# HELP!!! Why would anyone do this?!



## Vbaby20 (Jul 10, 2015)

The previous homeowners to my home had apparently done some remodeling in the kitchen. I'm now finding out these cosmetic changes were not done very well so I'm having to replace certain items. I recently discovered that the countertops are actually a laminate or vinyl that they installed over....GRANITE! Who does that?! It appears to have been adheared with some type of heavy duty glue, as one area is now welting and exposing the granite....hence my discovery. My question is: I'm not sure in what condition the granite is but I'd much prefer to remove the laminate. I'm scared its badly damaged or what they may have been trying to cover up by doing this. What is your advice? Should I go ahead and rip up the laminate and expose possible issues or should I just leave it alone? The last thing I want to do is replace countertops if I don't need to.


----------



## Chris (Jul 10, 2015)

Do you like gambling?

Personally I would tear them out.


----------



## Vbaby20 (Jul 10, 2015)

To be honest I really want to. Do you have any suggestions on how I can do this without damaging the granite?


----------



## bud16415 (Jul 10, 2015)

You are sure it is granite? When you look up from below thru a base unit you see the bottom side of stone? 

Can you post pictures?

People do all kind of crazy things but that&#8217;s a first for me. If it is stone you should be able to get glue off it without hurting it I would think. Heat will soften a lot of glues and shouldn&#8217;t hurt the stone.


----------



## beachguy005 (Jul 10, 2015)

I agree about removing it but the reasons for covering it in the first place would be a curiosity.  As bud pointed out you should do a bit of investigating.  Remove the base cabinet drawers and get a good look at the underside, not only for any damage but the color and style of granite they covered.
With some peoples taste, you may have covered it also.
As for damaging the surface...if it is granite, it's a pretty durable surface.  Any minor damage can get polished out.  You may be able to scrape off any leftover glue.


----------



## Vbaby20 (Jul 10, 2015)

Looking under the cabinet did not occur to me! I'll definitely do that. I don't have pictures of the close up but will load some soon.


----------



## Chris (Jul 11, 2015)

It may have cracked around the faucet or some other place?


----------



## Vbaby20 (Jul 12, 2015)

That's what I'm afraid of....what am I going to uncover if I remove it!?

I wasn't able to tell by looking inside the cabinets because of the top to the base cabinets. Here's a pic of what I can see. View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1436706456.958443.jpg


It very much looks like granite or some kind of stone.View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1436706500.691951.jpg
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1436706516.983511.jpg


----------



## Chris (Jul 12, 2015)

I would still tear it off. It's gonna bother you forever if you don't.


----------



## havasu (Jul 12, 2015)

Start digging. I want to see more.


----------



## Vbaby20 (Jul 16, 2015)

I'll probably be ready to do in the next few weeks....got tons other things to take care of first....I'll let you know how that works out! Lol keeping fingers crossed.


----------



## bud16415 (Jul 16, 2015)

Vbaby20 said:


> I'll probably be ready to do in the next few weeks....got tons other things to take care of first....I'll let you know how that works out! Lol keeping fingers crossed.


 

This is worse than waiting for the next season of Orange is the new Black to come out on DVD. The suspense is killing me.


----------



## Vbaby20 (Jul 16, 2015)

Hahaha i know right?! Sorry guys!


----------



## oldognewtrick (Jul 16, 2015)

bud16415 said:


> This is worse than waiting for the next season of *Orange is the new Black* to come out on DVD. The suspense is killing me.



Never heard of it...


----------



## nealtw (Jul 16, 2015)

oldognewtrick said:


> Never heard of it...



It's code for  Keep Oldog guessing.


----------



## oldognewtrick (Jul 16, 2015)

So, what else is new....


----------



## cvf6231 (Jul 16, 2015)

Tear it off!! IMHO, laminate granite look is the worst, especially in a lighter than black color. I agree that there must be something underneath they tried to cover. Perhaps some cracks or chips in the granite? 

I'm dying to see what's under there!


----------



## CallMeVilla (Jul 27, 2016)

My bet is a crack they tried to conceal.  The laminate/vinyl did not adhere so now you have a larger problem.

Scrape off the covering.  The glue might be removable by spraying acetone on it and using a stiff putty knife.  However, I think bad things await you.  You might have to remove the counter tops and replace them.  

Keep sending pics and stay in touch


----------



## slownsteady (Jul 28, 2016)

What makes you so sure it is not laminate over laminate?


----------



## renoauction (Sep 5, 2016)

Yep rip it off. Then see if you can sand some of it back to remove the glue damage. Worth a go


----------



## kok328 (Feb 6, 2017)

slownsteady said:


> What makes you so sure it is not laminate over laminate?



Thats what I'm looking at.  The sharp edge is not typical of a granite top.


----------



## EmyJ (Apr 12, 2017)

It would be wise to tear and check for the real one. You will be rest assured some peace.


----------



## oldognewtrick (Apr 12, 2017)

And we never heard what was lying underneath...another unsolved mystery of the universe.


----------



## chrisn (Apr 14, 2017)

Almost 2 years later at that


----------



## frodo (Aug 12, 2017)

still mo curious than a tabby cat, as to what was under there


----------



## mabloodhound (Sep 16, 2017)

I'm betting it was laminate and they just put a new layer of laminate over the old stuff.


----------



## Flyover (Sep 17, 2017)

I think you guys'll have to put together a road trip and go find out:

_Vbaby20 is alarmed to hear a knock on the door at 9am on a Tuesday. Opens the door to see half a dozen stinking, grizzled men shifting nervously from one foot to the other.

"Can...can I help you?"

"Uh, yeah, we're the guys from the forum..."

"What forum?"

"House Repair Talk."

Vbaby20 squints for a minute. "Huh?"

"We're the guys from the House Repair Talk forum. Are you Vbaby20?"

"Oh, Jesus."

"You had a post about laminate over granite counter tops. We wanted to see what happened with that. What was underneath."

"That must have been years ago! Why would you show up to my house? And what is that smell?"

"We were dying to know. MCPO_Ret called up some hacker friends and helped figure out where you live. Then we all hopped in NealTW's Chevy. We took shifts driving, took us a couple weeks to go around and pick everyone up, then come here. We didn't stop to shower or brush our teeth or anything."

"Couldn't the hackers just get you my email...ugh, nevermind. Well you're definitely not coming in here. This is a decent Christian household and you smell and look like a bunch of savages!"

"Fair enough. So can you tell us from there, what happened with the counters?"

"You know what, if you all go back home I'll update my post and tell you."

"Don't forget to attach pictures."

"We'll see."_


----------



## Chris (Sep 17, 2017)

Flyover said:


> I think you guys'll have to put together a road trip and go find out:
> 
> _Vbaby20 is alarmed to hear a knock on the door at 9am on a Tuesday. Opens the door to see half a dozen stinking, grizzled men shifting nervously from one foot to the other.
> 
> ...


I think you are psychic


----------



## slownsteady (Sep 17, 2017)

I figured we would all be on Angie's Lear Jet.


----------



## oldognewtrick (Sep 18, 2017)

Its Keiths Lear Jet, Angie just serves those little bags of stale peanuts...and you have to bring your own drinks....not a bad way to travel if you don't mind riding on old orange crates...


----------



## inspectorD (Sep 18, 2017)

oldognewtrick said:


> Its Keiths Lear Jet, Angie just serves those little bags of stale peanuts...and you have to bring your own drinks....not a bad way to travel if you don't mind riding on old orange crates...



Just as long as we dont have to wear those suits again... so hard to move in


----------



## Elizabeth Lynn (Jun 8, 2018)

Do you have photos to show how they installed their laminate or vinyl  counter tops over granite? I'd pull it out if I were you. Your kitchen will look more attractive if you take off the extra counter top layer and just have granite or any other type of counter material.


----------

