Live Green And Live Strong!

I just got a GREAT e-mail from a user, and I thought it should be answered here for everyone!

Deborah F. wrote:
I have a formica kitchen counter top that needs to be replaced. Can I just cover it rather than sending it to a landfill?

Deborah…KUDOS for really thinking Green! That’s a terrific question, and the answer is a resounding YES.

Even better, this is a project that can be tackled by anyone who’s even a little bit handy, so you can save some serious Green and Do It Yourself!

As long as the formica is still securely attached, you can go right over it with practically anything- new formica, thin corian, tile, etc.

My preference for this is always porcelain tile- hard, scratch resistant, and incredibly durable.

But…I have had some Tres Cool results using Glass Mosaic Tile mats as well: It all depends on the look you want.

Here’s where you start. First, you need to assemble your materials. No matter what surface you decide on, there are a couple of things that will remain standard across the board.

You are going to want the mastic/grout/caulk to be both very durable and highly heat-resistant and waterproof, so we are going to go with a special type for these.

The mastic you want is the Mapei No-Sag formulated especially for glass tile, although it will give superior performance for ANY tile. Not only that, it’s VERY Green! Check the specs and you’ll see what I mean

Here’s where to get it: Adesilex P10 (43 lb. Bag). You will want to mix it with the Keraply Additive as well: DON’T use water! You can also find glass tile, grout, and caulk there for one stop shopping!

If you are going with glass mosaic, you will also need a set of wheeled glass nippers- they carry those too, for around 20 bucks. If you decide to go with Porcelain, you will need a wet-saw. You can rent one just about anywhere, or you can pony up around $99 for this little wonder from MK Diamondthat will do a wonderful job…and you will have it for your next project too! I have this saw myself, and I use it FAR more than my monster 10″ QEP saw.

If you decide to go with porcelain or another material, you can get that here: but you still want to go with the Mapei products for mastic, admixture, grout, and caulk.

You will need to know how much to buy, so we have some measuring to do. Measure your countertop’s length in inches and multiply it by the width in inches. Write this number down.

Then, get the length and width of any backsplash you either have existing or have decided to install- many people remove the existing 4″ splash from the top and run the tile up the back walls to the bottom of the cabinets, which is a VERY nice look indeed! Include the edge of the top if you are going to tile it- many people install a decorative trim board or stone edge instead…It’s up to you.

Now that you have all your numbers in inches, add them up, subtract the sink opening, and then ADD 10% for cutting scrap and waste. Believe me, it’ll happen.

Take that final square-inches number and divide it by 144 and round this number up to the next higher full square-foot. That is your final square-footage needed for the project, and will determine how much tile, mastic, and grout you need to purchase.

OK, so you’ve got your order in. While you wait for it to be delivered (about two-three days if you went with WholesaleUSA) you should get started on the prep- the worst part of the job, but one of the most Important!

Formica is SLICK. Now we want a nice smooth surface to tile to, but not THAT smooth. Use 40 Grit sandpaper to rough-up the surface. A neat trick is to wrap the paper around an 8″ block of 2×4 lumber and staple it to the top to create a sanding block.

We aren’t trying to remove the formica, now…just rough it up good. Wear a mask! And have your vacuum handy for clean-up: a small shop-vac is a very good idea here.

You can leave the sink and/or range top in for this, but when it’s time to start tiling, they will have to be removed. Something to consider: This type of re-tiling of a top doesn’t lend itself well to an “under-hung” sink installation. A surface mount sink is more applicable, although with a bit of finagling you can make an under-hung sink work- this is probably outside of the skills of most do-it-your-selfers, though.

Alright- we are ready to do our layout and start the tile project. We will start on our deck surface: walls come second. The best way for a newbie to do this is by laying your tile or mosaic mats dry directly on the top and spacing them for grout lines. What we want is a layout that forces us to cut as little as possible while maintaining a pleasing pattern.

That said, many people prefer a “Diamond” layout on tops, although this increases cutting dramatically. One big benefit however (besides the cool look), is that the grout lines between deck and walls don’t have to line up- a huge deal when the structures aren’t square and plumb (which is most older homes )

Ideally, the sink will be centered in the pattern- that should be where you start the layout. Take into account any “accent” tiles or decorative edging you will be using, and start with as big a tile as you can from the front edge working in towards the wall.

Now at this point I’m going to send you off for some training- This article is not going to be enough for you to do a really first-class job…and I don’t have time to write a book here, especially when my pal Randy Davis already has!

Randy’s Video series on tiling is a KILLER resource, and will get you through this and many other tile projects in style, and they are a really easy way to discover how to layout and set tile from an industry pro instructor for less than you will pay for a good set of trowels!

I highly recommend you snap up a copy of Randy’s excellent series from Randy’s Tile Made Easy, but feel free to comment here if you get stuck, and I’ll be glad to help you out myself!

Oh…you want to know what the heck I know about tile, etc.? LOL, fair question- you thought I was just some Green Living hack writer, right? Fair assumption…

Fact is, I could give Randy lessons, and on a whole LOT more than just tiling Check out my bona-fides at Goal Electrical & Construction!

Now Go. ReUse. Tile. SAVE.

Peace!

Greenie