Decorative Ceramic Tile

Ceramic Tile Countertops

Consider Ceramic Tile Countertops

You have decided that you want a tile counter for your kitchen or bathroom. There are quite a few countertop choices available. In addition to ceramic tile, there are: granite, marble, engineered stone ( composed of quartz ), soapstone, laminate ( like Formica ), stainless steel, butcher block, and even concrete tiles. How do you decide?

Ceramic tile countertops are an excellent choice because they are durable and easy to keep clean. You can find tiles to match any room decor, as they come in a huge variety of colors, textures, and sizes. And they are particularly suited for a kitchen top, since they won't be damaged by hot pots and pans.

But there are several things to keep in mind when resurfacing countertops with ceramic tile.

• Aesthetically, you should avoid having ceramic tile on both the floor and the countertops. It's a bit much.
  
  
• The tiles themselves are easy to clean, but the grout between them needs to be cleaned more thoroughly, since germs and mold will collect in the grooves between tiles.
  
  
• The hardness of a ceramic tile can cause glassware to break if dropped on the counter.
  
  
• Plates and utensils will not lie flat, even if the tiles are laid properly.

If you can resolve the above issues, then you're ready to think about laying your ceramic tiles. When you're tiling countertops, you will need to do several things that are not involved in tiling floors.

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First, you need to decide what type of sink you want to install. Two types are available. 1) the "tile in" type that is set so that it is in line with the surface of the tile, and 2) the "self-rimming" type that rests on top of the tile surface. The former is much easier to keep clean, since there is no edge where grime and water can accumulate. But the latter is a lot easier to install.

Then you must choose what to do about the edges of your ceramic tile countertops. You can use a half-round wood molding to match your cabinets. This looks nice, but has the disadvantage of being a soft material that is pretty easily damaged, and will likely need to be replaced now and then.

A better edge would be made of the same ceramic material as the tile itself. Some ceramic tile has matching half-round strips that you can buy to use for this purpose. If they're not available, then you will need to cut some of your tiles to create flat strips to use for the edge.

I think you can see that installing ceramic tile countertops is quite a bit more difficult than laying a ceramic tile floor. So unless you're quite adept at carpentry, it may be best to leave the installation to someone who is experienced at resurfacing countertops.

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Estela

Posted 576 days ago

Yes, there are problems with using ceramic tiles for a kitchen countertop, but I have one, and I certainly wouldn't trade it for any other kind of surface -- it' so nice-looking!

Lizbeth

Posted 595 days ago

I have a "self-rimming" sink, and not only is it hard to keep the edge clean, but it makes a really good place for insects to disappear when you're trying to swat them.

Charla

Posted 618 days ago

I have a ceramic tile countertop in my kitchen. I agree with what you said about the grout picking up grime. I'm constantly having to clean the groove out with a toothbrush.

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