Joe's Kitchen Remodel, Marble Tile Counter

[jgleason]

All new information at the end of this thread!!!

My wife and I are getting tired of our 80's style kitchen and we are going to do a mini remodel. The tile portion will be the countertops and backsplash. This remodel is strictly low budget as we intend to do a full kitchen makeover in the next three to five years. I'll have some questions soon enough but for now I'll post a couple of pics of the 12x12 Desert Sunset Marble Tile we found at the big orange store. The backsplash is probably going to be a red glass penny round, pictured below too. I plan on handling the counter edge with Schluter's Rondec Step.

[cniverson]

I've never seen marble used for kit. counters. I'm sure there's a good reason. But then again before this year I'd never seen paper, bamboo or recycled glass used for counters either.

[Hamilton]

After staring at the first pic for a few seconds I realized the 3 white spots
are reflections of the lights above lol. Thats a great color for the counters
Joe. I have always wanted to work with penny round but have never had
the opportunity. I am looking forward to more pics. Your marble should
last for a while and I understand your post. Its short term. Do seal it
well. I saw a marble bar top that had a leaky wine box set on it. Big etched
square where it sat.

[jgleason]

Yep, definitely not needing it to last a lifetime. The marble is actually cheaper than going with laminate and gives me a chance to do some more tiling. I wanted to use granite tiles but my wife really likes the marble. We'll take our chances, not too worried about wine, I'll just keep it well clear of the counters. I wonder how marble reacts to a beer spill? nevermind, I never spill my beer ). I think I'll be starting this in a few weeks, as soon as all the snow is melted!

[sportskid1]

Great looking tile. I think if you are just careful you will be fine for a while as this is not a perminate solution. Just remember any acidic liquid may etch the finish. This includes any incorrect cleaning solutions, citrus juice (ie lemon juice), ect. Just be careful and clean up spills quickly and you will have a great new counter.

[imintrouble]

joe, what is this? Schluter's Rondec Step Im going to try to look it up but im excited because we are in the same boat. I recently purchased a marble tile to use on my countertop and island for a temporary solution for now since it was cheaper to tile it that way than a laminate would be. I do plan to seal it really well so that it prevents any damage from liquids. My questions to you are these:

what is this:
What size trowel are you using
what type of thinset - color and variety
what grout thickness
what grout color
and how the f are you planning on getting that edge!

Thanks in advance.

[jgleason]

Hi trouble, Got a first name I can call you by? The Schluter Rondec Step is the metal edge detail shown in the bottom right picture in my post above.

I'll probably use a 1/4" square notch trowel. Counter will be 3/4" plywood followed by Ditra. I'll use white Versabond to set the Ditra and the tile too. I'm going to keep the grout line small, 1/16" or less. Grout color will be something that matches and will probably be Laticrete's Spectralock.

[imintrouble]

thanks for responding. the name is brian btw.... how come you posted the picture on the top right that shows what looks like a solid slab. I want hte solid slab look but with the tile. I was debating whether or not to cut the edge on an angle to easy it or just leave it square and polish it. i was planning on overlapping the tiles by having the counter surface overhang and have the side piece go underneath it approximately 1.75 inches. any reason why you would choose the ditra over a concrete board? ive used the hardibacker on a few floors and a shower and found it to be rather difficult to cut. I know its easy if you have the right tools but i found that use the regular drywall knife took forever. I have to get one of those carbide cutting tools unless you sway me to the ditra.

How thin are you planning to make the thinset? i put up slate in the shower and had to make it fairly peanut butter for it to stick right away to teh wall. the drawback with that is the lack of consistency in how much your putting down since its so thick its hard to work with.

Whats the reason for the lacticrete? does it have superior stain and mold protection? can you get it at the big box stores?

just for kicks, how much is your schluter rondec going to run you?

[jgleason]

Started the demo today! Here are some pics before the demo.
1. Looking at the kitchen from the living room.
2. The brick monster...really tired of this.
3. Front side of the brick.

[jgleason]

And now no more brick!

[jgleason]

I did a quick dry layout of a few tiles. The next few pics show the marble along with the Schluter Rondec Step trim piece. New cabinet hardware will match the Rondec. Keeping the old cabinets but putting on new doors and painting them.

[jgleason]

One more pic.

[Marge]

not too worried about wine, I'll just keep it well clear of the counters.

[jgleason]

Was wondering when you'd catch that Marge. There will be no wine on the counter, can't speak for where else it will end up.

It finally warmed up here in NH. Going to have to get going on some outside projects soon. Kitchen comes first though.

[jgleason]

Need some advice...I'm going to use Bulletproof sealer to seal my tiles . Should I seal before install or after? Planning on using Spectralock grout and tight grout lines, 1/32".