Granite tile countertop installation instructions

There are still saw marks and a haze, and also any flaws in the stone just jump out. If you look at the tiles from an angle it looks like they are unpolished or have water spots.

It did not look like this before the stripper was used. There is also light spots in the granite that make it look like two different colors. Also, the stripper really lightened the grout.

Now it stands out like a sore thumb even from a long distance. The stripper also appears to have eaten away at the grout, as several spots are recessed and jagged edges are exposed. And, the unevenness of the tiles really is emphasized. I had them set my sink and cook top put back in, but neither lay flush. As to do so would remove the factory shine. But I put a glass of water on it and after about 1 hour it left a ring. I was told re-grouting it will also darken the grout.

Regarding the post made on May 22nd, by ben. Ben-i cant agree with you more. Ive read almost every post in this forum. If anyone would like to know if you can tile over existing formica, dont post it. Read the other posts.

Its been asked, and answered, many many times. I wouldnt recommend doing it. Do this again in 25 or so min, and repeat about 5 times.

Enjoy your finished top- its hard. Not recommended for anyone who has never done tile before. Tom, Thanks for taking the time to add your insights on tiling a countertop, they are very helpful. Hi Ben, Thanks for this your instuctions. I would like to know if the plywood should be sanded or dose it matter sence cement board is going over it? One major error! Cement board MUST also be adhered to plywood with modified thinset. Any movement between plywwod and cement board will be transferred to grout joints causing cracking.

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. 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 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. 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 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.

This is a great article and it would have been nice to have before I started my tile job. Well done. Adding a few details…. 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. 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.

It would be very advantageous to see the answers to all of the questions. Questions are interesting but of no value without the answers…. 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. 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! 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. The TAVY two part system does square feet per bucket and roll. I had to read thru whole page to find out but it is on his website.

Question, I plan on changing out a sink. Does anyone else have any ideas on how best to get this done. 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? I have a question around the polished tile edges. I had a shop polish the edges before install and noticed the bottom edge is not smooth due to the tile itself. I have the same question as Bob Lees — I have a granite tile counter top with a top mount sink — I wish to replace the sink — the new one is a bit larger — plan is to use a diamond blade grinder — will that work?

Or does anyone else have a better suggestion? Thanks for the feedback! I see and know that it would prpbably always be best to just remove the old countertop and start fresh when putting down granite tile. My question is for my brother-in-law who wants to save an much money as possible. They are selling their house and want a new look. Should I or Should I not butt the granite up when I install it. If I butt it up will the grout stay in. We would really like to just butt the tiles together.

Is there any reason why we would need to grout? If so, what is the smallest grout line we can use. If you apply the cement backer board and tile over the existing countertop correctly, and allow the adhesive to set, you should be able to install your sink on top of the tile.

This will look better and provide a more waterproof joint than trying to cut the tile around the sink. Would that be OK? Hi Anthony and Shannon, If the substrate on the counters was cement backer board, removing the existing tile and thin-set and installing new tile should work fine. Good luck with your project! How do you get a 1 piece bullnose on the edges? Or must it be a granite SLAB??

Also, what kind of tape is needed to tape cement backer-board? Thank you for your help, Jean. Dear Doitalls, As for the integrity of your home and quality workmanship,and proper job disciptions, Please do society a favor, Hire a professional so they can have work and feed there familys. It is not a legal issue to do your own work but a matter of integrity and princibles. As a licenced remodelor, I dont cut hair, Repair teeth, Do Medical exams, Repair cars, Repair appliances, And a hunded other jobs that belong to qualified people.

I can hardly find work now with a failing economy and this evolved frugel nit-picky american society. Ps:We already lost our home and do to my failng business and 5 children Ive been forced to take a side job to pay bills, rent, and buy food to eat without food stamps and welfare. Patrick Lynard Metro area Mpls Mn. Anyone have experience with this? How did it work for you and in terms of reducing grout lines, how did it look?

Great article on installing granite tiles. Quick question, I have a section of my countertop approximately 6 feet long that has no base cabinets underneath. It is supported on the back wall, the side wall, and then continues over the top of base cabinets. There is a substantial piece of oak holding the front of the counter along with stringers about every 2 feet.

Can we install granite tiles along this surface without additional reinforcement? If not, you should add more reinforcement underneath before proceeding. We are putting slab granite on a two tiered bar in the basement. Thanks much!! I want to butt the tiles tightly to keep from seeing the joint lines.

I have read that you need a minimum joint line. If so how small can I go? Check out our article on How to Tile a Floor Using an Underlayment Membrane to see how to apply Ditra and for a link to their website for more information on it. Good luck with your project, and let us know if it worked! It looks best if I but the bullnose up to the edge of the flat edge oftile, but now I worry that the grout line is on top and not the front side, so water could accumulate. Hi Dan, I came across this sight and it brought back memories.

This information is based on my life experience. I used to work for old time Italian tile,marble,granite installers. When it came to grout joint for marble and granite we would use the thickness of those flat wooden toothpicks.

Just a little space was needed to take in the WALL grout we used for granite and marble. Wall grout must be used for these small joint spaces. Matching the grout color as close as possible to the tile was the best way to give it that one piece look.

Almost all our marble and granite jobs were color matched grout and tight joint spaces. We mitered the granite edges at 45 degree angles. When they met together, there would still be a space at the meeting points.

We filled it with the apoxy. We mixed color in the a poxy to match the grout. When it reached a rubbery consistency we used a razor blade to cut it even. This made a beautiful outside corner. This method got rid of using that floor to ceiling bull nose vinyl strip. We worked in many upscale homes on Long Island and Manhattan.

You understand, of course, that there are professionials that rely on your business to feed their families. It would not be fair of you to do any of those tasks yourself, right?

Sarcasm aside, please understand that some of us like to do some jobs for ourselves that are performed by professionals. Of course, it is important for us to realize when we might get in over our head and need to call in a contractor. Also please understand that I am saddened that you have found hard times, and lost your home, but I am proud of you to have found other work so you do not have to go on welfare.

I pray you get back on your feet very soon and can provide for your wife and children and get back to your chosen profession. May God bless you and your family. Thanks, Gentry. Your idea about the would trim might work if I can talk my husband into it.

He keeps telling me he is not a carpenter, but I am determined to turn him into one. I was actually thinking you would put a 1. We are purchasing a new home that has granite countertops. The builder has pieced the granite in the middle of the sink, front and back and the backsplash.

Do you think this will cause water damage to the plywood under the granite tops? The granite is on top of the sink, not a sink that is placed in after the counter top I hope I am making sense! I have never seen this in any home. Usually it is pieced at a corner or in the middle of a nonconspicuaous space. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Note: The backsplash has a space at the top of the granite, maybe the ceilant was not applied correctly. Any problems of expansion differences between wood and granite?

My kitchen countertop is grouted ceramic tile each tile approx 2 inches square , and I am DYING to replace it with granite. Any advice? Hi Christie, I would remove the ceramic tile first, rather than applying another layer of tile over it. Thank you for all this information. Thanks, everybody. Definately clean and seal your grout anually, this will keep it looking nice and prevent stains, sealer will wear off with use over time and needs redone.

Moisture in and around sinks will ROT regular plywood. On top of this marine plywood you then use concrete backer board. I would additionally on top of this use ditra backer as it creates a solid floating substrate that resists movement from below and will prevent cracking.

This would be a major hack job and you will be ripping this out in no time. Not sure where some of these people get their info, but if you want your tile to last and look professional, cutting corners on the foundation of the tiles is not the place to do it.

I have already installed the granite tiles and am fairly happy with how it turned out. Is there some sort of filler that could be used to level the surface before I seal the grout and tiles? I have solid granite countertops in my kitchen. Recently my glass cooktop got broken and I removed to replaced with a new one. After removal, it was apparent that the opening for the cooktop was out of square and slightly undersized for the original cooktop.

To achieve the desired squareness some material on the inside edge will need to be removed. To get to the proper size front to back will require approx. What is the best tool and method to use for this job? I came across a problem while installing I have an existing counter that has a rounded corneth what method should Use or do to make my project work with the rounded corner? My husband and I installed granite tiles in our kichen but the compound we used to seal around the sink is causing a stain all around the edge of the sink.

What can we do to fix it,and what could be a good sealer. We need help as soon is posible. I have applied granite tiles directly to 1 inch plywood several times using the newest flex thin set cement. I have not had any issues and one project is 5 years old. If you are using in a kitchen, water is not much of an issue. The epoxy dries to a very hard glass finish and will not stain or allow moisture to pass through it. I installed kerdi-board, glued it down, and then waterproof membraine.

Used the epoxy grout, what a messy undertaking… but it came out fantastic, this morning, son got up early to work, tyler and I set the double bowl ceramic cast iron sink in, and guess what, wont fit…. I going to mount blade on hand grinder and gently grind away edge to make bevel, my only choice….

That is not a granite sealer! Use an approved granite sealer it is available in the tile section at your favorite Home imporvement store.

Bring the tile down around the edge is not an option to finish it off. Should I build a small frame around the edge to set the tile down inside? Is there a better way? We just installed a granite top and it has round dark circles on some areas like if it sucked up water or something? My question is related to the topic but is actually about removing the 12 x 12 granite tiles on the wall. Any tips or suggestions for removing the granite from the wall?

Removing tile or granite applied with thinset type cement is always difficult and requires lots of manual labor. Not an easy task. Anyone have advice or experience to share?

My granite counter tops look smooth and polished, but the counter tops feel dull. What do I need to do,will I have to have them re polished? I have laid my granite tiles without any gap and filled in remaining gaps with epoxy.. Use a high quality flexible thin set for the cement. Make sure granite is cleaned with an acid cleaning agent sold for cleaning tile. If that does not work, sound like a quality issue. I have granite slab counter tops.

I hate the color! Can marble tile be laid over the granite? I would like to change my sink and faucet at the same time. I would suppose you could, with the major issue being making the cement agent stick to the granite. Do some tests using a high quality thinset material.

On word of caution, marble is a soft material, porous and will stain easily even with sealer. I would think twice about using marble in kitchen. I have laid tile over tile after distressing the surface of the tile being covered, this worked well so far on the shower floor. The top is a small pennisula with a slide-in oven so we only need one width of tile to go around the oven and partial tiles to fill in the corner next to the wall and cabinet.

The surface is level. OK,I have read through most of the comments… I am in the middle of building a bar on my back porch. Granite Countertops Installation also has 16 more images such as how granite countertops are made, granite countertops california flooring, awesome granite countertop Stone Tile Installation: If the use of tape is required, the joint will need to cure prior to installing the tile.

Follow the Manufacturers instructions. Illustration by Gregory Nemec. Project Timeline. Shop Drawings can effectively Does tile backer board lap over the bathtub lip, or sit on top of it? This article Granite Install. Darkening of granite; Granite tile installation; Proudly powered by WordPress Shop a wide range of tile installation products including shower pans at The Tile Shop. The instructions, Installation Guide. Natural stone to type of stone marble, granite etc.

Install the extractor hood. Open the Tile app and… mosaic wall tile installation instructions luxury how to install how to grout blue pearl granite counter glass,mosaic tile installation tips ceramic method statement sample for granite installation Shop our selection of Granite Tile in the Flooring Department at The Home Depot. Ceramic tile is a versatile and durable finishing material. Mark the tiles to be cut with a pencil and a ruler for straight lines. Cut the tiles on a wet saw with a diamond blade and double check if it fits with the other tiles in the layout.

Install granite tile on an even, clean and dry floor. Lay the tiles by spreading a small amount of white thin set mortar over the area to be tiled and pressing the tiles into the thin set one at a time, Twist the tiles slightly into place to ensure a good bond with the mortar and beat the tiles with a wooden mallet to ensure they are in level. Leave no spills to sit on your granite tile flooring. Allow the thin set to dry for 24 hours and then grout the granite tiles by pushing grout between tiles using a grout float.

Wipe up any excess grout with a grout sponge. Allow the grout to dry for another 24 hours. Seal the granite.