What Are Overlay Worktops?

Overlay worktops are exactly what they sound like — a thin layer of quartz that’s fitted directly on top of your existing worktop surface. Instead of removing your old laminate, timber or solid surface tops, we bond a precision-cut quartz overlay right over them.

The result looks identical to a full-thickness quartz worktop. You get the same colours, the same finish, the same feel. But the installation is faster, less disruptive, and produces far less waste than a full replacement.

Think of it as re-skinning rather than replacing. Your old worktop becomes the substrate, and the new quartz sits on top as the finished surface. It’s a genuinely clever approach that’s become increasingly popular over the last few years.

Why Choose Overlays?

Less Disruption

This is the big one. Because we’re not ripping out your existing worktops, the whole process is calmer. No disconnecting and reconnecting plumbing (in most cases), no disturbing the tiling behind or below the worktops, no risk of damaging cabinets during removal. Your kitchen is out of action for hours, not days.

Less Waste

Your old worktops stay in place rather than going to landfill. The overlay slabs themselves are thinner, so less raw material is used. If sustainability matters to you — and it should — overlays are the more responsible option.

Faster Fitting

Without the removal stage, fitting is quicker. A standard kitchen can be overlaid in a single morning. Combined with our 5-day fast-track service from template to fit, you could have a completely transformed kitchen within a week of picking up the phone.

Lower Cost

Thinner slabs mean less material, and less labour time means lower fitting costs. Overlay worktops start from around £250 per square metre installed. For a standard kitchen, that can work out noticeably cheaper than a full replacement.

When Overlays Are — and Aren’t — Suitable

Overlays are brilliant in the right situation, but they’re not a universal fix. We’ll always be straight with you about which approach suits your kitchen.

Overlays work well when:

• Your existing worktops are structurally sound — solid, level, firmly attached to the cabinets.
• The current surface is laminate, solid surface, timber or an older stone you want to update.
• You’re happy with the current worktop layout and don’t need to change cutout positions for sinks or hobs.
• You want to minimise disruption and keep fitting time short.

Overlays aren’t ideal when:

• Your existing worktops are damaged, warped, swollen or unstable. A dodgy substrate means a dodgy overlay — we won’t fit on top of a surface that isn’t solid.
• You want to move your sink or hob to a different position. That requires new cutouts, new plumbing and usually new worktops rather than overlays.
• Your current worktops are already very thick and adding more height would cause problems — awkward junctions with window sills, for instance, or making the surface uncomfortably high.
• The existing upstand or splashback arrangement won’t accommodate the added thickness.

During our free consultation, we’ll assess your current worktops and tell you honestly whether overlays make sense. If they don’t, we’ll recommend a full replacement instead. No point fitting something that won’t last.

Thickness and Material Options

Our overlay slabs are typically 12mm to 20mm thick, compared with the 20mm or 30mm of a standard full-slab quartz worktop. The thinner profile is what makes overlay possible — it adds minimal height to your existing surface.

You can choose from the same quartz range we offer for full-thickness worktops — Silestone, Caesarstone, Modern Quartz Stone, Artemstone, Noble Stone and Quartz Forms. That means over 1,000 colours and finishes are available, from marble-look Calacatta veining to solid whites, greys, blacks and sparkle options.

Edge profiles are finished to match full-thickness slabs, so the overlay doesn’t look thin from the front. A mitred or laminated edge gives the appearance of a chunky 40mm slab if that’s the look you’re after.

The Process

1. Get in touch — send us photos of your existing worktops and your measurements. We’ll let you know straight away whether overlays are suitable.
2. Free quote — we’ll price it up, including material, templating, fitting and VAT. Clear, no-nonsense pricing.
3. Templating — our templater visits and laser-measures your existing worktops. This captures every edge and cutout precisely.
4. Fabrication — your overlay slabs are cut, profiled and polished in our workshop.
5. Fitting — our team arrives, bonds the overlays to your existing surface, makes all the cutouts for sinks and hobs, and finishes everything cleanly. Most kitchens are done within a few hours.

Why IP Stone for Overlay Worktops?

Overlays need to be fitted precisely — there’s less room for error with a thinner slab, and the bonding has to be right. We’ve been fitting stone worktops for over 15 years from our base in Thame, Oxfordshire, and overlays are a regular part of our work. Our fitters understand the technique and the materials. They know which adhesives to use, how to handle thin slabs without cracking them, and how to finish edges so the result looks like a solid, full-thickness worktop.

We cover London, the Home Counties and the South East. Same team, same quality, every job.