Granite tiles over plastic laminate?
I have a 60 plus year old house with a kitchen that was last remodeled in about 1965. As part of my reworking it I am thinking of using 12″ x 12″ granite tiles on the counter tops. They are currently plastic laminate on top of 3/4″ plywood (no particle board in site) and seem very solid (just outdated and the wrong color). Someone suggested that I should put 1/4″ hardi-backer on top of the plastic laminate or I might be risking the quality of the whole job. I would like to hear suggestions and/or comments on this since I am not convinced it is worth the extra effort. Also the extra 1/4″ brings the top of the tile a tiny bit too high next to a window that comes down to the counter top.
Replies
Its most definitely worth the extra effort, chances are the thinset won't stick to the laminate very well.
You might also try screwing or stapling down some metal lath, and thinset directly to that
I still don't think it will work.
The thinset would grab the lathe, but still wouldn't grab the laminate, its to smooth for it to grip.
The best coarse of action would be to take out the existing counters and start from scratch with new plywood and 1/4" cement board. You could then adjust the width of the plywood to accommodate the added thickness of the the tile and cement board.
Using the existing is going to push the edges of the counter out by at least a 1/2" inch and create a funky overhang.
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I know some thinset mfg say thier latex modified products will adhere over laminates & old ceramic tile, but as I have said before I like to sleep at night so I have never tried this. What are you going to do about sink if you have one in this ct? My recomendation is to rip out old put in new 5/8" min. AC fir plywood 1/4"cement backer laid into thinset and nailed with 1" hd galv roofers then thinset and granite. Use a good quality latex modified flexible thinset and the same for grout then seal at least twice before use because granite is porous. Caulk well around the window and backsplash.
Sand the plastic laminates with 50 grit and go right ahead. If you had any doubts you could use a rewettable glue before thinsetting but I think that's overkill. Just rough it all up good, especially on the edges.
considering the disaster that could result, rip it all off and start new with a proper substrate, im no tile expert, so others here will have good suggestions
frankly i wouldnt even bother trying to put laminate over an old laminate, let alone an expensive tile
It looks like I have stirred up some controversy...
I notice that every mention of adhesive here seems to be talking about thin-set. I also notice that the main issue that people seem to be concerned about is that the tile might not stick well enough. In the case of the granite tile that I have been thinking about, the backside is flat with no ridges or bumps like I am used to seeing on ceramic tile. Also since the granite has to be machined to its size and shape it seems to me that the back side is probably going to be pretty flat on a consistent basis. I rather suspect that my existing counter is pretty flat too (I would of course want to confirm this). Isn't thin-set usually needed primarily when either the substrate or the tile has too much variation to accommodate with adhesive that has less body? With all this in mind what about using some other form of adhesive rather than thin-set? I remember having some trouble getting a soap dish to stick to the wall of a shower I was tiling. On the recommendation of a friend (with tiling experience) I used some general purpose glue (I think it was called "Goop On" or some such thing) and the soap dish is still hanging on after a dozen years. I am only talking about 40 square feet or so of granite tile so it would be OK if the adhesive cost somewhat more than thin-set. The extra cost might very well be offset by not having to add backer board or tear out the substrate entirely as some here have suggested.
I have not used granite tile. However, I have been looking at a similar project.
My understanding is that silicone caulk is used as an adhesive over plywood substrate. With that said, all stone tile is porous and the bedding compound/adhesive could cause staining of the tile. Some stone tile can absorb water. Given the use in the kitchen any tile purshased a counter tile should be resistant to water. But then I have been burned too many times by assumptions. You might want to verify that the tile does not absorb water.
As to your original question, I would like the answer. JLC had a recent article on installing tile over a laminate counter.
Don't be a hack/cheap, do it right the first time. You can carefully remove the old counter and use it as a cutting template for the new one. It doesn't take much skill/time/money to make a new counter top and screw some cement board to it.
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Theres about a zilion ways you can do it
There are a few that are right
The way you want to do it isn't one of them
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