
the cabinet. If I remove those screws, the front of the countertop is
loose but the back is still held down somehow. No other screws are
visible from inside the cabinet.

How are these countertops likely to be attached at the back?

Thanks.
--glenn



The only countertop I have removed had the backsplash as part of the CT,and
it was *glued* to the drywall with construction adhesive or sealer.
I had to redo the drywall after the CT was removed.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

dpb wrote:

More than likely they attached the backsplash to the countertop then
may well have tacked it to the wall in places. I've seen about every
possible from finish nail through the top into the cabinet to screwed
in to the wall studs before the laminate was laid. You may well have
to simply destructively remove a section to actual determine how it was
installed.

But, if it's just laminate, I'd probably just scrap the old tops and
start over unless it's a really, really large area, the extra cost
isn't worth the aggravation of working over old...

The backsplash isn't attached to the wall in any obvious way. I've
removed the laminate from a couple of the backsplashes and countertops,
and I don't see any screws or nails. The old laminate comes off
easily, which is one of the reasons I want to replace it.

I was hoping to avoid destruction but it sounds like it's either that
or fit the new laminate with the countertops in place, which isn't
easy.

Thanks.
--glenn

wrote:
dpb wrote:

More than likely they attached the backsplash to the countertop then
may well have tacked it to the wall in places. I've seen about every
possible from finish nail through the top into the cabinet to screwed
in to the wall studs before the laminate was laid. You may well have
to simply destructively remove a section to actual determine how it was
installed.

But, if it's just laminate, I'd probably just scrap the old tops and
start over unless it's a really, really large area, the extra cost
isn't worth the aggravation of working over old...

The backsplash isn't attached to the wall in any obvious way. I've
removed the laminate from a couple of the backsplashes and countertops,
and I don't see any screws or nails. The old laminate comes off
easily, which is one of the reasons I want to replace it.

I was hoping to avoid destruction but it sounds like it's either that
or fit the new laminate with the countertops in place, which isn't
easy.

Thanks.
--glenn

on one of mine the countertop was just secured to the cupboard rail at
the back.

I used a small putty knife to slide along and find the fasteners.