Countertop with tile: all sizes — Stone & Tile Shoppe, Inc.

Paint Tile Countertops in Three Easy Steps by Cheryl Phan

If you have outdated tile countertops and want to bring them back to life without demolishing your space, you’re going to be absolutely amazed at how easy it is to give your kitchen a fresh new look in just one day.

As you can see this kitchen has good bones and a lot of potential. Why rip out the tile and go through the demolition and mess when you can just paint tile countertops for as little as $30.00!

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I would suggest covering the cabinets so you don’t get any paint on them. If you don’t have plastic, old sheets work well. I also used blue tape on the cabinets to avoid getting paint on them.

Step 1

The very first thing you want to do is sand the tile countertop. I used 120 grit sandpaper. I think the directions on the box said to use fine sandpaper. I have had a lot of experience painting cabinets, furniture and felt like it would be best to use the 120 grit sandpaper. You want to make sure that you knock down the sheen and create grit so the paint sticks. This, in my opinion, is the most important step. I also like using an electric sander rather than by hand. You will need to use small pieces in the corners.

Step 2

I like using TSP to clean after I sand. It cleans grease and grime well. I use this for all my projects.

Step 3

I want to start out by telling you that this product works really well, BUT it has a strong smell. I highly suggest that you wear a Respirator mask and gloves plus open all the windows. I also took a fan and faced it toward the open door.

I also love this soft brush to cut in the corners so there are no brush marks.

IMPORTANT: you must apply two coats of paint for full coverage. The second coat must be applied before 6 hours. Read directions before applying the product. Follow directions.

Here are the supplies you will need

Gloves: https://amzn.to/2ICag0s
Mask: https://amzn.to/2s4u3uq
Cut in brush: https://artzyfartzycreations.com/shop/
Hot dog roller: https://amzn.to/2IJaRty
Blue tape: https://amzn.to/2IDtwL9

Watch me go through all the steps in the videos below:

What a difference!!

If you loved that painting tile countertops project — I have a similar project to share with you — painted floor tile! See that painted floor project here.

If you want to learn how to start making money with your hobby get the details HERE

If you want to learn DIY Tricks and Tips get my weekly blog HERE

How to Lay Ceramic Tile on a Laminate Countertop • Ron Hazelton

RON HAZELTON:

If you have an outdated laminate countertop like this and you’ve been thinking about replacing it with tile, well you’d be looking at quite a bit of work. First of all you’d have to tear out the old laminate countertop and then replace it with a piece of plywood.

That is until inventor Armand Tavy came up with a system for putting ceramic tile right on top of a laminate counter top like this. Hey, Armand.
ARMAND:
Hi Ron, how are you.
RON HAZELTON:
Where did you get this idea?
ARMAND:
Well as a tile setter, I always felt guilty about removing an existing top and just throwing it away. I said why not take advantage of it and find some way to get mortar to stick to it.
RON HAZELTON:
And you’ve done that.
ARMAND:
And I’ve done that.
RON HAZELTON:
I’d like to jump right in and see how this works. Armand starts by applying a specially designed adhesive directly to the laminate countertop.
ARMAND:
I’m using an eighth inch V notch saw-tooth trowel. I found out this is the perfect size with just the right amount of glue so that you don’t have too much. You have enough to do the job but not so much that you make a mess.

RON HAZELTON:
Now this adhesive is not intended for attaching tile but instead paper –
ARMAND:
This is a fiberglass reinforced paper. The countertop itself, the laminate is not friendly to mortar. We know that. So the glue sticks to the laminate, the paper sticks to the glue, mortar loves the paper so we have a tileable surface.
RON HAZELTON:
All right, so this is down and how long do you have to wait before you go to the next step.
ARMAND:
There’s no waiting.
RON HAZELTON:
Yeah.
ARMAND:
You can proceed to the next step.
RON HAZELTON:
Which is?
ARMAND:
Putting a thin layer of mortar on it to acclimate the surface of the paper to the product that you’re going to use to install your tile. If you’re painting a piece of wood, you put a coat of primer on it. Then you put the finish coat. So we’re going to put a skim coat on this to get the paper ready for the finish coat.

RON HAZELTON:

Many countertops like this one have raised lips on the front edge to keep water from spilling off. To create a perfectly flat surface for the tile, Armand and I apply additional mortar to the front third of the countertop then screet off the excess with a straight edge.

Just to see how this system works on a variety of surfaces, I’ve set up a piece of bead board to serve as a back wall. Once again the adhesive is applied directly to the surface. And the paper laid on top completely bridging and concealing the grooves in the paneling underneath. Then like the countertop, a skim coat of mortar is applied.

[MUSIC]

A laminated countertop backsplash is prepped the same way. First adhesive, then paper.

[MUSIC]
Now what we’ve really done here is converted a plastic laminate countertop into a –

ARMAND:
Basically almost a concrete surface.

RON HAZELTON:
Yeah. Yeah and you’ve done it by adding really nominal thickness here.

ARMAND:
From zero to about a sixteenth of an inch on the front leading edge because of a slight crump in the radius of the leading edge of the countertop to keep water from dripping off the counter.

RON HAZELTON:
Very cool. Before we continue I make a trip to my truck to collect a bag of thin set mortar I picked up earlier at the home improvement center. From here on the process is the same as for any tileable surface. The thin set mortar is applied then raked with a notch trowel.

The ridges left by the notch trowel distribute the mortar evenly, leaving it a uniform thickness I am applying additional mortar to the inside corners of the bull-nose tiles that line the countertop. This process called ‘buttering’ eliminates any voids underneath reducing the likelihood that the edge tiles might crack if their bumped or struck.

Armen inserts spacers between the edge tiles then starts on the field. Now notice how the mortar appears wet. One of the biggest causes for tile failure is trying to cover too large an area at one time which can allow the thin set to start drying before the tiles are laid on top. You can avoid this problem by mixing smaller batches of mortar and working smaller sections at a time.

Tapping the tiles with a rubber or plastic mallet also helps them settle into place and bond with the mortar. Spacers keep the joints a consistent width and in alignment. Now Armen has come up with his own version of the tile spacer. The disk shape keeps it sitting on top of the tile and makes it easy to remove. One side of the spacer is used on straight runs and the other is designed for the corners where the joints intersect.

With the deck tiles in place Armen applies mortar to the back wall. Here he starts at the bottom then stacks one row on top of the other. Once again the spacers keep the joints uniform and prevent the tiles from slipping downward. Remember I mentioned the spacers were easy to remove? Well now you can see what I mean.

Grouting is the next step. Armen mixes his a bit on the dry side – the idea here is to use a fair amount of pressure to force the grout to the bottom of the joints filling them completely. Then he holds the rubber float up on edge and removes the excess from the face of the tile. A damp sponge and water take care of the final clean up. Usually this needs to be done a few times to completely remove the surface haze. Changing the water frequently helps.

So there’s been no trade off by leaving the counter here and going with this system.

ARMAND:
Absolutely no compromise whatsoever.

RON HAZELTON:
So what else could you put this on besides the plastic laminate?
ARMAND:
Just about any surface you can think of that you have on your countertop, I don’t care what it is, it will go over it, Ron. Wood, plastics, metal. Just about anything.

RON HAZELTON:
You got any more tricks up your sleeve.

ARMAND:
Yes, I do, Ron.

RON HAZELTON:
Will you come back and share them with me?

ARMAND:
I’d be delighted.

RON HAZELTON:
Okay, it was fun. I got one favor to ask -could you take us out with a few more bars of that song about the smile.

ARMAND:
Sure. Here goes. [SINGS] It has magic powers most would say and we all would probably agree. For anyone who tries to beat it can’t simply win you see.

Kitchen worktop made of tiles – 78 photos

Worktop made of tiles

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900 02 Mosaic in the interior of the kitchen

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Kitchen worktop

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High Top Kitchen

Italian Style Kitchen Backsplash

Kitchen Top and Backsplash

Talavera Tile Top

9000 2 Tiled worktop

Tiled worktop

Cersanit Sagra

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Ceramic tile countertop

Tiled countertop

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kitchen backsplash

Alaska Gold Granite

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Kitchen backsplash brown

Tile worktop

Kitchen worktop tile

Backsplash marble tiles

Tile top in BDD apartments

Jean-Benoît Vétillard combined ceramic tiles and plywood in the kitchen interior.

In this work, the French architect used the images of Michel Gondry and the principles of arranging new public spaces.

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In modern interior design, by default, the authors combine the living room and kitchen. The architect Vetillar took this idea further: in the 60 m2 BDD apartment ² he did not build a single inner wall.

He occupied half of the apartments with a complex structure that combined a bathroom, bedroom, wardrobes and a cascade of seats, reminiscent of new public spaces.

This functional volume is finished on all sides with veneered plywood. For the integrity of the image, the kitchen facades are highlighted with the same bright wood texture.

The architect softened the color scheme in the interior with a white countertop. At the same time, he got rid of excess furniture, so there are no hanging cabinets in the working area in the kitchen.

Top made of white ceramic tiles glued to a plywood base. Instead of a wall panel, a kind of step is organized, also tiled.

The hood above the hob is also tiled. The box rises to the very ceiling, claiming to play an important role in the design of the apartment.

Only the youthful character of the interior can justify a tile worktop. Tiles are easy to break, tile joints are difficult to care for, and such a countertop can keep its presentation for a very short time.

Paint Tile Countertops in Three Easy Steps by Cheryl Phan

How to Lay Ceramic Tile on a Laminate Countertop • Ron Hazelton

Kitchen worktop made of tiles – 78 photos

Tile top in BDD apartments

Jean-Benoît Vétillard combined ceramic tiles and plywood in the kitchen interior.

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