How Do You Tile Over A Laminate Countertop?
Have an ugly laminate countertop that you want to replace but can’t afford to? Tile is cheap, easy and can provide a beautiful revived look to a tired countertop. The first thing you need to do is turn off the water, remove the sink and anything that is mounted to the countertop. You will also want to remove any existing backsplash. Now lightly sand the laminate surface with 60 grit sand paper and thouroughly clean the surface. Measure the length and width of the counter top to determine the lengths of edge wood that you need. When you purchase these lengths make sure to get longer lengths than you really need to account for the miter cuts that you will need to make at the corners. If you don’t have a miter saw you can have the home improvement store cut it for you, just make sure your measurements are exact! When providing the cutting instructions to the worker make sure to give him (or her) inside dimensions and that they cut it with the non-bullnose side as the inside. We will insta
Once you’ve laid your tile and let the mastic set, you’re ready to grout! This is the messiest and most time-consuming aspect of tiling your countertops, so be prepared by having all the tools you need, including plenty of water. In the photo, you see the grout bucket, grout float, rubber gloves, clean-up sponge, and cheesecloth (for removing the haze afterwards). Grout is extremely caustic and can harm eyes, skin, and lungs, so you definitely want heavy-duty rubber gloves just for grouting. Also make sure you mix the grout outside so the grout dust won’t be in the house. Use the surgical mask to cover your mouth and nose to avoid breathing the dust. [Note: you can get pre-mixed grout, but it is far more expensive than the grout powder you mix yourself. It does make for an easier job; just figure out what your budget can handle first!] After adding the correct amount of water as per the instructions on the bag, mix the grout with a large paint stick or stirrer. Grout has to be stirred
Contrary to popular belief, you can tile directly over laminate counters. The old methods decreed that you’d have to put plywood over the laminate or use a special fiberglass paper (called “thin skin”) to cover the laminate completely prior to tiling. This just isn’t the case. In this article I’ll cover preparing the laminate countertops and doing the actual tiling. In part two I’ll cover grout, clean-up, and sealing. Before you even begin this project, you need to figure out what kind of tile you want to use and how much to purchase. The tile I purchased for this kitchen project came from Lowe’s in one-foot square sections. Each individual tile was slightly under two by two inches with 1/8″ spaces in between. The tiles are held together in a square by dots of glue. This is called “mosaic” tile and is typically used in showers, but it’s also fantastic for counters. A big advantage of tile over laminate is that you can put hot pots right on the counter without scorching it. To measure f
