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How to Install Granite Tile Kitchen Countertops: Preparing the Cabinets
Removing the old countertop can be easy if it’s just screwed to cabinet corner braces or tough if it’s glued down. One peek inside the cabinets will tell you how it’s secured. If it’s glued down you’ll have to pry it loose with a flat bar. It’s best to pry from inside the cabinets to avoid damaging the finish.
Countertop Details
The key to flat, long-lasting tile countertops is a solid plywood base. Thin cabinet sides or corner braces simply won’t provide enough anchorage to hold the plywood flat and stable. After the tops are removed, you’ll have to build up cabinet edges with 1x4 or 2x4 blocking along cabinet backs, ends and areas where plywood splices will fall.
Cut the 3/4-in. plywood underlayment to length so it splices over blocking using the factory edge of the plywood in the front for straight nosings. Cut plywood to length to fit flush with finished cabinet ends and 1 in. short of cabinets that butt against appliances like stoves or refrigerators.
Use Cement Board or Denshield for the Tile BackingYou’re probably already familiar with cement tile backer board, which is completely acceptable, but a new gypsum-based material called “Denshield” is gaining popularity. It’s also a great choice for countertop tile bases. It has a gypsum core like drywall, but the core and the sheathing have been modified to repel moisture and accept a tile overlay with conventional bonding adhesives. If you’ve ever struggled with cutting and installing cement board, you’ll appreciate working with Denshield. It’s lightweight and you cut, snap, rasp and fasten it exactly like standard drywall. It’s sold throughout the country, and home centers usually stock the 32 in. x 60 in. sheets— the best size for countertops.
Splice the Denshield where ever you wish, but keep in mind that all of the splices and the outside and inside corners need to be taped with fiberglass mesh tape and a thin layer of thinset, so avoid using lots of little pieces.
Building and Using the Tile Mitering Jig
This miter jig will fit on most tile saws, but it may need alteration for some models. See Fig. B for the cutting sizes of the mitering-jig components. Use any flat 1/2-in. plywood for the jig. A table saw is the tool to use. Cut the parts, then spread exterior-grade woodworker’s glue on the edges and tack them together with 1-in. nails.
Rest the jig on a flat table and clamp a tile to the angled jig surface with the bottom of the tile resting on the tabletop. Then rest the narrow stop block against the top of the tile and glue and tack it to the jig.
Positioning the jig and clamping it securely are crucial for consistent miters. The objective is to get a perfectly even miter that ends right at the edge of the 1/16-in. factory cut micro-bevel on the tile edge. You’ll have to make some fine adjustments. Cut some test tiles with the jig and make the fine adjustments until you’re satisfied. Use rejects for the rear row of tiles with the bad edge against the backsplash.
The jig is set up only for full tiles. If you need to cut bevels on narrower pieces like at countertop ends, mark those tiles during layout and cut them before cutting the tiles to width.
MITERING JIG
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