tiling kitchen counter tops

[SteveB]

Don't mess with tile. Use granite.

Costs more, but lots better. Tile is dated, and there's always problems with grout and broken tiles.

Steve

[Malcolm Hoar]

One of the considerations relates to the thermal expansion and contraction of the tiles, relative to the ply or whatever substrate you've installed them over. So part of the problem depends upon the thermal characteristics of your specific tile material (I'm still not sure what type of tile this is).

Therefore, if at all possible, contact the tile manufacturer and ask for their recommendations. They will likely be able to offer some good inputs based on the porosity, thermal and other characteristics of their specific tiles.

Frankly, it's likely to be more reliable than the pontifications of various newsgroup participants ;-)

Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about moisture rotting the ply. That shouldn't be an issue provided everything is installed to a reasonable standard and you don't just ignore some obvious plumbing problem. But, sure, if you're not too worried about cost, go for the marine grade although it's probably overkill.

[<h>]

Of course you are. Just please make sure to give your family lots of lysine supplements, since lysine is something human beings need, yet can only get from animals. Probably why vegetarians are generally so unhealthy and sick all the time.

Keep well, and enjoy your germ-collecting countertops.

[dadiOH]

Tile is about the easiest thing *to* clean...smooth, totally non-absorbent, won&#39;t stain. Yes, grout can absorb if it isn&#39;t properly sealed. If sealed, it is simple to clean - just wipe off.

Tile has another advantage that might be of interest to you...it is fireproof. That means you could blast the freakin&#39; counter with a blow torch. Let&#39;s see the nasty little microbes survive *that*. ________________

Don&#39;t go abroad then, lots of restaurant kitchens have tile counters.

[dadiOH]

So will any exterior ply. Main advantage (slight) of marine is that there are no voids in the internal plies. _____________

Unless it has been stored out in the rain, it won&#39;t be wet. By the time the veneer is cut and dried and then made into ply the whole thing is bone dry. Even if it weren&#39;t ply expands/contracts very little which is one reason it is used so much.

As far as ply getting wet at the sink area and rotting, I have had kitchens with tile on ply counters for close to 30 years. Current one for 12. I have never ever had a problem with water infiltration to the ply. Sinks have always been drop in bedded in plumber&#39;s putty.

[Malcolm Hoar]

Speaking as someone who purchased a home with a tile countertop, I&#39;d have to disagree. Cleaning that thing was a royal pain. So much so that the tile is gone; replaced with granite slab.

Having said that... the grout lines were relatively broad at about one eigth of an inch.

So, for anyone considering tile, I would certainly recommend using the minimum recommended thickness (for that tile) of grout line. Also, use sandless (smooth) grout and, of course, seal it properly.

Yes, tile has some strong points. Grout lines are not one of them ;-)

[** Frank **]

Yes 2&#39; wide, 3/4" thick with 1.5" thick bullnose. I see them in the Bay Area, various granite shops.

HD Repair & Remodel has it too, a little more money though.

[** Frank **]

I&#39;d ripped my original counter top off a couple of years ago on a 1981 house. Particleboard, thin wax paper, chicken wire with a bed of mortar then the tile on top. The 24 year old particleboard was in perfect condition without any signs of water damage anywhere including the sink area. They did it cheaply but they knew what they doing. BTY the tile was in pretty good condition too, though it needed regrouting.

[Dottie]

**************** When we bought this house, it had kitchen cabinets made out of particle board and covered with a wood grain looking Formica. I hired someone to come in and put in a tile counter top and back splash. It looked great. Easy to clean, etc. But the grout somehow came loose around the sink area and I didn&#39;t see it. Before long the water seeped into the particle board and it was a real mess. I was tired of the way the cabinets looked by that time so I just replaced the cabinets and counter top. I was lucky. The man who did the work was able to save the tile back splash. If you use tile for counter top, be real careful it doesn&#39;t leak anywhere.

[Bob F]

Most recommendations I&#39;ve seen these days suggest using a layer of backerboard under the tile. Personally, for kitchen counters, I&#39;d use thinset and Roofing nails to attach backerboard to the ply. I&#39;d then coat the backerboard with redguard to waterproof it. Then thinset the tile to that. I did use epoxy grout to attach tiles to the bottom of a hottub once, which seemed to work fine, but it would be huge overkill for a kitchen counter. Thinset should last forever.

The backerboard is a cheap, easy way to form a really good base for the tire. The expansion of backerboard will be much closer to that of tile, eliminating potential problems.

Redguard on plywood could be a possible compromise if you really don&#39;t want to add the backerboard. It would help prevent expansion from moisture which does goes through tile grout.

Bob

[Bob F]

If you are what meat eating produces, I may have to give it up.

Bob

[Bob F]

And don&#39;t use particle board.

Bob

[Bob F]

Oops - that&#39;s Redgard, not redguard.

Bob

[Rudy]

Well it depends whether your substrate ever gets wet or not. If not..then Marine ply will be fine. However, wet marine ply will eventually promote mold..so if theres a chance it will get wet (there very well could be..depends on how much water/spillage the user puts on the countertop and how well ther groutlines are sealed) I d suggest you go with cement board and if you re doing that, then you dont NEED "marine" ply but if it makes you feel better, go for it.

Forget the epoxy, go with the material intended for the job..thinset