How to Add Tile to Kitchen Countertops
Beautiful countertops will enliven any style kitchen, adding texture, color and depth. However, most stunning countertops are very expensive granite, slate or marble. Adding tile to a kitchen countertop is an inexpensive way to create kitchen countertops that really make a statement. Choose ceramic, glass, granite, slate or marble tile to fit your kitchen’s style.
Required Materials and Tools
- Hand sander.
- 50 grit sandpaper for hand sander.
- Dust mask.
- Safety glasses.
- Tile. You will need to purchase flat tiles, counter edge tiles and end tile pieces.
- Tile Spacers.
- Latex modified thin set mortar. This mortar is specially formulated to resist water and movement from impaction.
- Small rubber mallet.
- Tile shims. They look like popsicle sticks.
- Grout.
- Tile and grout sealant.
- Wet tile saw. It can be rented from a home improvement store.
- Level.
- Yard or meter stick.
- Trowel with a comb edge.
- Rubber trowel.
- Marker.
- Tile sponge and bucket of water.
- Dry rags.
- Unhook and remove appliances and the sink from the countertop.
- Sand your laminate countertop with the hand sander if you are tiling over it. Make sure to wear the dust mask and safety goggles as you sand. If your laminate has been removed from your countertop, and you have a smooth surface, proceed to the next step.
- Place a dry run of tile, or tile that is laid down without mortar, starting at the end of the countertop.
- Draw a line on the countertop with the marker to note where the last line of full tiles ends.
- Measure your remaining space so that you can cut your tiles to the correct size. Measure twice to be sure!
- If your countertop turns at an angle, you will need to cut several tiles on a diagonal. You want all of your tile lines to run parallel to the edge of the countertop.
- Cut your tile pieces using the wet saw so you will have the pieces ready to lay down on the countertop. Wear your safety glasses while using the wet saw.
- Lay down mortar with the trowel in a thin layer. Only apply mortar on a foot or two of the countertop at a time, or your mortar will dry before you can add the tile.
- Drag parallel lines through the mortar using the comb edge of the trowel.
- Lay the tile in the mortar, using the tile spacers at the corners and at the sides of the tile to get a uniform distance between all of the tiles.
- Check the levelness of the tiles with the level. It is very important to get a level surface for the countertop. Check every two or three tiles.
- Tap uneven tiles gently with the mallet to push the tile down into the mortar.
- Add mortar to the bottom of a tile if it is too low.
- Tile the entire countertop.
- Push the tile shims under the tile around the outside edge of countertop. Leave an inch or so sticking out over the edge of the countertop. This is to allow the rounded counter edge tile to have support while the mortar sets.
- Apply the mortar to the inside of a counter edge tile so that the entire space will be filled with mortar once it is applied to the countertop.
- Add the edge tile to the edge of the countertop.
- Apply all of the edge tiles to the edge of the countertop in the above manner.
- Add the end pieces to the corners of the countertop by filling the inside with mortar and pushing the tile onto the countertop corner.
- Allow the mortar to set per the manufacturer’s specifications.
- Remove the tile spacers.
- Apply the grout with the rubber trowel, making sure to get it in the cracks between the tiles. Make sure not to get too far ahead with the grout, or it will dry before you can remove the excess grout.
- Wipe excess grout off of the top of the tile with the rubber trowel.
- Drag the wet sponge over the tiles to remove the grout from the surface of the tile but not the cracks between them. This is called “floating the tile.” Rinse the sponge in the bucket when it has too much grout on it. This is an important step because you do not want any grout to dry on top of the tile.
- Apply the grout and float the tiles in sections so that you are always working with wet grout. Make sure to keep the grout as level with the top of the tile as possible.
- Allow the grout to dry to the manufacturer’s specifications.
- Buff the face of the tiles with a rag to remove the film of grout, if present.
- Seal the tile and grout to the tile manufacturer’s specifications.