Kitchen worktop installation

The worktop is the part of a kitchen you touch most, and the one where fitting mistakes show first: a gap at the wall, a step at the joint, water soaking in by the sink. Kitchen worktop installation is priced per running metre and mainly covers laminate and timber worktops that the handyman cuts on site.

What worktop installation covers

• measuring and cutting the worktop to length, scribing it to an uneven wall;
• sealing the cut edges against moisture with silicone or a trim;
• screwing the worktop to the base units from below;
• an upstand or silicone along the wall joint;
• end caps and edging wherever the worktop finishes with a visible edge.

Cut-outs for the sink or hob and joining two worktops at a corner are separate items in the price list, as they need different tools and more time.

Laminate, timber or composite

Laminate is the cheapest and easiest to work, but it hates water on its cut edges: unsealed chipboard under the laminate swells. Solid timber has to be oiled before fitting and periodically afterwards, especially by the sink. Composite and stone worktops are usually cut in the workshop and the handyman only sets them in place, which is why their installation is a separate service.

What to prepare

The base units should already be level and bolted together. Have the worktop, upstands and end caps ready, and in the job give the length, the kitchen shape (straight, L or U) and a photo of the wall the worktop will run along.

Common questions