The process
How It Works
Five transparent steps from first quote to signed-off install, with a fixed price agreed before we start.
Quick answer
How does countertop installation work?
An Imperial Kitchen Plus project runs in five steps: free consultation and fixed quote, colour or slab selection, digital laser templating to ±0.5 mm, fabrication or spraying in our own facility, then installation and sign-off. Most kitchens are completed 7–10 business days after templating.
How it works
Five steps from idea to installed
A transparent, fixed-price process. No surprise add-ons on install day.
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01
Free consultation & quote
Share your layout or upload a photo. We return a line-item quote within one business day.
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02
Slab selection
Visit our showroom or reserve your exact slab online with full-slab photography.
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03
Digital laser templating
Our technician laser-templates your cabinets to ±0.5 mm and confirms seam placement with you.
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04
CNC fabrication
Cut, mitred, polished and quality-checked in our own facility — never outsourced.
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05
Installation & sign-off
Installed by our employed crews, sealed, and walked through with you before we leave.
Timeline
What happens on which day
A realistic schedule for a standard kitchen. Larger jobs and mitred work add a few days at fabrication.
Quote requested
You send dimensions or a photo through the site.
Fixed quote returned
Line-item price covering slab, fabrication, edge, cut-outs and install.
Slab selection
Reserve your exact slab online or in the showroom.
Laser template
Cabinets must be installed and level. Sink and cooktop on site.
Seam layout approved
You approve the digital slab layout before anything is cut.
CNC fabrication
Cut, mitred, polished, quality checked and packed.
Installation
Three to five hours on site. Seams bonded and polished.
Plumbing reconnect & sign-off
Silicone cures overnight, the sink is reconnected and we walk the kitchen with you.
Before we arrive
How to prepare for template and install day
Template day
- All base cabinets installed, level and secured
- Sink, faucet and cooktop physically on site
- Appliance spec sheets available
- Decision-maker present for 30 minutes
Install day
- Counters and cabinets emptied
- Clear path from the door to the kitchen
- Pets secured — there will be noise and dust
- Plan 24 hours before heavy sink use
Answers
Countertop questions, answered plainly
The questions our estimators hear every single week.
Still unsure? Ask an estimator directly — no sales script.
Ask a questionHow much does it cost to paint kitchen cabinets?
Painting kitchen cabinets in Canada costs roughly CAD $2,400 for a small kitchen, $3,900 for a typical 30-door kitchen and $5,400 for a large or two-tone kitchen, sprayed and installed.
Pricing is per opening, so you are not paying for square footage you do not have. The number covers degreasing, sanding, a dedicated bonding primer, two coats of catalysed 2K polyurethane, spraying the boxes on site, and reinstalling and adjusting every door. Grain filling on oak, new hardware and glass inserts are quoted separately.
Is painting cabinets cheaper than replacing them?
Yes — substantially. Painting a typical kitchen costs $3,500–$5,500 against $18,000–$40,000 for new cabinets, and takes three to four days instead of four to eight weeks.
The trade-off is that paint changes colour, not structure or style. If your boxes are sound and you like the door shape and the layout, painting gives you most of the visual change for a fraction of the money. If you want different doors, refacing sits in between at roughly $9,000–$14,000.
Will painted cabinets chip or peel?
Not if the preparation is done properly. Failures come from skipping degreasing or using wall-paint primer. We degrease, scuff-sand to 220 grit, use a dedicated bonding primer, then two coats of catalysed 2K polyurethane.
Catalysed 2K cures by chemical reaction rather than simply drying, so it reaches a hardness latex enamel never gets to. That is what stops it marking under a mug or sticking to itself where a door meets a frame. Our finish warranty is five years against adhesion failure, peeling and yellowing.
Can you paint oak, thermofoil or laminate cabinets?
Oak yes, and we can grain-fill it for a smooth finish. Thermofoil and laminate only if the surface is completely sound — if it is already lifting or peeling, paint will not hold and we will say so.
Oak has open grain that shows through paint as texture. Some people like it; if you do not, grain filling before priming gives a flat, sprayed-MDF look. On thermofoil, the failure point is the adhesive under the foil, which paint cannot fix.
Do I have to move out while the cabinets are painted?
No. The doors leave for our booth on day one and the boxes are sprayed on site behind containment, so the kitchen is usable in the evenings apart from the day the boxes are coated.
Plan to empty the lower cabinets nearest the work and to keep pets out of the room during spraying. The coating is low-odour and we ventilate continuously, but it is still a work site for a few days.
How much do countertops cost in Canada?
Installed countertops in Canada typically run CAD $60–$135 per square foot. Engineered quartz averages $74–$96, granite $62–$71, and porcelain $112–$118, including template, fabrication, a standard edge, one sink cut-out and installation.
Price is driven by material first, then by edge profile, number of cut-outs and site conditions. A standard 10 ft × 2 ft L-shaped kitchen with an island runs roughly 55–70 square feet, so most Canadian kitchens land between $4,000 and $8,500 installed. Waterfall edges, mitred aprons and full-height backsplashes are the three add-ons that move the number most.
How long does countertop installation take?
Most countertop projects are installed 7–10 business days after templating, and the on-site installation itself takes 3–5 hours for a typical kitchen.
The clock starts at templating, not at the quote. After the laser template is approved, fabrication takes 5–8 business days. Installation is a single visit — the old counter comes out, the new slab goes in, the sink is set and seams are polished. Plumbing is usually reconnected the same day or the next morning.
Which is better, quartz or granite?
Quartz is better for low maintenance because it is non-porous and never needs sealing. Granite is better for heat tolerance and for buyers who want a unique natural slab. Both cost roughly the same installed in Canada.
Engineered quartz is about 90% ground stone bound in resin, so it resists staining from wine, coffee and citrus without sealing — but the resin can scorch above roughly 150 °C, so trivets are mandatory. Granite is quarried stone: heat tolerant, unique in every slab, and needs sealing about once a year to stay stain resistant.
Ready for a countertop quote you can actually trust?
Send us your measurements or a photo. We will come back with a fixed, line-item price — no showroom visit required.
- Itemised, transparent quotes
- No showroom visit required
- Reply within one business day