Hi, we are remodelling our bathroom on a shoestring budget. A faux marble countertop and sink are currently installed and rather than custom order a new top which would be expensive, we would like to try to tile over the counter, cut the existing bowl out and replace it with a drop in bowl. Has anyone ever tiled over faux marble. Will the mortar adhere well enough? Are there any other special considerations I should be aware of? Thanks.
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I cut out two integral "marble" sinks and replaced them with drop-ins, cuz the sinks were cracked at the drains but otherwise the top was in good shape, and the HO thought it would be cheaper to just replace the sinks. Wrong. It was a real ordeal to get the old bowls cut out. Has to use a 4" diamond wheel in a side grinder. Made one hell of a mess, even with a vac hose jammed against the wheel. When it was over, it did look good. Carbide bits completely wore out in less than an inch. If your counter is straight (the one I did was a 5 ft x 5 ft L), call your local top fabricator and get a price. Skip HD and the decorator shops...look in the yellow pages under countertops and start calling. Ask if they make their own tops or if they are a broker. You might be pleasantly surprised by the cost.
If you do go the tile route, treat the top like formica and you should be ok.
But what about the backsplash? Isn't it integral with the top? How are you going to cover that with tile?
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
Edited 6/16/2004 9:10 pm ET by Ed Hilton