Granite tile countertop

[john_eckels]

My wife is wanting new countertops. We went looking at the a couple stores and the good stuff costs around $75 a square foot. I was walking through Lowes and saw some granite tile I liked for $5 a square foot. Went searching on the net and using the tile for a countertop appears to be a popular DIY project. Has anyone tried this? If so, how did it turn out and does it hold up well? Thanks in advance for any suggestions


DIY: How to Install a Granite Tile Countertop - Danny Lipford

 

[tltaylor22]

My grandfather did it at his house and it looks great. He used matchbook cardboard for his spacers betwen the tiles. He has laid tile his whole life so he got it all nice and even. On the other end of the spectrum I went through an 800k dollar repo house that had it in it's kitchen and it looked like crap. They didn't get the tiles flat so every angle hit the light differently.

I just bought a 2 full slabs (6'x10') of granite and $400 in tools to cut and polish it. I only have one section finished and installed, but it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. The biggest issue was just unloading the slabe from the truck.

 

[Michael Hanson]

We have granite throughout the house,slabs and the tiles .We love both. Mike

 

[EricG]

I have ceramic tile countertops - never looked good to begin with, and after a few years the grout really looks like crap no matter what I've tried. I guess if you can seal it adequately it would be OK, but when I eventually re-do the kitchen, I'll have some solid surface in there.

 

[Rambrush]

We have slabs throughout the house, the shower has 3 7' slabs on the 3 walls, the kitchen counter tops are all granite the loves it for baking bread as she can roll out the dough right on it and nothing gets into any grout lines. Don't take granite as being maintenance free though. I still have to take it back down and apply the sealer once a year.

 

[john_eckels]

We will probably go full granite. The wife Poo Poo'd the tile idea. I was trying to be cheap, and of course you probably get what you pay for.

I have ceramic tile countertops - never looked good to begin with, and after a few years the grout really looks like crap no matter what I've tried. I guess if you can seal it adequately it would be OK, but when I eventually re-do the kitchen, I'll have some solid surface in there.

 

[fsusteve]

natural stone can be a pain unless you're really experienced at it, too many variations.

 

[Doc]

I have ceramic tile countertops - never looked good to begin with, and after a few years the grout really looks like crap no matter what I've tried.

I guess the key is to get the grout lines as thin as possiable, using toothpicks, cardboard, etc.

My question:
What do you lay the granite tiles over? Just the existing contertop. I have laminate now- can I lay over laminate?

 

[MoJ]

I guess the key is to get the grout lines as thin as possiable, using toothpicks, cardboard, etc.

My question:
What do you lay the granite tiles over? Just the existing contertop. I have laminate now- can I lay over laminate?

I've seen this done and turn out OK. You need to rough up the laminate first to get good adhesion. If you have rounded laminate edges it won't work. It's really not that much more work to remove the existing counter tops, put down a layer of 3/4 ply, and then concrete backer board.

I just finished the downstairs bar/kitchen and was going to do tile but decided to go with pre-cut inexpensive granite instead ($25/sq ft). It's not as nice as the thick stuff we have upstairs but I think it will work well and be a hell of a lot faster than tile.

 

[Cookiemonster]

natural stone can be a pain unless you're really experienced at it, too many variations.

x2 and I've had to fix fab jobs. PITA. Done firestone hearth slabs and countertops and I don't recommend it unless you've got a respectable sized wallet.

 

[Rambrush]

This was one job I subbed out to the pro's, they came in and built templates exactly to fit the cabinets and walls. Went back to there shop and set things up in the water jet and they cut everything to those templates. Came out great and the grout lines are pretty hidden.

 

[titanpat57]

I think you have to ask yourself this question....do I want my counters to look like my bathroom floor?

I never really cared for any grout on a surface you eat off of...grout for the most part is pourous and can retain germage and facilitate bacteria growth..may also cause bad breath.

There's a lot of great fabricators out there now and prices have dropped dramticly

Good luck

 

[Rusty55]

Get the slab, the grout lines (especially if you cook) will be a pain in the rear.

 

[hydro joe]

Grout can be a problem but you can use latapoxy grouts that needs no sealers.

 

[vasellers]

Handyman magazine had a complete how to article on using the granite tile for countertops. My folks did it and it looks great, they're great DIY folks. The grout lines aren't very noticeable, always use cutting boards and don't cut/chop on the tiles to keep the grout lines clean and protect the tiles.