Moving granite worktop

[alex robinson]

We are replacing our kitchen and rather than pay the insane prices for new ones have bought a second hand one on eBay. It has some quite large granite worktops that I am not looking forwards to moving.

Does anybody have any tips for getting them out without breaking them, or clever ways of moving them apart from loads of people, carefully? I was wondering if a sheet of 25mm ply siliconed to the top might make them less likely to crack when taking them up. I am especially worried about the sink run.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Fitzroy]

Only lift them when they are in the vertical plane and use lots of people. They are so heavy that I expect they would deform any ply fastened to them if you tried to move in the horizontal. Often they are bonded down with stixall or similar, i think they could be a pig to break out of this.

 

[Jacob]

I would have made the seller detach it first.
I nearly bought some concrete slabs years ago, until I realised I'd got to dig them up, chip off mortar, etc etc. I offered to take them away f.o.c. if they'd just pay for the time.

 

[Agent_zed]

I'd make a wheeled trolley. not a full thing but just some wheels that can take the weight in the centre while 2 people guide the granite. I searched 'wheel granite mover' on google images and saw loads of simple 2 wheel designs. Somethign like this Industrial Smooth Moving Q235 Steel Push Trolley Dolly Mover Cart Steel Plate And Slab Dolly With Foam Wheels - Buy Panel Cart Dolly,Workshop Granite Slab Dolly,Steel Moving Cart Product on Alibaba.com
a few bits of wood and some old wheels from a sack truck would be easy enough to make something similar.

 

[alex robinson]

I would have made the seller detach it first.
I nearly bought some concrete slabs years ago, until I realised I'd got to dig them up, chip off mortar, etc etc. I offered to take them away for them if they'd pay for the time.

I hope that as my motivation for the tops remaining intact is higher, the odds of them doing so are better if I do it myself!

 

[alex robinson]

Only lift them when they are in the vertical plane and use lots of people. They are so heavy that I expect they would deform any ply fastened to them if you tried to move in the horizontal. Often they are bonded down with stixall or similar, i think they could be a pig to break out of this.

It is not so much the carrying as the unsticking that I am worried about. We will be doing all moving vertical. I have seen various videos about using wedges to lever the counter up and break the seals. It feels like this is going to put quite a strain on them (especially the narrow bits by the sink) so had wondered about reinforcing them for this stage of the job.

I'd make a wheeled trolley. not a full thing but just some wheels that can take the weight in the centre while 2 people guide the granite. I searched 'wheel granite mover' on google images and saw loads of simple 2 wheel designs. Somethign like this Industrial Smooth Moving Q235 Steel Push Trolley Dolly Mover Cart Steel Plate And Slab Dolly With Foam Wheels - Buy Panel Cart Dolly,Workshop Granite Slab Dolly,Steel Moving Cart Product on Alibaba.com
a few bits of wood and some old wheels from a sack truck would be easy enough to make something similar.

I like the look of this. I have a small trolley I made for moving some heavy fire doors on my own, so with some pneumatic tyres to smooth out any bumps it could help a lot

 

[robgul]

We had granite worktops replaced - the supplier had a couple of long-ish lengths of alumiium channel that they fitted to the edges across the sink cutout to be able to move the slab - it came on the truck in a vertical stillage and they carried it vertically before lowering flat to the top of the cabinets. A channel fabricated from decent timber would probably work?

 

[Agent_zed]

I have seen various videos about using wedges to lever the counter up and break the seals.

assuming it is silicone sealant, i'd try and get a thin saw blade under it to cut the sealant.

 

[Pedronicus]

A mate of mine used some of those serious double sucker thingies that are used for moving plate glass to move the ones he got on FB Marketplace. IIRC about 6 on 'em with 6 bods with some very careful co-ordination whilst lifting/moving. Would a reciprocating saw with a long thin blade help with the unsticking?

 

[Distinterior]

Moving them on a well supported trolley of some description would likely be fine......But,...The biggest issue, as some of the others have alluded to, will be getting them out of their resting place without breaking them.....especially if they have a hole cut into them for a Hob or Sink. Similarly, picking them up again to fit them in their new location, is a catastrophe waiting to happen.

Granite, being a natural material, will be far more prone to fissures and hidden faults within the stone. Put any undue stress on it, and it's going to crack....Quartz is a little more forgiving, but not much!

I've literally fitted hundreds of kitchens over the past 40+ years, many of which have had Granite or Quartz worktops....and in that situation, I've always used a specialist stone company to do the stonework. Even in my prime, I wouldn't have entertained it......These guys that are fitting these worktops day in & day out, are used to it and it's a young man's game.

I would advise contacting a local stone company and get them to quote you for the removal, transportation and refitting of the worktops......It will be worth every penny!

 

[niall Y]

I would definitely only transport them in a vertical position as @Fitzroy has suggested. One of the kitchens I built had pieces of granite , with very large cut-outs for sinks. etc. These had steel rods inset from underneath and epoxied in , to give some added strength. And all the tops were very carefully carried on edge. They are a bit of a 'bar steward' to move, so you will need to have had your Weetabix.

A colleague, used to supply kitchens with thinner granite veneers on the worktops. These were bonded onto a chipboard/ply base, with a granite edging at the front to give the appearance of a thicker top These had a basic moulding detail to the front to disguise the join, so if you are dealing with these, this will be a dead give-away.

As for breaking any seal under the tops, an old handsaw may well do the trick

 

[Phill05]

If they have been stuck down before you try wedges get a bread knife and run under all edges you can reach get inside if you can and cut as far as you can to the back, around the sink and hob cutouts are the main ones you will need to brace with ply, then its a straight lift front edge up and carry vertical.

 

[Geoff_S]

Talk to a professional granite specialist. I did and they basically said they could try but no guarantee. It didn’t end well.

 

[alex robinson]

We had granite worktops replaced - the supplier had a couple of long-ish lengths of alumiium channel that they fitted to the edges across the sink cutout to be able to move the slab - it came on the truck in a vertical stillage and they carried it vertically before lowering flat to the top of the cabinets. A channel fabricated from decent timber would probably work?

That sounds a brilliant idea. On the outside of the worktop, not the inside of the hole?

 

[alex robinson]

I would advise contacting a local stone company and get them to quote you for the removal, transportation and refitting of the worktops......It will be worth every penny!

Talk to a professional granite specialist. I did and they basically said they could try but no guarantee. It didn’t end well.

I wish we could, but the budget wont allow it. Even doing everything ourselves it is going to be tight!

 

[ChaiLatte]

One of these:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sgizoku-Windshield-Removal-Windscreen-Cutting/dp/B094NJ4ZVG
has a longer reach than a bread knife and is probably more versatile. Something like a sharpened stainless steel skewer might be good to make the initial hole for the wire to pass through.

 

[whereistheceilidh]

As Fitzroy said earlier, the key will be to release it from whatever has bedded it to the base. After that things should be easier.....hopefully. You will need bodies to carefully lift it vertically for moving.
I have used a thin coarse tooth Japanese saw in the past to release from bedding.
Good luck & tell us how things went.

 

[XTiffy]

For removing silicon I would use an old Japanese saw as they are thin.
For moving the best device would be Piano Wheels, used for moving Grand Pianos, maybe borrow from a local removal company?. A four close-coupled wheeled trolley. Usually have solid rubber wheels. To move about you push down on one end to climb kerbs etc. and by tipping you steer on two wheels. Easy to make a simple vertical rack to clamp the granite to.

 

[Alli]

A thought that is a bit left field. Could you cut the slab in 2 maybe 3 pieces which would make the handling/moving a lot easier, then bond it back together in its new home. Of course this would depend on if you want a clean look or don't mind the joins.

 

[MikeJhn]

It will break, the secret is to break it where you want, half way along the sink cut out or at one end, use a diamond blade in an angle grinder, find the RAL colour of the top and get a matching epoxy resin to bond it back together once in its final position, recommend: Epoxy Resins in Every Colour - EPODEX - United Kingdom