One of the fascinating features of having an RV is to cook your food anywhere in the world. You can go to the kitchen countertops present in the RV living space and cook different dishes.
How to Replace RV Countertops? You can replace the RV countertop by removing the fastener that holds it in its place. Install the new countertop and secure it with screws and with a thick layer of sealant around its edges to prevent water damage.
It gives you enough space to chop, cut, and put cooked food on them. These must be present in good shape and support the kitchen’s other appliances.
How to Replace RV Countertops?
You can replace the old countertops of your RV by following this procedure. It will significantly increase its aesthetic appearance.
Selection of the material
You need to select a stylish and durable material for your countertop replacement.
The choice of material depends on different factors like your personal preference, the weight of countertops.
The budget and unique designs of countertop edges and maintenance factors also play an essential role.
Different countertops present in RV’s market like stainless, Corian, laminate, stone, wood countertops, etc., you can use them according to your preference.
Disconnect electric and water connections
You need to extract the sink and oven that are connected to the countertop.
It would be best to shut off your gas tank before removing the oven for safety purposes. After that, remove the stove by disconnecting all the furnace’s electrical and gas links.
To remove the sink, you need to shut off the water connection. Remove the screws that hold the sink in its place and pull the kitchen’s water faucet.
Remove the old countertop
You need to remove all the screws and staple pins that hold the countertop on the top of the cabinetry.
Now extract the countertop from its original place. After removing it, get inside the cabinetry and clean the surrounding area.
If you want to change your cabinetry painting that matches the new countertop color, do it after removing the old one.
It is hard to do painting on the cabinetry and the kitchen’s back wall when the new countertop attaches to them.
You can also add a gripper layer before doing paints on the cabinetry and back wall. It will help in holding the colors for a more extended period.
Install the new countertop
After removing the countertop and cleaning its place, the next step is to place the new countertop.
It would help if you considered all the factors like weight, length, and design before selecting the material.
Now measures the new countertop with the old one and precisely mark the oven and sink installment area.
For this purpose, you can also put an old countertop on the top of the new one; and draw all the lines using a prominent marker.
Ensure that your marks match well with the old countertop’s gaps.
The gap used for installing a sink must be in a rectangular shape to hold its side. After that, cut the countertop marks with the help of a woodcutter.
You need to fix it on the top of the cabinetry using staples and screws. Put all the accessories back to their place.
For the oven, connect the electrical components and gas pipeline with it. You need to add the sink in its place, screw them well, add faucets, and connect them with water pipelines.
Do proper caulking
The most crucial step in the replacement process is caulking. It will help if you use some silicone adhesive with the appropriate food-grade label. These sealants are also known as aquarium-saving bonds.
For providing caulking a nice cleaner look, you need to add painter tape in front of all the edges where caulking is essential.
Add a thick layer of sealant around sink and oven edges and on the front and wall connection.
When the adhesive becomes dry, remove the painter’s tape. It will give a nice and clean seam line to your kitchen. Add beautiful decorative things on the top that enhance your kitchen appearance more.
Saving your cabinetry
The most critical factor to note in this replacement process is the weight carrying capacity of cabinetry.
Suppose you add a countertop that has more weight than the old one. It will significantly affect the countertop and makes them more prone to damage after some time.
Laminate is the best option because it is lighter in weight and easy to handle and clean. The only drawback of the laminate countertop is that it cannot withstand too much heat and become damaged quickly.
What are the reasons for replacing the RV Countertops?
The countertops are in continuous use while making different food products. The excessive use makes the tops look old and damaged, which requires your immediate attention.
The countertops play an incredible role in increasing the worth of your vehicle. Some of the signs are visible, showing that your countertops need to replace with new ones.
Excessive staining and dirty look
These make your kitchen experience comfortable by giving you enough space to do your job accurately.
It is difficult to clean stains of red wine, coffee, and turmeric powder occur to negligence. The burning spots on them also indicate wear and tear.
It would help if you cleaned all the stains present on the top of them by using all good cleaning techniques to give them a new look.
If you cannot clean the stains and can not do proper treatment for burnings spots, it is high time to change them with new ones.
The appearance of cracks
Good maintenance strategies increase the life of your countertops. These practices help them survive for an extended period without unnecessary wear and tear.
It is vital to inspect its surface after three to four years thoroughly. It helps to prevent all the damages, and you can quickly fix them on time. It will also save your expense on replacing the whole unit.
The countertops adequately maintained and treated well while using the kitchen may also show aging signs.
The countertop’s aging signs include cracks, rusting of the material, and fading of the original color.
The edges of countertops also become uneven and rough, indicating high time to change your kitchen countertops.
Increase the price of RV
The RV of old models most probably has outdated kitchen accessories. The outdated kitchen significantly decreases their price, so you can easily afford them.
There are different varieties available in the market. Some of them are stains resistant, so you can easily remove all the stubborn spots.
It would be vital to make sure that its’ colors match well with the interior color. It will impose a good impact on its viewer.
Choose the material that remains trending in the market even after some years, like marble, hardwood, or granites.
After replacing it with a new one, ensure that you use good maintenance practices and clean them after every cooking session. It will help in increasing the life expectancy and appearance of your kitchen.
How much do RV countertops cost?
There are numerous RV countertops available in the market that are made up of solid materials like wood, stainless steel, marble, stones, plastic laminate, etc.
It is crucial to check your budget before selecting your new countertop in place of the older one. The marble designs are more expensive than plastic or wooden ones.
The low-price products are more liable to damage; on the other hand, expensive equipment can withstand every condition and have a longer life expectancy than the cheap ones.
Warranty
The new countertops manufacturers make it necessary to change your old cabinetry while installing the new one. It is essential for the safety of your kitchen infrastructure.
They have a warranty period in which every manufacturing defect and damages can be treated.
Anything wrong that happens to your new expensive countertop because of the presence of old wear-out cabinetry can significantly cause a lot of your expense.
The durability of the material
As compared to your home kitchen countertops, the RV countertops survive a lot of damage.
The kitchen counter can endure a lot of wear and tear from heating, chopping, and cooking. It is essential to choose a material that withstands every condition.
The lightweight products are less reliable than heavier ones but carefully consider the weight carrying capacity of cabinetry.
Can I install a new RV countertop myself?
You can also save the cost of hiring a professional to replace the old countertops by doing the installation process yourself.
For this purpose, use the easy-to-install material inside the RV. So, you can effortlessly modify them according to the dimensions of your old countertops and fix them in their place.
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