Kitchen counter top

[David Perkins]

Hello,
I am helping a friend with his kitchen remodel and his wife would like to have a place on each side of the stove to place hot items. She has picked out some ceramic tiles to use and I think it would look nice in her décor. My question is how do I do this, what type of materials and how to adhere them to the counter.
Thanks David

[Chris Padilla]

Thinset is typically used to adhere tiles of ceramic and stone. Mastic is also another choice. If you have an orange borg near you (and who doesn't), head over to the mag/book section and look up some DIY stuff on tiling. My wife picked up one published by HD itself and it was quite good and thorough.

[Dan Mages]

Are you attaching it to existing countertops, or are you replacing the existing counter tops? If you are doing it over existing counter tops, you may want to check the countertop for a spill proof lip around the edge. This will make it very hard to get a good tile job unless you use mosaic tile. If it is flat, then acrillic mastic is your best bet for adhering it to the countertop. You might want to scuff up the surface with some course sand paper to help the mastic adhere.

If you are starting from scratch, use a sandwich of plywood and 1/4 inch concrete backerboard. Be sure to use real thinset instead of mastic. It will hold a lot better.

Dan

[Howard Acheson]

We did exactly that for a couple of kitchens 20 years ago. The client wanted an area to place hot pots directly off the stove. We used ceramic tile and used silicone sealent/adhesive. I saw one of the kitchens last year and the tiles were still there. Silicone is an excellent adhesive and very tolerant of heat. Other than cleaning the formica underneath the tile, we just set the tile in place.

I've made a number of inset tile tabletops where I used silicone for the adhesive. No need for thin set. Just a rigid substrate like particle board or MDF.

[David Perkins]

We are building them from scratch and she would like them to be inset and standing proud of the top no more than 1/4". I like the idea of the cement board, do I need to be concerned with moisture affecting the particle board as we set the tiles? Would building the tops and then make a plate of these tiles to set in an opening be better? Chris I don't have HD near by only small mom and pop stores that cater to home construction.
Thanks for the help.

[Bart Sharp]

We are building them from scratch and she would like them to be inset and standing proud of the top no more than 1/4". I like the idea of the cement board, do I need to be concerned with moisture affecting the particle board as we set the tiles? Would building the tops and then make a plate of these tiles to set in an opening be better? Chris I don't have HD near by only small mom and pop stores that cater to home construction.
Thanks for the help.

Cement board is definitely the way to go. A countertop is going to get wet eventually and you don't want a substrate that will swell up and pop the tiles. I wouldn't even use particle board under the cement backer. Put down 3/4" CDX plywood, then use thinset and screws to overlay 1/4" cement backer. For the same reason (wet), you want to use thinset to set the tiles instead of mastic. Mastic is fine for backsplashes and other relatively dry installations, but I wouldn't use it for a countertop where things are going to be spilled. You can edge the countertop with special tiles made for that purpose (which are amazingly expensive), or go with a hardwood edging.

[Bob Hovde]

We are building them from scratch and she would like them to be inset and standing proud of the top no more than 1/4". I like the idea of the cement board, do I need to be concerned with moisture affecting the particle board as we set the tiles? Would building the tops and then make a plate of these tiles to set in an opening be better? Chris I don't have HD near by only small mom and pop stores that cater to home construction.
Thanks for the help.

Next to the stove usually isn't as wet as near a sink, so the moisture shouldn't be a problem. Mastic or silicone don't have the water that thinset does, and the area you're talking about isn't big enough to require anything other than just something to hold the tiles down. With the 1/4" proud edge, however, you will need protection - a small quarter round "frame" going around the edge maybe? I tiled my cooktop island and set one special tile proud in front of the cooktop for decoration. It has chips around the edge of it where it has been bumped by utensil pots, etc.

Bob

[Dan Mages]

Cement board is definitely the way to go. A countertop is going to get wet eventually and you don't want a substrate that will swell up and pop the tiles. I wouldn't even use particle board under the cement backer. Put down 3/4" CDX plywood, then use thinset and screws to overlay 1/4" cement backer. For the same reason (wet), you want to use thinset to set the tiles instead of mastic. Mastic is fine for backsplashes and other relatively dry installations, but I wouldn't use it for a countertop where things are going to be spilled. You can edge the countertop with special tiles made for that purpose (which are amazingly expensive), or go with a hardwood edging.

Bart, I would reccomend BC grade over CDX, CDX tends to be less than flat and may cause problems with keeping a level tile job.

Dan

[Kevin Arceneaux]

I would be very carefull about what mastic you use. Contrary to popular belief, asbestos is still present in many products. If it has chrysotile, amosite, or crocidolite as an ingredient - do not use.

[Chris Padilla]

From what I've heard and read, mastic can be difficult for beginners to use whereas thinset is much easier. I used thinset for a bathroom floor to lay down green marble tiles (12" x 12"). I also put down 1/2" cementboard as a base for the tile and used thinset to fill in the screw holes and spots where two pieces of cememtboard met.

However, if the area is small, mastic might be fine to use.

[aurelio alarcon]

I do ceramic tile in bathrooms and kitchens often. I would recommend a sturdy sub base of plywood. At least 5/8 - 3/4. You should next use a cement backer board. 1/4 inch of this stuff will do. You can go to the "Hardibacker" cement backer board web site to get more info.Use thin set between the cement backer board and the plywood along with 1 1/4 galvanized screws or roofing nails. You can then install the ceramic tile using the same thin set.

[Chris Padilla]

In hindsight, I should have used the 1/4" Hardibacker board (available at the borg) for my bathroom floor instead of the 1/2" cementboard. It caused me to have to trim my door slightly and make a little bit difficult threshold due to the uneven floor heights.

[aurelio alarcon]

In hindsight, I should have used the 1/4" Hardibacker board (available at the borg) for my bathroom floor instead of the 1/2" cementboard. It caused me to have to trim my door slightly and make a little bit difficult threshold due to the uneven floor heights.Yeah, If you have a good sub base, the 1/4 inch stuff will do. And it is a lot lighter and easier to cut.