Comments on: How to Install a Granite Tile Countertop

By: Barbara

Barbara — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:56:54 +0000

I am thinking about installing granit tile in my kitchen as my countertop. I am wanting to extend my counter top space about 6 inches on one side as this is where we sit at the bar and it will allow more leg room. If we install the plywood first and the the backerboard will this hold the tile okay or is there a chance of it cracking or breaking?

By: Bob Lees

Bob Lees — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:01:05 +0000

Question, I plan on changing out a sink. The hole needs to be enlarged by about 1″ in both directions. since the tile is already in place for some years now my plan was to use a hand grinder with a diamond blade for this task. Does anyone else have any ideas on how best to get this done.

Thanks

By: Sandra Valentine

Sandra Valentine — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 01:02:22 +0000

The TAVY two part system does 100 square feet per bucket and roll. I had to read thru whole page to find out but it is on his website.

By: Brent

Brent — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 04:24:34 +0000

Just wondering if it would be a bad thing to put a bead of silicon over my grout lines after everything has been sealed. Thanks for your time.

By: Ben Erickson

Ben Erickson — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:33:01 +0000

Hi Dave,
The comment section under each article on our website is reserved for comments that visitors would like to post. These can be general comments, feedback about the article, questions about the topic, or answers to questions posted by other visitors or members. While it’s not possible for the Today’s Homeowner staff to respond to all of the thousands of comments posted on our site, we do read every one and try to help out when we can. As you will note, there are over 20 replies from the staff in this article alone. Feel free to post your own questions or respond to questions posed by others. Thank you for your interest in our site!

By: Dave Miller

Dave Miller — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:49:13 +0000

It would be very advantageous to see the answers to all of the questions. Questions are interesting but of no value without the answers…

By: nelson cartwright

nelson cartwright — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:27:26 +0000

how do i find a school in the florida area to learn to install the granite counter top at a pro.level.thanks

By: Ben Erickson

Ben Erickson — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:35:11 +0000

Hi Bryan,
Thanks for your feedback on this project!

By: Bryan Taylor

Bryan Taylor — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 19:24:52 +0000

Adding a few details….I did put 4″ high cut tiles on my backslpash board and covered them with a stained maple piece to match my cabinets. It was a big job, but no too complicated for a beginner. It you are a beginner and wondering if you can do it, you can. Just buy about 6 extra tiles and an extra sheet of plywood and do a small “mock” counter to get the hang of what you are about to do. An extra $70 dollars to practice is well worth it. Besides, the little counter top (~24″x36″)can be used on an accent table or coffee table or outside counter or sold. It will be worth your time to do this step and learn the process and hit any pitfalls before you get into the permanent work.

By: Bryan Taylor

Bryan Taylor — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 19:11:44 +0000

I installed tile almost exactly as found on this page (before this page was available). It turned out fantastic. I built my own house and this one job gave me more satisfaction than the whole house. It really looks awesome. I put down 2 layers of 3/4″ plywood and then put 1/4″ backerboard on top of the cabinets. These three layers are very stable. I should say that before I put the first layer of plywood down, I did cut strips of plywood to strengthen the edges and backs of the cabinets and provide for more screw locations for the top. I installed a backsplash board thick enough to allow two 12″ tiles to cover the counter without having to cut any thin pieces. I also made a wood jig to hold several tiles in a line so that I could use my angle grinder with a diamond blade to rough shape a rounded bullnose on the front tile. After the rough shaping, I used a grid pad set as in the article to fine shape and polish the edge($63 for 2 fulls sets of pads). I cut even sized strips to hide the thickness of the counter and butted them up against the underside of the bullnose with no gap. It looks great. I tiled about 110 sq ft of counterspace and spent all up about $1700 (tiles were $10 each). I used an acrylic stone tile adhesive rather than thinset. It does shrink a little, but not much. One thing I would advise to anyone attempting this is to layout all your tiles first, checking color, defects and fit, etc., and then use masking tape to number every tile so that you can stack them and install just like they were laid out. This is a great article and it would have been nice to have before I started my tile job. Well done.