How To Build a Custom Tile Counter Top

[@r4ng3rownz8]

You are an expert at this, I have watched a few videos on tiling and you are by far the best! Thank you!!

[@michaeldoran3910]

Looks good. Straightforward installation and you explained the essentials very well. Helpful inspiration for me. Well done.

[@phoebegibbs2181]

That part with the tape and the calking was really helpful -

[@apocalypse9347]

Excellent video. Superb editing. Detailed information. Straight and to the point. This is how videos should be done. I’ve opted to tile my counters and needed good info. Thanks for posting this. Peace and blessings

[@mralexdenny]

Thanks for the positive comment-- we do try our best -- just want to help people try and do their best. Thanks.

[@mralexdenny]

here is another Video with the "Large Format Tile which we like-- can also be done with 24" X 24" or larger as this counter was 30" wide-- kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6mxequdhdiEebM

[@docgray1013]

Excellent presentation. Looked over your channel and your a man's man and out there living my dreams.

[@mralexdenny]

thanks very much---

[@Stormyweld05]

This looks wonderful. I'd like to give this a go, too.

[@mralexdenny]

Thanks, yes it did work out well, i have since done a video with the "Large format" tile-- which i would recommend as there are fewer grout lines, 24" X 24 " or 12 X 24

[@mralexdenny]

Here is the updated video with the large format tile---- kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6nMY2dsrNSAjJI

[@anastasios3006]

Informative and well presented video. Thanks

[@ozlemguler4324]

Thankyou for a great video! I really enjoyed watching your work - it's well thought out and considered and I appreciate the way you introduced me to the tools and techniques (such as the float and taping the edges before caulking). I'm going to attempt tiling the outdoor kitchen bench before we install a new barbeque. My partner will enjoy your video too, I'm sure!

[@mralexdenny]

Thanks very much-- i hope the video helps you with your project-- Take a look into my shale ,there is another more updated large format tile video.

[@rudy_2299]

Nice tape job

[@Guanacoboi]

Looks good! Can you do a half pattern with a 12” x12” tile? On a countertop? I find it hard to figure out a transition where it turns

[@komatheeroobavathy4260]

Well done thank you so much I am enjoying watching.🇲🇾

[@savoy6]

Beautifully done

[@DiannaAtherton]

Pretty good looking tile. Can you do a video on using porcelain tile edges and how they meet together to create a finished edge. Especially if you have no seperate bullnose pieces. Thanks

[@mralexdenny]

Hi Dianna, thanks for your comment and interest in this and other videos--Sorry i'm not doing much tile work these days -- but if i do another i would love to do the "Bullnose" in tile--

[@DiannaAtherton]

@@mralexdenny that works.

[@nightmareperdomo1313]

Man I like this system thanks you

[@richardwolske2015]

Loved this video, thank you !

[@karenrose2544]

Gorgeous! Nice job.

[@mralexdenny]

Thanks very much. This was in the early times of me attempting tile-- i do have another newer video with a "Large format" tile , in this case i used a 12" X 24" slate looking "porcelain" tile which we love. Namely there are fewer grout lines-- as well new style "Mapi" grout is pre-sealed.

[@mralexdenny]

here is part II of the large format tile--kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6nMY2dsrNSAjJI

[@leebrocato6300]

Thanks for the straight no B.S. instructuon

[@coreykaminski3818]

thank you so much for sharing your know how

[@docgray1013]

I have a question....on the tile near the sink corner, what tools/steps did you take to cut the curves?

[@mralexdenny]

Good question-- i basically cut in from both sides on the tile saw, then free handed the corners by holding the tile up to the blade and "grinding" sideways, slowly working closer and closer to the line-- its my cheep method of doing that cut-- one could buy a diamond hole saw of a large radius and pre-drill the corners. I use a top mount sink generally to make the cutting simpler as the rim of the sink hides the cuts. --hope that helps-- !

[@MsCurliegirlie]

Great idea with the fir strip!!!

[@mralexdenny]

thanks-- makes a nice finished edge

[@martinisabrie4114]

Nice

[@JenniferMartinez-mg8dy]

Perfect to the point

[@maryalicemccrae8750]

Is your fir edge (3/4" x 2") the actual measurements? i.e. a 2x4 is actually 1.5 " x 3.5" I'm working on this project and the hickory I picked up from home depot is sold as a 1" x 2" and is actually 3/4" x 1.5" and I'm nervous about having enough room for the thickness of the thin set and tile. thanks for your help

[@mralexdenny]

Hi, thanks, i milled it my self so i think it was 3/4' X 1 3/4" -- 1.5" would be the minimum--- depends how this the substrate is-- as well as the tile-- defiantly want min. 5/8" above your substrate if you tile is 3/8"-- or 3/4" if your tile is 1/2" --

[@JoseSanchez-xd1oz]

Beautiful job.

[@thatonegamer2709]

Ok so hopefully you reply back...i recently seen people tiling over the plywood itself...now i have always known to use wonderboard...is there any actual difference besides maybe the joints cracking sooner when applied to plywood only cus of the movement as oppose to wonderboard.?..thanks!!

[@amcra4science]

why didn’t you use larger format tiles for fewer grout lines and smoother easier to clean surface?

[@carolynschempf5955]

I wanted to see how far under the sink to install the tile. Or does it butt up to the edge. Then press the sink onto the silicon? I can't find a how-to for this part. Thnx

[@marckalmanson5568]

How long after grouting do you wait before installing sink?

[@somuchinfo]

Very Nice! What kind of tiles are they?

[@mralexdenny]

Hi, If i am doing a counter then i always use a "Porcelain" tile-- Vs Ceramic which usually have a clay core or bace with a glaze on the surface. The porcelain is much more resilient to impact. Hope this helps, i think the customer bought all the tile for this job.

[@vaughnsawyer3937]

Good job 👏

[@russe19642]

Do you waterproof on top of hardisheet?

[@LOUIEbsm]

XLNT job!!!

[@JenniferMartinez-mg8dy]

Thank you

[@hotdogs5265]

Thanks

[@dannybrazil3986]

I noticed you didn't primer or waterproof your cement board with any kind of waterproofing membrane are you using a waterproof cement board?

[@mralexdenny]

Hi Danny, No . I bedded all the tiles in Non- Polymer modified mortar and used a pre-sealed grout . Years later no water issues -----

[@dannybrazil3986]

@@mralexdenny So its the pre- sealed grout that's protecting the substrate from water damage ? Does non- polymer modified mortar have any water protection ? i ask only because i don't have any idea. And thank you for taking the time to respond.

[@mralexdenny]

@@dannybrazil3986 If you have water getting to the substrate-- your in trouble. Basically if you use a cement mortar -- porcelain tile and pre sealed grout -- you should have years of use with no issues. only use polymer modified mortar to bond to wood-- not porcelain or cement--

[@mralexdenny]

@@dannybrazil3986 updated--kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6mxequdhdiEebM

[@mralexdenny]

@@dannybrazil3986 part 2 of the update--kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6nMY2dsrNSAjJI

[@funnynickline]

Yes Sir!!!❤

[@zmarssojourner7435]

Do you need to waterproof the fir nosing? Ty

[@mralexdenny]

A good idea-- either paint or clear Varathane or pre-stain--then Varathane

[@jorgecallico9177]

No expansion joints on 6he backer board? Could be a HUGE mistakeZ

[@beesvalbeesval3826]

I wish I can do this.

[@mralexdenny]

You can-- ask someone to help you with the substrate and then you on your way-- use a rented tile saw or borrow one-- good luck--

[@ElevenSaints]

I saw you in floor & decor today picking up some green tile for your counter tops. I wanted to ask you for your number but didn’t wanna make it awkward. I can’t stop thinking about you

[@daytonc4736]

Can I use one piece of plywood and one sheet of tile backer board

[@mralexdenny]

yes you can. 5/8" minimum ply and 1/4" minimum backer board. fasten well with screws and glue on any joints.

[@daytonc4736]

I'm tiling the edge can I use adhesive or dose it have to be mortar?

[@mralexdenny]

I would say that mortar is always the strongest in the long run, especially around a water situation and is proven and does require 24-48 hr. before and use. If i had a choice i would not use adhesive on the nosing although it is easier and less of a mess ..

[@doeeyes394]

Looks very good. I want to use webbed back mosaic tile sheets as my countertop. This will be on my just made new kitchen cabinets so there is no surface put down yet to start my countertops. I'm open to some experienced suggestions as to what "sub straight" foundations I should use for my countertops. I know I will be using an epoxy grout and then a thin layer of epoxy covering all the tiles. After I have dispatched all the air bubbles with a heat gun and sand, I will then be putting a final splash coat of epoxy. So I'm needing to know how and what I need to use for my countertop base and also recommendation on a brand and type of thin set to apply my mesh backed tiles to the "sub" countertop foundation. I would like to thank you in advance for you time and information provided! Blessings Always! Doe Campbell Texas

[@mralexdenny]

Thanks, sorry just getting back to you. Basically the strongest backer you can make. I would recommend 5/8" marine ply (no voids) or similar-- 7-10 ply laminations or a 3/4" ply with a 1/2" or 1/4" hardi-board-- cement backer board of some kind. Avoid attaching tile directly to ply or similar as i will expand and crack the tile.

[@nerlandejean6833]

The

[@memyavenue]

Where did you get the tiles from?

[@mralexdenny]

I think the customer chose them, -- Generally any tile store/Fooring store can order whatever you like--

[@jimf.2964]

Large format tile looks better. Fewer grout lines

[@mralexdenny]

Yes-- did that on the next one--

[@brizzx32]

Missed the most important part of the job, waterproofing. Backer board or durock is not water proof, must put down paper first on wood or eventually water will get to plywood.

[@honkymonkey9568]

I've decided to use peel & stick. I'm not going through all that shit.

[@thermonuclearwarfare]

Nice work, although if i were the homeowner I would have chose a different tile. That stuff looks cheap.

[@mralexdenny]

Yes-- well this was a cabin in the woods for rental-- used what was available at the time for minimum cost-- thanks.

[@olguinemaingrette4375]

grout was mixed a lil to thick

[@426superbee4]

I will NEVER use mortar again! Its very mess, and sets way to fast. What i used was tube silicone ~ It worked Excellent ~ Fast and easy. Then i grouted it in That another mess, Cleaning off the grout on the tile. But not as near as hard to work with, as MORTAR 👎 You do got to rough up the surface and clean it! Where its dry and dust free, using silicone ~ I can't even pry it up he hee

[@bayareatrucking]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@426superbee4]

@@bayareatrucking 🤪🤪You just can't work with mortar. You got to level and set the title in. AND MORTAR DON'T GIVE YOU TIME ENOUGH 😡😡Silicone or Liquid Nails give you time you need

[@0007Seven-y4o]

Haha, colored caulk 🤣

[@AdamSmiff]

Meh

[@johnsmith-qe2fd]

Looks gay without the bull nose edge👎

[@mralexdenny]

OH well-- wood is what i had on the remote island we live on so wood is what i used-- still works and functions just fine--

[@Orcinus1967]

Tile countertops are disgusting. Food gets caught in the grout lines. If you want to clean it you have to take everything off the counter and scrub. Are you really going to do that once a week? No. Tile countertops are the most unsanitary thing you could do to a kitchen. I never ran into them until I moved to California. So gross. Don't do it. No "yes but...". Its f-ing disgusting. Ever see a professional kitchen? They use stainless steel. Tile, which needs to be sealed, and resealed later, and grout which needs to be epoxy grout and resealed, is about as far away from stainless as you can get. If there was something I wanted to use to trap food waste, I would use tile. I worked in F&B for 28 years and I've seen & cleaned some disgusting stuff. Tile countertops are right up there. Ever see tile countertops in a restaurant kitchen? Nope. Now you know why. Disgusting, and nearly impossible to clean without a full detailing.