Cut excess work and cut countertops quickly and easily with these helpful tips
New countertops are an integral part of giving your kitchen and bathroom a facelift. A new countertop can make a space look fresh, clean, and personalized. While it may be a good idea to leave this job to professionals with the tools and experience to do it easily and correctly, it is definitely possible to cut countertops yourself. Here, we discuss the details of cutting new countertops, tailored to whether you have chosen butcher block, laminate, Formica, or stone to make your updated space feel more like home.
If your countertop is damaged and dated, no longer matches your new decor, you have been researching kitchen countertop ideas on a budget, or you are just ready for a visual or material change, you may decide to replace the old and install a new countertop. Most homeowners will call a professional countertop contractor to do this task, but if you are skilled with a saw and trust your ability to measure correctly, you can do it yourself.
The good news is that you may not need to do any cutting. Check whether the countertop material you have chosen is available as precut pieces that will fit your space without additional cutting. Some types of countertops, particularly butcher block and laminate, are available in dimensions that fit standard-sized kitchens and bathrooms. For example, manufacturers often precut countertop slabs in four-, six-, and eight-foot lengths; if your cabinets need a standard size counter, you will not need to cut them at all.
The cost to cut new countertops varies, depending on whether you are doing it yourself or hiring someone. Your labor will be free (other than your time and effort), and you can expect to pay a countertop contractor between $30 and $50 per hour for labor. The cost to install countertops also varies with the type of material, the size of the job, the complexity of the installation, and other factors.
The catch is that you may need to buy or rent a saw and other tools and materials to get the job done, whereas hired contractors usually have all the items they need, and include those in their per-hour price. If you need to buy eye and respiratory protection, a circular saw or jigsaw (you may be able to rent one from a local hardware store), saw blades, clamps, installation materials, and more, it may drive up the DIY costs to anywhere from $125 to $350 or more.
Before you begin, take time to read through the directions for your specific type of countertop material. This will make it easier to understand and follow directions as you work, since you will understand the basic flow of the project and what steps come next.
Then, use a measuring tape to measure the area you need to cover. Write down both the length and the width, then go back and measure each area again to make sure your initial measurements were correct. This will dictate how much product you need to buy and how many cuts you will need to make.
Next, choose and purchase your countertop material, making sure to buy enough. You want to buy all of the materials from the same manufacturing lot so that the color and any patterns match; different lots can have subtle to obvious physical differences. You should be able to find the product you want at a local home improvement store, construction supplier, countertop store, or resale or surplus supplier.
This is also the time to visit a home improvement or hardware store to obtain all of the other equipment and materials you will need:
Eye, hearing, respiratory, and hand protection
Circular saw or jigsaw (you may be able to rent this)
Saw blades
C-clamps
Masking tape or painter’s tape
Straight edge or carpenter’s square
120-grit sandpaper
Countertop installation materials
Plastic sheeting to seal off the work area
You will be using power tools, so eye, hearing, and respiratory protection are a must. Also consider heavy-duty gloves and a push stick to use near the saw instead of your hands. Keep children, pets, and others away while you are using power tools.
Cutting countertops is messy work, so you should protect your home from dust and debris. Prepare an outdoor area for cutting, if possible, or use plastic sheeting to isolate the work area by sealing doorways. You may also want to use dust rags, filtered vacuums, and HEPA filters to remove dust before it can disperse throughout the house.
If you doubt your ability to take on this task, it is smart to call a professional for help. Your health and safety are of the utmost importance, nor do you want to risk damaging expensive countertop materials by doing tasks you are not equipped or experienced enough to handle.
Each type of countertop material comes with its own directions, so follow the steps that apply to your project. Remember, being methodical, intentional, and exacting about every step is the way to get the best outcome.
Butcher block countertops are made of pieces of wood that are glued together to make a solid slab. They are strong, beautiful, and natural-looking, and come in a variety of shades and types of wood. Most come in standard cabinet-size, 25-inch-wide pieces, but you may need to cut them down to fit the length of your cabinets. Luckily, butcher blocks and other wood counters are fairly easy to cut for people with minimal construction experience.
Let your butcher block counters or wood countertop slabs acclimate for at least 72 hours in the room where you will be installing them. This prevents them from warping after installation, and it helps you cut them to the right size, as they will have had time to adjust to the temperature and humidity in your home.
Check your measurements, or, for more complicated installations, create a template with cardboard or thin tempered hardboard.
If desired, secure a long strip of painter’s tape or masking tape along the area where you will be cutting to minimize the risk of splintering.
Make cut marks on your butcher block slabs or the tape line using a straight edge or carpenter’s square for accuracy; if using a template, tape it on top of the countertop material.
Using a circular saw with a fine-toothed blade, cut along the cut lines, being careful to follow the lines exactly.
Lay the countertop sections in place, checking to see that each is cut exactly right.
When you are happy with the cut, remove the tape (if you used it), and use 120-grit sandpaper to buff the edges gently downward, removing any rough areas or saw marks.
To cut an opening for a sink, decide where you want it, then mark the center of the sink on the countertop. Use the sink template, or make one by tracing the edge of the sink lip and measuring the distance from the sink edge to the basin to create the cut line. Make a starter hole using a drill, then use a circular saw or jigsaw to cut around the sink hole.
Laminate counters, sometimes referred to as Formica countertops, are made with a layer of particleboard or paper covered in a plasticized image layer that is made to look like granite, marble, or another more expensive surface. Laminate countertops are inexpensive, low maintenance, and easy to find. That said, they will not stand up to heat or heavy use, as they can burn and scratch. They are, however, one of the easier types of countertops to cut by yourself.
Buy the materials, including matching laminate strips to cover any exposed edges.
Place a piece of laminate on your workbench or sawhorses so that the end you will cut is hanging off of one side. Place it facedown to get a smoother cut on the visible surface.
Apply a long strip of masking tape or painter’s tape over the area where you will cut and remeasure your cut line. Trace it using the straight edge or carpenter’s square to be sure it is perfectly straight.
Clamp the countertop tightly to the workbench using C-clamps. You can use a piece of wood that is one inch thick and two inches wide to create a guide rail to make cutting easier. If you do this, make sure that your wood guide rail is the right distance from the cut line so that the saw blade lines up exactly.
Set your saw blade to ⅛-inch to ¼-inch deeper than the thickness of the countertop for the cleanest cut.
Hold the saw firmly in both hands, turn it on and get the blade up to full speed, then touch the blade to the countertop and cut slowly and in one continuous motion across the entire length of the cut line.
Use 120-grit sandpaper to remove rough areas and saw marks. Move the sandpaper in a downward motion rather than back and forth to avoid chipping the laminate surface.
Remove the masking tape when the edges are smooth and you have finished cutting and sanding.
To cut a hole for a sink, carefully choose where on the countertop the sink will sit. Then, using the sink cut template, trace the cut lines. If you do not have a cut line template for your sink, place the sink upside down on the countertop where you want to install it, and trace around its outline. Remove the sink, measure the distance from the basin to the mounting lip, mark cut lines where the basin begins, and apply masking tape. Drill a small starter hole so that you can insert a jigsaw blade, and then use the jigsaw to cut around the entire inner outline so that the sink will rest on the countertop with its mounting lip to hold it steady.
Whether you choose granite, quartz, quartzite, marble, or another natural stone, stone countertops are more expensive to source and they can be the hardest to cut yourself, unless you have experience in stonework. When deciding whether to cut your own stone counters, consider the cost and difficulty. If you are wondering how to cut granite countertops and feel unsure of your cutting skills, this task is best left to professionals.
Note: If you order your stone slabs from a supplier, they can often cut them to your size specifications so that they are ready to install with no additional cutting needed.
Stone counters, like DIY marble countertops, are difficult to do right. But if you do decide to cut them yourself, you must have a solid, stable work surface, such as a workbench, to cut on. This will prevent moving and shifting that may cause your stone to crack or chip. You should also work outside or in a well-ventilated space; cutting stone generates a lot of dust and can be very messy.
Source your stone slab and a piece of rigid foam insulation that is two inches thick and the same dimension as your stone.
Lay the foam on your workbench, then lay the slab of stone on top.
Secure the stone slab to the workbench by clamping the edges tightly with C-clamps every one to two feet.
Apply a strip of painter’s tape or masking tape to the area where you will be cutting, then use your straight edge or carpenter’s square to draw a cut line down the entire length of the slab.
Using a circular saw or a wet circular saw with a diamond blade, make a two-inch back cut at the far end of your marked cut line. Do this by getting the circular saw blade up to speed, then cutting a two-inch section of your line.
Then, move to the opposite end of the cut line from your back cut. Get your saw blade up to speed, then cut along the cut line, moving slowly and letting the saw do the work until you reach your back cut.
When the section is fully cut, remove the guide tape and use a damp cloth to remove the dust.
To cut a sink hole, trace the sink template onto the countertop or make your own template by flipping the sink upside down, tracing around the sink lip, measuring the distance from the lip to the basin, and marking the cut line on your stone. You will want to be sure the sink mounting lip will rest on the countertop when the sink is set inside the cut hole. Then, use an angle grinder with a diamond blade to cut along the cut line.
Cutting countertops right is hard, but not impossible. Here are a few tips to help you make the most of this DIY project.
Have all of your tools, equipment, and materials ready and set out in an easy-to-reach place before you begin.
Know how to use the tools and equipment before you start. Practice, if you can, on a piece of material that is exactly like the countertop slab you will be cutting.
Apply a line of painter’s or masking tape over the cut line to help prevent chipping. You can do this on both the front and back sides of the countertop material.
Measure at least twice to be sure you have perfect measurements. It is impossible to repair cutting mistakes, and you do not want to buy the same material twice.
Move slowly and deliberately as you work. Your cuts must be exact.
Use a new, sharp, fine-toothed saw blade. Choose a blade with diamond tips if you are cutting stone.
If using a traditional saw blade that cuts on the upstroke, turn the countertop material upside down and cut from back to front so that any chipping is more likely to happen at the back of the slab. You can also use a reverse-cutting jigsaw blade; these cut on the downstroke, helping to minimize the risk of chipping.
Only cut on a solid, stable surface and use clamps to tighten the countertop material to the work surface so it does not shift.
You can cut countertops yourself, but you should only attempt it if you are detail-oriented, seriously handy, or have experience cutting counters or similar materials. Countertop materials can be expensive, and cuts have to be precise in order to give you the fit and end result you want. It can also be costly to buy or rent a saw and whatever other materials you need to cut and install new counters, so if you are DIYing to save money but need to stock up at the hardware store before you start, you may be smarter to hire a fairly priced expert who can do it quickly and has all the tools they need.
Likewise, if you are not absolutely confident that you can do the work correctly and safely, it is best to call a local countertop contractor near you before you even start. Yes, it will cost you the price of labor, but it may save you a lot of time, frustration, and the cost of replacing incorrectly cut countertop materials.
The best tool for cutting countertops depends on the type of countertop material. For some softer materials, like laminate (Formica) and butcher block, you can use a hand saw, but most experts recommend power saws like circular saws, since these make the job go faster and easier and give more even results. However, power saws and circular saws are dangerous if used incorrectly, and they can be so powerful that they damage or chip laminate, stone, and other types of countertops. For this reason, you should take safety precautions and use best practices to prevent damage.
You can cut countertops without chipping by using your saw correctly and having a new fine-toothed blade. You can also put masking tape on the front of the countertop material across the cut line and cut from front to back. However, it is very hard to cut countertops without chipping them, especially if they are made of stone or more fragile materials like laminate. The best advice is to know how to use the equipment, use the correct cutting method for the material, cut from back to front, move slowly, and practice on scrap material first.
The angle at which you cut countertops depends on the material, your intended outcome, and the location of the cut. For example, rather than cutting a straight 90-degree angle for internal corners, cut edges at a 45-degree angle to give a clean, professional look. For outside edges, most homeowners want squared-off sides, so 90-degree angles can make the most sense there. Because you want to get angles exactly right to minimize seams and eliminate the need for patching, be sure to measure several times before cutting and use the right equipment to get sharp, accurate angles.
You should always seal cut countertops to prevent damage and to keep them looking their best. The right way to seal countertops depends on the type of material. For laminate and wood, apply epoxy or other specialty sealers by pouring it onto the countertop and letting it flow across the whole surface to the edges, guiding it with a paint stick or putty knife. You will need to move quickly so that it does not dry or harden before you are done. For stone countertops, use a sealant specially manufactured for your type of stone and apply it according to manufacturer directions.
