changing worktop with inset hob and sink?? How and is it hard?

[GothMummy]

Hi, Im trying to cheaply update the kitchen that was already in the house we just bought as we cant afford a new one. I can repaint doors, put on new handles etc but the worktop is VILE - is it possible to replace worktop when the hob and sink are set in to the worktop - can we do this ourselves or is this something that we need a "man" to do? If so, what kind of "man" - joiner/plumber/gas man or all 3??

Previously we have had belfast sink/free standing cooker so no experience of this type of thing but we are OK with DIY stuff (or at least willing to have a go).

Would I need the gas man to disconnect the hob or can you do it without disconnecting?

Thanks in advance for any replies to what must seem like a stupid question!

I have just had all of that done, had to have a gas man to do the hob as it must be done by a Gas safe engineer. It cost me £60.

We were able to "drop" the old one though the work surface, rest it on the oven below and then install the new work top and then he disconnected and reconnected the hobs, They are pretty much standard size, so you could keep the old one if it is still good.

I had a new sink too, that was easy as the man just cut a hole and put the new one in, reconnected to existing pipework.

HTH

Could always cheat an paint worktop? Krylon Fusion spray paint sticks to plastic and is hardwearing. Failing that, ikea does lovely worktops for a reasonable price. we had a beautiful wooden one in our old house. hth

Thank you very much for your replies! hadnt thought about painting the worktop.. I would have assumed it would wear off with cleaning.

I did have lovely solid beech worktops from IKEA in the old house and I really miss them! The worktops inherited with the house are really quite grotty, so I want to do something so I feel like cooking again. The basic shell of the kitchen is fine, for now (but kitchen is seriously small so one day we hope to extend...)

normal paint will wear off but the krylon stuff is especially designed to stay stuck! good luck on your decision either way, hope it looks better! I sympathise with you on the small kitchen front!

DH is currently doing this for PiLs (you arent them are you!). I asked him and made the following pointsAssuming the hob is not on a bayonet fitting then detaching and re-attaching the gas hob should be done by a gas safe fitter.

• It is not a novice diy job. Worktops weigh an absolute ton. If you currently have tiles down to the worktop then it will probably be necessary to take them off and replace them.

• Make sure all the cutting tools are very sharp or brand new. If you are cutting out holes for the sink or hob use a good jigsaw with downcutting blades. DH used two blades to cut out one sink hole today. Get pro tools (screwfix or toolstation) not diy tools.

• DH's view is that if you arent experienced diyers then get a kitchen fitter in to do the job. He/she should be able to deal with the hob. It's worth it for us as DH fits kitchens as a property developer and is a spark.

Good luck!

We had new worktops installed just before Christmas. There was no way we could have done it ourselves as it needed a lot of intricate work doing. We had solid beech ones before and they were a mess. The wood had rotted around the sink and had gone black. We went for a composite granite worktop, called Getacor, and it is brilliant.

I agree with GnomeDePlume. If you can't do the job properly then get a professional in. Our kitchen man took two days to complete the job. OH would have taken weeks and would have been extremely bad tempered in the process. Also he wouldn't have been able to do nearly as good a job.

Thank you for your replies!