Complete how-to for laying a tile countertop and backsplash, from preparing the surface to cutting and placing the tile in mortar, grouting, sealing and maintenance.
Introduction Give your countertops and backslash the timeless beauty of stone for a modest price. We'll show you everything you need to complete a DIY tile job in your kitchen, from prepping the surface to setting the tile to caring for it after it's installed. Whether you want an intriguing pattern that intermixes several shapes and colors, like we did, or a simple design, we'll show you how to get the job done right.
We used stone tile for this ceramic tile kitchen countertops project. Want to give your kitchen a timeless natural beauty? Put in your own tumbled stone or ceramic tile countertops and backsplash. You can choose any tile, any color and any size, but if all the choices seem daunting, do what we did. We chose a natural slate tile with predesigned accent pieces and a marble edge for a custom look. Setting kitchen tile is a project that’s definitely within reach of the average do-it-yourselfer. In this article, we’ll show you how to build your countertop from start to finish.
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Our project took three days, but you might want to reserve more time. Also, plan on eating sandwiches or take-out during the process, since your kitchen will be down for several days. And don’t even think about starting it until all your tile and the new sink and faucet are on hand so you won’t have downtime waiting for special orders.
We purchased our stone tile at a specialty tile shop, which gave us the option of design help and choices we wouldn’t have considered, but you can also cruise the aisles of your home center for inspiration. We purchased all the plywood, cement board, thin-set mortar, grout and hand tools at a home center while we waited for our tile order to arrive.
This project features a special “tile rim” cast iron sink. It rests on top of the cement board and plywood, leaving about a 3/8-in. squared edge so your tile sits perfectly flush with the top edge of the sink for a nice, even, wipe-clean surface.
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Measure your cabinets from the wall to the front edge of the face frame, then measure left and right. Install support cleats along unsupported edges.
Cut your plywood and screw it to the tops of the cabinet with 1-5/8 in. screws. Keep the front edge even with the face frame.
Glue and staple another layer of plywood (1/4 in.) over the 3/4-in. plywood if necessary to build up the thickness to match the edge tile.
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Center the sink in the sink base cabinet and trace the perimeter. Draw another mark 1/2 in. inside this mark, radius the corners and cut it out with a jigsaw.
With the old countertop stripped completely off, and the wall behind in good condition, measure your cabinets from the back wall to the front edge of your face frame. If you have frameless cabinets, measure to the front just behind the doors or drawer fronts. Subtract 1/8 in. from the measurement to allow for slight deviations in the wall and then measure the length. Transfer the measurements to the plywood and cut it with a circular saw and a straightedge guide for a clean, even cut.
Before you screw the plywood to the top of the cabinets, attach 2×2 wall cleats to the studs where there isn’t any cabinet support. If you have a dishwasher opening, cut thinner 1×3 pine to length and screw it to the studs to make sure you’ve got plenty of room for the backside of the dishwasher.
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Choose screws that will penetrate the drywall and go into the studs about 1 in. Longer screws could hit water pipes or electrical wires behind the wall. Screw the plywood (drill a pilot hole) to the face-frame fronts every 8 in. and along the back of the cabinets and into the cleats as well. Be sure you have a nice, even front edge; a small gap in the back against the wall won’t matter.
Our front marble edge measured 1-7/8 in. high, so to keep the edge from interfering with the drawer fronts, we added a layer of 1/4-in. plywood. If you need to do the same, lap the 1/4 in. over the previous seam of 3/4-in. plywood near the corner for extra strength. Lay several beads of construction adhesive between the plywood sheets for a permanent bond. Staple the top layer to the one below with 1-in. staples. If you don’t have access to a stapler, use 1-in.wood screws and drive them in with your power screwdriver. Be sure the pieces are fastened every 6 in. and that there aren’t any humps in the plywood.
Next, set your sink onto the plywood top and position it carefully with your tile layout in mind (remember, you’ll be adding 1/2 in. of cement board and tile to the front edge and a layer of tile on the backsplash). Then mark it, allow for the sink rim and cut it out.
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Spread a thin layer of thin-set mortar over the plywood with a 1/4-in. notched trowel. Embed the cement board into the mortar and screw it to the plywood with cement board screws.
Score and snap thin strips of cement board and embed them into thin-set mortar along the edges. Nail the strips with 1-1/4 in. galvanized nails.
Reinforce the outside corners and edges with strips of fiberglass tape. Embed the tape with a thin, even topping of thinset mortar.
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Home centers and tile shops carry several choices for tile underlayment. My favorite is old-fashioned cement board. This stuff is dense and impervious to water, and it will last for decades. It may be a little more difficult to work with than other materials, but it cuts fairly easily once you get the hang of it.
The secret to a solid foundation for tile is to bond the cement board to the plywood below. Mix up a batch of latex-fortified (check the label) thin-set mortar to a soft, mashed potato consistency. Trowel it onto the plywood with a 1/4-in. notched trowel and then embed the cement board right into the mortar. Screw it every 8 in. to the plywood below with 1-1/4 in. cement board screws. The mortar will fill any voids between the surfaces and bond them into a monolithic surface.
To cut narrow strips of cement board, score both sides and gently pry up the edge. Once the top surface is covered, cut cement board strips to cover the exposed plywood edge. Again mix a small batch of thin-set mortar, spread it over the plywood edge and push the cement board into the edge. Nail the edge (Photo 8) every 6 in. to hold it in place. Next, apply fiberglass mesh tape over the corners. Just peel the mesh off the roll and press it over the corner edges. Once the mesh is in place, trowel a thin layer of thin-set mortar over it. Let the mortar set up for a few hours before continuing.
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Snap chalk lines for your layout, then precut some of the field tiles to fit. Spread a bed of thin-set mortar with your 1/4-in. notched trowel and lightly press the tiles into place.
It’s best to draw lines right on the top using a framing square as a guide. Before you mix your thin-set mortar, place the tiles and determine grout line widths. If you have an inside corner like ours, start your pattern there so you’ll be sure it will track symmetrically from this point in both directions.
You’ll notice that we marked our decorative border coming out from the corner and then determined how much we needed to cut from the first row of field tile. Plan cuts and the positions to avoid thin pieces. Shift your pattern as needed.
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Also check the backsplash layout at this time. Never have the grout lines “almost” match up with those in the countertop. It’ll look like a mistake. Either follow the grout lines of the countertop or offset them by half a tile. See what works best for your situation. From your layout, you’ll be able to predict several cuts that you can make ahead of time. Don’t precut all the tile. Wait and see how things look at the end of the run.
Mix some latex-fortified thin-set mortar in a plastic pail to a smooth, mashed potato consistency. Mix enough (about a quart) to cover about 6 to 8 sq. ft. at a time. Spread the mortar with a 1/4-in. notched trowel, leaving your layout lines exposed to guide the tile placement. Start setting the tiles. Place them on the mortar bed and lightly press them into place. Pay close attention to the grout spaces and use tile spacers if necessary to maintain even grout lines. Our slate tile varied slightly in size, so we decided to just “eyeball” the spacing to maintain about 3/16 in. between the tiles. It’s OK to shoot from the hip like this with a rustic-looking countertop like ours.
Once you’re
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