Austin Laminate Counters

If you're looking for a cost-effective, but still beautiful, counter for your kitchen, a laminate counter in your Austin kitchen is the way to go. Laminate has come a long way already, and gets stronger and more durable with each new product line. Its ability to imitate stone and hardwood is making this material almost indistinguishable to the real thing for even the most discriminating eyes. Some laminate manufacturers have even begun to offer 40-year warranties on their laminate counters, double the industry standard of only a few years ago.

Austin Laminate Counters and Austin Kitchen Remodeling
You can install a laminate counter as a stand alone project, but most homeowners do it as part of a larger kitchen remodeling project. When you're remodeling on a budget, you may find that you have to cut back on some features that were part of your initial kitchen design. You may be able to save as much as a few thousand dollars just by choosing laminate for new countertop. As long as you're willing to put in a little extra care to maintaining your laminate counter, you can keep and/or expand your other kitchen design options.

Laminate Counter Maintenance
To keep your Austin laminate countertop in good shape, showing a little preventative care will go a long way. Don't put hot dishes on your counter or use the counter as a cutting board. If your cooking habits require this sort of activity on a regular basis, it might be a good idea to install a small area of counter tile or a similar material that will allow you to use your counter for this purpose. You'll also need to do your best to minimize your counter's exposure to water and blunt impact, such as dropping a heavy object on the counter. Laminate can take a good amount of abuse, but can swell from excessive water and dent from structural impact. As long as you periodically apply a protective wax, simple cleaning with a soft, damp cloth should be enough to keep it looking sharp.

Cost of Laminate Counters in Austin, TX
To let you know just how much money you stand to save by going with laminate, ServiceMagic tracks all the home improvement projects we process, including countertop installation. Our data shows the average laminate counter in Austin costs about $1,300. Stone and solid surface counters, in contrast, average more than $4,000 a pop. In fact, it's not uncommon to see counter installation cost under $1,000, which is nearly unheard of for any other counter material.

Laminate counter repair has also become a lot more feasible. Specialized plastic filler can now be used to fill cracks and other damage. The average cost of laminate counter repair is $400. Needless to say, you won't be thrilled if this becomes necessary, but it's good to know that if the worst happens, you won't need to pay to replace the entire counter.

Project Length of Austin Laminate Countertop Installation
In general, lower costs also mean easier installation and shortened project lengths. So it is with Austin laminate countertop installation. Instead of the week and a half to two weeks for other counter materials, laminate counters can often be installed in a week or less. Whether you're choosing a new counter as a stand alone project or part of a larger kitchen remodel, the advantages are obvious: lower labor costs and reduced inconvenience to your day-to-day activities. With a laminate counter, you'll have your kitchen up and running again in no time.