# Making a kitchen worktop with granite tiles



## johnelliott (31 Jan 2005)

Anybody done this? I've been thinking about it quite a bit recently. About a year ago I did a tiled worktop using 100x100 ceranic tiles and tinted acrylic grout. I used a birch ply base and a 20mm ash edging strip. Seemed to work fine, and I haven't had any complaints from the customer, maybe because she chose the tiles.
Anyway, now that granite 300x300 floor tiles are quite easily available and at pretty good prices, I've been thinking about having a go with some. Granite is of course much stronger than ceramic and pretty much totally heat resistant.
I expect I would use either epoxy or acrylic grout
Any comments?
John


----------



## DaveL (31 Jan 2005)

John,

Only comment, how heavy would it be?


----------



## woodshavings (31 Jan 2005)

Hi John, what a coincidence - I am in the middle of fixing granite tiles to our kitchen worktop! I bought the tiles from Moorspace (www.moorspace.com) Night Black Granite at £44 sq metre.

My project is a "make-over" and using the existing worktop, fitting the new tiles over the over existing worktop tiles. 

The worktop will be edged with American White Oak.

I have not left a grout line between the tiles, they are butted tight using a clear silicon sealer. They look great.

John


----------



## Bean (31 Jan 2005)

John 
Is that the flexible grout ?

The worktop sounds good though

Bean


----------



## johnelliott (31 Jan 2005)

woodshavings":1yu5l8ne said:


> I have not left a grout line between the tiles, they are butted tight using a clear silicon sealer. They look great.
> 
> John



Hmm, intersting, I'll have to think about that a bit. It striks me that the tiles would need to have been extremely accurately cut or the pattern would start to go wrong.

What are you cutting the tiles with?

John


----------



## woodshavings (31 Jan 2005)

I have a diamond blade Screwfix Ferm 600W Tile cutter. However, very few of the tiles need cutting except at the end of the runs and to fit around the sink cutout.

None of the tiles need cutting where they butt together except at the end of the run. - I am using them as cut by the supplier. I have attached a lip (appx 13mm) to the existing worktop edge to make it exactly 2 tile widths deep so I do not have to cut the tile for this dimension either. 

The tiles are accurately cut as supplied and do not have any noticable runout when laid. Also, the black granite does not have a strong visual patten and the tiles have a very small chamfer on their edges - this seems to mask any minor adjustments. The main thing is to ensure that they fit to a datum line at the back of the worktop that eliminates any variations in the front to back dimension along the length of the run.

If the wall is out of true, then the "no grout" scheme will not work.

I am presently mid laying them and have not yet got to the point of cutting them for the sink - I plan to finish it all at the weekend. I will take pic if you would like to see result.

John


----------



## Guest (1 Feb 2005)

I laid granite tiles on our worktops and the tile shop recommended epoxy grout. As this was much more expensive I used acrylic grout and it needs replacing after about a year. I also had to seal the tiles but this worked fine. Definitely a great surface, totally heat resistant.


----------



## Vormulac (1 Feb 2005)

John,

I for one would be most interested to see the result. The kitchen at Castle Vormulac is scheduled for renovation soon and I'm open to ideas!

V.


----------



## Anonymous (1 Feb 2005)

watch out for the powered tile cutters, ther's a member on here who wore one out overnight


----------



## mahking51 (1 Feb 2005)

Sorry if slightly off topic..
Anyone had any experience with concrete worktops? Popular in the US I believe.
Regards
Martin


----------



## Bean (1 Feb 2005)

Yes but I did get a new one Tony :wink: 

Anyone interested in a almost new tile cutter, I'm sure Mrs Bean will not miss her anniversary present :lol: 


Bean


----------



## johnelliott (1 Feb 2005)

mahking51":22c9vpwe said:


> Sorry if slightly off topic..
> Anyone had any experience with concrete worktops? Popular in the US I believe.
> Regards
> Martin


I bought the book and read it. My conclusion, totally unsuitable for UK kitchens. Really only any good in a large 'arty' type of kitchen with a variety of worksurfaces. Lots of labour needed too.

John


----------



## Anonymous (1 Feb 2005)

I used grey granite tiles in our new bathroom. Didn't leave a grout line, like midnight, but used a thin smear of acrylic caulk around them. Also fastened them down with the same caulk (clear). The only problem I have is that if water is left on them it soaks in and leaves a dark patch until it dries out. I tried a tile sealing compund but it didn't work. The rule in the bathroom is to wipe down the surface if you wet it! Don't know how that would go down in a kitchen, though, as if your kitchen is anything like our the area around the sink and food prep area is often wet for quite a while at a time.

My stepson and daughter-in-law used slate tiles in their kitchen. Not to my taste, but still very classy. The slate has a softer, more porous finish than the granite I used, and the sealant works really well for them - water just puddles and doesn't stain. I didn't like the un-even surface of the slate, but that's just my taste in kitchen counters.


----------



## johnelliott (1 Feb 2005)

White House Workshop":3kyo519z said:


> The only problem I have is that if water is left on them it soaks in and leaves a dark patch until it dries out. I tried a tile sealing compund but it didn't work.



This doesn't sound like any of the granites I have come across. It sounds as if you have been unlucky with the type of granite you have. Types of granite I'm thinking of, the idea of anything soaking into them is difficult to conceive
John


----------



## Anonymous (3 Feb 2005)

It's just regular grey granite. Highly polished on one surface.


----------



## Guest (3 Feb 2005)

Granite is porous so it does need to be sealed against stains, even the worktops made from the block are sealed.I sealed ours, it doesn't make water stand in globules but we have no stains. I believe there is also a hygiene consideration, being a food preparation area.


----------



## woodshavings (3 Feb 2005)

What did you use to seal the tiles Jaymar? 
John


----------



## trevtheturner (3 Feb 2005)

Is granite porous? Ask Alf :roll: .

Trev.


----------



## woodshavings (3 Feb 2005)

Should I buy a Geiger counter? :wink:


----------



## Chris Knight (3 Feb 2005)

trevtheturner":248ed1vj said:


> Is granite porous? Ask Alf :roll: .
> 
> Trev.



I am not Alf but I can tell you that granite has a very low matrix porosity but can have a high apparent porosity due to microfractures. This depends on the source and history of the rock. It is more than enough to cause sealants to be necessary in most cases.


----------



## Alf (4 Feb 2005)

waterhead37":3ahyyg1b said:


> trevtheturner":3ahyyg1b said:
> 
> 
> > Is granite porous? Ask Alf :roll: .
> ...


See my head? See where all that went? 'Bout 6' over it... :roll:

Cheers, Alf


----------



## mudman (4 Feb 2005)

waterhead37":3a6yibky said:


> I am not Alf but I can tell you that granite has a very low matrix porosity but can have a high apparent porosity due to microfractures. This depends on the source and history of the rock. It is more than enough to cause sealants to be necessary in most cases.



I'll go with that. Granite apparently is especially susceptible to it when extracted using explosives or where explosives have been used in the quarry. A chap I know from Scottish Heritage was telling me that they can't use the granite from original quarries to repair ancient buildings as every single quarry has had explosives used at some time and ruined all the remaining stone.



alf":3a6yibky said:


> See my head? See where all that went? 'Bout 6' over it...



Alf,

Stone isn't porous, but if you fill it with holes, it will let the water through.
It's actually the principal behind cave formation.


----------



## Alf (4 Feb 2005)

mudman":1zll2f4o said:


> alf":1zll2f4o said:
> 
> 
> > See my head? See where all that went? 'Bout 6' over it...
> ...


My head hurts. Someone take pity on me. Either stop trying to make me understand *or*, using small words, explain what porous means then. Isn't that holes too? :? 

Cheers, Alf


----------



## mudman (4 Feb 2005)

Sorry Alf.  

You are right, porous is just lots of holes.

Granite doen't normally have much space in it due to it being volcanic and not sedimentary and so isn't very porous. But fill it with cracks and you have a lot of interconnected tubes that water can find a way through.


----------



## Bodrighy (13 Jun 2007)

Don't know if this helps but we have a 10' worktop in our kitchen that is slate. It is set into a bed of cement that was poured into a form. The cement is approx. 3" thick and the tiles are 1" thick. The whole thing is supported on three brick piers. The grouting is cement that has been treated and sealed in some way. It was done before we moved in and has been there for at least ten years. No problems at all. 

Pete


----------



## cutting42 (14 Jun 2007)

Hiya

I used some 300x500 granite tiles to make a kitchen table top to match our standard granite worktop. Used 18mm MDF as a base and a flexible adhesive. Again butted the tiles tight together but used a little sand free grout with flexible compound to fill the chamfer on the edges and it looks fantastic. It would work well as a full worktop with usual care to level the tiles, got mine from Topps Tiles for 9.99 per tile.


----------

