Tile Workers

Tiles made from Granite as just as easy to install as your typical ceramic tiles, but the edges are different. Installing a solid counter top comprised of granite tiles can cost less than $30 for each square foot if done correctly. This includes all the materials you will need, or approximately the same cost were you to have a plastic laminate counter top installed by a professional. Granite tiles generally come in 12-inch square formats that come in a wide variety of selections for less than $20 each. Premium selections can, however, cost upwards of $50 per tile.

Granite is well known for offering a natural beauty, resistance to heat, durability in addition to permanence. Ordinary solid-stone counter tops can be extremely pricey, at between $65 and $100 per square foot, because of the provisions of the installation. Working with granite tiles instead can save quite a bit of money, and only entails a small amount of extra work.

The trickiest part associated with the installation of stone tile counter tops is managing to cut crisp, clean nosing, which is the front lip of the counter top. If you use a home-made jig, which is clamped to a tile saw, you can cut perfect 45-degree miters which make this difficult task significantly simpler. Also, when it comes to finishing off the gap that is on the backsplash portion of the counter, it would be efficient to try and use leftover tile trimmings from nosing cuts to save both tiles and money.

In addition to the tiles that you will need, you should also pick up all of the following:

? 25 lbs of thin-set mortar, which will cost you approximately $10.
? 5 lbs of un-sanded grout, to use in the tile joints, which will cost you approximately $5.
? A quart of sealer for polished-granite, which will cost you around $25.
? Fiberglass mesh tape, which will be used to take seams.
? ?? notched trowel, which will be used to spread the thin-set.
? A putty knife in either four or six inches.
? A margin towel, approximately 2 inches.
? A honing stone, which will soften sharp edges.
? Caulk that matches the color of the grout, in order to substitute inside corners.
? Plastic spacers, which will support the tiles in the backsplash.

If you?ve tiled using ceramic tiles before, granite will not be much different for you. You cannot score and snap granite like it is possible to do with ceramic tiles, but using a diamond tile saw you can cut through granite tiles without much difficulty. Aside from that, you will use all of the same tools and materials, so having ceramic tile experience will be especially helpful.

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