Granite is a good choice for kitchen countertops; using tile rather than solid granite cuts the expense drastically. Make sure tiles are spaced closely to minimize grout staining; you can use tinted grout to achieve a more seamless look as well. Both the tile and the grout should be properly sealed.
Kitchen Countertops
While many homeowners reserve tile for floors and backsplashes, tile countertops can be an excellent—and affordable—option. Ceramic tile is impervious to heat and water, and when properly glazed, it won't stain.
There are many different materials on the market, but the pros recommend natural stone and porcelain for bathroom and kitchen countertops. Natural stone won't show chips or imperfections as clearly, explains Angelica Baeza of Arizona Tile, one of the state's leading showrooms, but it does require regular sealing.
Luckily for today's homeowners, there are backsplash tiles offered in virtually every color and a multitude of patterns, which means matching your kitchen backsplash design to your countertop is a breeze. From styles that favor anything from rustic Old-World to modern loft, there are countless choices.
The one spot where caulk, not grout, should be used is the seam between the countertop and the backsplash. The right material for that is a top-quality silicone caulk. The Tile Council of America suggests a 1/8-in. -wide caulk joint at the seam.
A countertop needs to be installed before the backsplash is put on the walls above the countertop.
Tile countertops were hugely popular in the '70s and '80s. Now they're making a comeback, albeit in more modern, minimally styled installations. Even if you have tile that's been there since before you were born, you can make it look good.
Cover It With Concrete
If your tile countertop is seriously dated, paint or decals may not be enough to help it. But you still don't have to rip it out and replace it. Instead, use self-leveling concrete to cover the entire surface and create a smooth, modern look for your countertop.
Ceramic tile is a strong middle-of-the-road option for new countertop options. It's durable, comes in a vast number of colors and sizes and is affordable to purchase in bulk. And it's also particularly friendly for a DIY project if you want to create your new counters yourself.
Even better, it installs as easily as any other tile, though cutting it can be a chore. The best news is that you don't have to remove your old laminate countertops to install new granite tile over it. By its very nature, laminate is a smooth and solid surface, so just work with it.
Slate is a gorgeous countertop material. It has a beautiful texture of stone and a nice spectrum of light to dark gray colors, and may also contain deep rich colors of blue, green, red, purple, brown and black. Slate countertops are hard countertops that are rarely seen in kitchens.
Countertops have one of the biggest visual impacts on a space, yet many refurbishing options are either too time consuming to complete or not financially feasible. A relatively inexpensive and quick way to resurface countertops is to install small peel and stick tiles on top of the existing surface.
Ceramic tile lasts so long that many a homeowner has grown weary of its color and style. But it might surprise you to know that ceramic tile can be transformed by painting it. You can renovate an entire kitchen or countertop, for example, by simply painting tile that has become old, dingy, or outdated.
Granite overlay is a system where they have a thinner granite that has an L in the front of the granite. It's thick enough to where it sits on top of your current countertops, whether it's formica, Corian, whatever it is, it sits right on top. You don't remove your current countertops and it goes right in.
Yes, you can but you will need to prepare for your painting project ahead of time. You can paint granite countertops, backsplashes, fireplace surrounds, coffee bars, and more with the proper primer, paint, and sealer to spruce up any room in your house, including bathrooms and kitchens.
If the laminate surface and its lower substrate are in good condition, you can apply ceramic or porcelain tile directly on top of the laminate. In fact, a laminate countertop in good condition is nearly the ideal surface for tiling: flat, smooth, and level.
First, during tile installation, leave a small space between the tiles and the wood surface or countertop… no more than 1/8 of an inch.
Standard Backsplash. A standard backsplash continues from the kitchen countertops to approximately three to six inches up the wall, with four inches typically being the most common height.
When tiling a kitchen backsplash behind a stove, the best practice is to continue the tiles down the wall a minimum of one full course below the countertop height. This is done in order to prevent any visual discontinuity so you cannot see any untiled wall surface.
Cover the Gap With Trim
The most reliable way to cover a large gap is to use wood trim, and even though you can't nail it to the tile backsplash or the granite countertop, you can glue it. You want the trim to be as inconspicuous as possible, and wood quarter-round is usually the best choice.