Like a Rock

Actually... quite literally a rock and not at all related to Bob Seger. Siri and I had granite countertops installed a few days ago and we are quite pleased with the result. The original was a dark laminate with poorly applied, cracked, black caulking. Obviously the bad caulking posed a water damage problem and the overall dark color made the already small kitchen feel more closed in.

The original countertop, please ignore the mess.

We opted for a lighter color: Tanami from Lowe's. The actual slab the top was cut from is more tan than the sample picture shows. The example at the store is a much better match to what we have so look below for the actual installed color. Despite spending an entire Saturday morning and part of the afternoon driving from shop to shop, Lowe's had the best price (with 5% Lowe's card discount) and they had a promotion for a free undermount sink. I was surprised that a local shop could not compete with that deal although the lead time was about two weeks longer from Lowe's.

The contractor my local Lowe's works with is McDermott Top Shop and the crew they had come in for both measuring and installing was friendly and professional. The first visit was for the exact measurement and the worker used a laser device on a tripod to get precise dimensions. He found that  the back wall had a significant bow to it and that there would be a bit of a gap behind sections of the backsplash. Since we will eventually put up tile on the wall this wouldn't be a big concern. A few weeks later the install crew came and put in the top. The weight of the granite does most of the work of securing it and the front is caulked to the cabinets with a small bead underneath the bullnosed front. They also installed a metal bar for fastening the dishwasher to the underside. Also installed was the backsplash and sidesplash pieces since the counter is between two walls. Because of the gaps in the backsplash the installers didn't fully caulk it so I ended up doing that myself later that night. I also installed the plumbing fixtures and drains as well as re-installing the dishwasher and disposal.
I had my buddy John assist me in removing the old top and I'm glad I did. I could have done it myself but it would have been much more difficult to move the top before I cut it in half. I took care not to damage the sink and faucet as I plan to donate these to ReStore. I also had to remove the dishwasher before the installers came.

Old top removed. John for scale.

The sink is held on by these clips.

Cut the top in half and removed the sink and faucet for donating.

Old top and dishwasher removed.

The installers arrived about an hour late but they did call ahead of time to let me know. It wasn't much of an inconvenience. It took the team about two hours to install it and I didn't take any pictures of the process.

New granite installed (by professionals).

Side splashes were added as well.

New faucet and soap dispenser. The third hole is for the disposal's air switch.

After the team installed the new top I had to return to work so the plumbing had to wait until later. In addition, it was recommended that I wait 24 hours for the caulking on the sink to fully cure. Since the top was put in on Thursday afternoon I didn't install the drains until Friday evening.

Drainage! Also, I need a new work light.

First drain in, now for the disposal.

After the drain for the left side was installed I attempted to mount the disposal and ran into a bit of a problem. Because the banjo sink's larger bowl has a drain that is lower and further back than the old sink, the 3-way adapter that was there actually touched the disposal and didn't leave any room for attaching pipes. This led to a late run to Home Depot for a 45 degree elbow and some additional fittings. I had to cut the old adapter with a hacksaw and put on the new elbow with PVC glue. I also picked up a kit that included all of the fittings and pipe for attaching the disposal and sink drain.

The new connection to accommodate the disposal.

New connections made.

Lastly I added caulking on the backsplash to fill in the gaps from the bowed wall. After I let it set up for a while I put our things back on the counter and cleaned up my tools. I also took this opportunity to clean and organize the cleaning supplies we kept under the sink. I also re-installed the dishwasher which only took a few minutes reconnecting the supply, drain, and electrical that were already there.

Finished installation and items put back.

And that was it. I made sure to get paintable caulking as we plan to change the color of the kitchen after our big remodel on the alcove side where the fridge and range reside. The new counter looks great and the new faucet is fantastic. It has a built in sprayer and is taller than the old one which will make filling large pots much easier. The soap dispenser is convenient and the air switch matches the finish of the new fixtures. The drains were a bit of pain when I tried to install the disposal, but once I got the proper parts it went together smoothly. I think we will be quite happy with our new half of the kitchen.