Re: Applying ceramic tile on kitchen countertop with sink

Let me first welcome you to the site. I have applied a large tile top to a plywood based table and used no more nails and it holds very well.




please advice what your counter top is made of so others can make the correct recommendations...

Re: Applying ceramic tile on kitchen countertop with sink

i am getting myself that adhesive!

If you are setting the tile on a cemented surface. Any tile adhesive will do. ABC is good enough. just DONT ever use CEMENT. The ordinary cement will hold the tile IF alot of prepwork is done and if you prolong the curing of the cement. Which to me is highly impractical and tile adhesives arent that much more expensive. So if the prepwork isnt done properly, aangat ang tile mo. for counter tops its a major headache, for floors is ok as long as you dont mind wobbly tile... for walls its an accident waiting to squish someone 🙂

Dont forget to seal the grout in between the tiles. this will prevent dicoloration mildew and what not. Grout itself is not water proof

you can either:

1) while mixing the powdered grout in water add the solution that will make the grout water proof

2.) or use an external applicator wherein you brush the sealant (usually silicone based but is very easy to do, parang tubig consistency) after the grout has cured and tile is installed

Also when applying the tie adhesive dapat HINDI flat yung pag slap mo sa semento. you have to ridge it, so as the tile puts its weight on the adhesive the ridged areas will disperse and spread evenly avoiding airholes.

hmmm i can go on and on and on cge ill stop here nalang 🙂 was thinking of typing about tile spacers, edging , etc hehe

Re: Applying ceramic tile on kitchen countertop with sink

thanks for the propmt response sir timber, my countertop is made out of concrete (rough finish), then stainless sink, gusto ko sana lagyan ng ceramic tiles.

thanks

Re: Applying ceramic tile on kitchen countertop with sink

i am getting myself that adhesive!

If you are setting the tile on a cemented surface. Any tile adhesive will do. ABC is good enough. just DONT ever use CEMENT. The ordinary cement will hold the tile IF alot of prepwork is done and if you prolong the curing of the cement. Which to me is highly impractical and tile adhesives arent that much more expensive. So if the prepwork isnt done properly, aangat ang tile mo. for counter tops its a major headache, for floors is ok as long as you dont mind wobbly tile... for walls its an accident waiting to squish someone 🙂

Dont forget to seal the grout in between the tiles. this will prevent dicoloration mildew and what not. Grout itself is not water proof

you can either:

1) while mixing the powdered grout in water add the solution that will make the grout water proof

2.) or use an external applicator wherein you brush the sealant (usually silicone based but is very easy to do, parang tubig consistency) after the grout has cured and tile is installed

Also when applying the tie adhesive dapat HINDI flat yung pag slap mo sa semento. you have to ridge it, so as the tile puts its weight on the adhesive the ridged areas will disperse and spread evenly avoiding airholes.

hmmm i can go on and on and on cge ill stop here nalang 🙂 was thinking of typing about tile spacers, edging , etc hehe

wow... great! thanks for the tip beebeenator this will surely help me on my first ever tile installation project. hehheheheh. the moment i saw this site I knew that this would be the right place for my queries! actually if isn't too much may I also get tips on tile spacing,edging and cutting.. thanks much sir! mabuhay ka!

Re: Applying ceramic tile on kitchen countertop with sink

i am getting myself that adhesive!

If you are setting the tile on a cemented surface. Any tile adhesive will do. ABC is good enough. just DONT ever use CEMENT. The ordinary cement will hold the tile IF alot of prepwork is done and if you prolong the curing of the cement. Which to me is highly impractical and tile adhesives arent that much more expensive. So if the prepwork isnt done properly, aangat ang tile mo. for counter tops its a major headache, for floors is ok as long as you dont mind wobbly tile... for walls its an accident waiting to squish someone 🙂

Dont forget to seal the grout in between the tiles. this will prevent dicoloration mildew and what not. Grout itself is not water proof

you can either:

1) while mixing the powdered grout in water add the solution that will make the grout water proof

2.) or use an external applicator wherein you brush the sealant (usually silicone based but is very easy to do, parang tubig consistency) after the grout has cured and tile is installed

Also when applying the tie adhesive dapat HINDI flat yung pag slap mo sa semento. you have to ridge it, so as the tile puts its weight on the adhesive the ridged areas will disperse and spread evenly avoiding airholes.

hmmm i can go on and on and on cge ill stop here nalang 🙂 was thinking of typing about tile spacers, edging , etc hehe

wow... great! thanks for the tip beebeenator this will surely help me on my first ever tile installation project. hehheheheh. the moment i saw this site I knew that this would be the right place for my queries! actually if it isn't too much may I also get tips on tile spacing,edging and cutting.. thanks much sir! mabuhay ka!

Re: Applying ceramic tile on kitchen countertop with sink

i am getting myself that adhesive!

If you are setting the tile on a cemented surface. Any tile adhesive will do. ABC is good enough. just DONT ever use CEMENT. The ordinary cement will hold the tile IF alot of prepwork is done and if you prolong the curing of the cement. Which to me is highly impractical and tile adhesives arent that much more expensive. So if the prepwork isnt done properly, aangat ang tile mo. for counter tops its a major headache, for floors is ok as long as you dont mind wobbly tile... for walls its an accident waiting to squish someone 🙂

Dont forget to seal the grout in between the tiles. this will prevent dicoloration mildew and what not. Grout itself is not water proof

you can either:

1) while mixing the powdered grout in water add the solution that will make the grout water proof

2.) or use an external applicator wherein you brush the sealant (usually silicone based but is very easy to do, parang tubig consistency) after the grout has cured and tile is installed

Also when applying the tie adhesive dapat HINDI flat yung pag slap mo sa semento. you have to ridge it, so as the tile puts its weight on the adhesive the ridged areas will disperse and spread evenly avoiding airholes.

hmmm i can go on and on and on cge ill stop here nalang 🙂 was thinking of typing about tile spacers, edging , etc hehe

what's that sealant in number 2?

Re: Applying ceramic tile on kitchen countertop with sink

Spyghost

The sealant i used before is an ABC brand. Thats the most widely available kasi but there are other products din. It comes in a small bottle with brush applicator. We just call it grout sealant

Mortedeus

I am glad i am of assistance 🙂 Spacing will depend greatly if your tile is called "rectified " or not. rectified pertains to the edges, This is if the edges are STRAIGHT dead on and perfectly squared ( at 90 degrees) of the adjacent sides.

when rectified the spacing can be set as THIN as possible. I have seen Kanteros use folded newspaper as spacers. These to me looks cleaner and nicer

If the tile is not rectified you will need a larger spacer, for that i would recomment that you get tile spacers, they look like X's , white plastic. These are a small investment and can be re-used so i would not scrimp on this one . These come in a variety of thickness. Alll depot place have them.

for a kitchen sink countertop a rectified tile is best, since lesser grout area means lesser entry points for water to seep in.

I also forgot to mention, before applying tile adhesive i would recomment putting thoroseal or mortaseal, these are cement based water proofing. This is only recommended but not necessary, This is in case your grout sealing fails at least your water wont seep all the way down. these however are expensive. 🙁

For Tile cutting i would recommend that you have it doen outside instead. I would USE a dedicated proper tile cutting tool instead of grinder. Grinder is too messy and takes too long for a pratical diy job. If you dont have a tile cutter you can have it cut at Wilcon. They do tile cutting services. Cant remember the price but its ridiculously cheap.

For leveling, ito mano mano talaga no easy way out. Invest on an 8 inch level. after slapping on the tile you start tapping and it normal for tile adhesive to seep out of the edges. Make sure you put a little more tile adhesive than you think is necessary. So you have that allowance for tapping it down. The worst thing is when you have to pull it out again kasi you tapped it down too much 🙂

the 8 inch is for leveling on a single tile basis the longer level is to check if it is on the same height level with the adjacent tiles. Leveling is a huge skill with many tiles, but if only few its manageable.

I learned all this from staring at my contractor's staff build my house and some more from observation and asking around the sales rep in Wilcon.

... applying grout din pala... hmmm this one is best seen on video. Go youtube it. I youtubed it before when i couldnt understand the jist of the sales rep was telling me. heheheh. dont forget to let the grout cure properly din... or else it will crack. It comes in the instruction naman

Good luck! and Welcome din pala sa forum 🙂

Re: Applying ceramic tile on kitchen countertop with sink

When using tile adhesives don't forget to use a notched trowel.

Re: Applying ceramic tile on kitchen countertop with sink

hi,

share lang. Ang itinuro sa akin before I was doing QC of houses particlarly for counter tops:

1) katukin to know kung may mga ampaw na tiles, sila ung unang nasisira kapag napapatungan ng mabigat
2) make sure the sealant are filled the gap totally kasi pumapasok ang tubig at mga langam sa gaps na un..
3) connection ng stainless sink at tiles. Usual na hindi maayus ang connection nila and end up cracking and leaking,,

hope it help

Re: Applying ceramic tile on kitchen countertop with sink

When using tile adhesives don't forget to use a notched trowel.

lately lang nagpagawa ako ng tiles sa master bedroom, ung karpentero di siya gumamit ng tiles adhesive ordinary cement lang ang napansin ko my mga kawang na tiles , anong effect pag di gumagamit ng notched trowel at tiles adhesive

Re: Applying ceramic tile on kitchen countertop with sink

Sir Opzuk's notched trowel is very important. When i mentioned my steps i indicated "ridges" heehehe i forgot what it was properly called

Notched trowels makes the ridges, What it does is this:

- reduce or eliminate gaps/voids/airholes when placing the tile on top of the tile adhesive. This is achieved because the notched/ridged areas of the adhesive will natrally spread around once pressure is placed. If it was leveled flat, movement from placing pressure on it may cause some settling and leave gaps or voids...

- Tile adhesive, As discussed above, reacts differently from cement. When cement dries it may or may not grab the tile very well. This is why when using cement the tile must be VERY wet (usually ni sosoak pa ito sa tubig) this helps the cement grab on to the tile when curing. Tile adhesive doesnt need that sort of attention. And with cement its sometimes hit or miss.... usually hit but it really is a pain when you get a miss.

Re: Applying ceramic tile on kitchen countertop with sink

If you are going to DIY it, do not use cement. I see kanteros still use cement but you need a skilled tile setter to do that tidily. Tile adhesive (e.g. ABC) is best for thin-bed method of tile setting. Just spread the tile adhesive using a notched trowel and stick the tiles one by one. Any patient DIY-er can do it. Be sure of the following: a) the countertop is level b) the tiles are spaced equally (yes, these plastic spacers are available in most homebuilders depots). You can also use tile trims so that your tile edges will look professionally done.

Re: Applying ceramic tile on kitchen countertop with sink

Spyghost
....when rectified the spacing can be set as THIN as possible. I have seen Kanteros use folded newspaper as spacers. These to me looks cleaner and nicer....

Kantero pala tawag sa kanila....

I've seen a Kantero used nails as spacers.

If a folded newspaper is used as a spacer, how many folds are needed? If I want a thinner spacing, can I just use strips/pieces of a document folder? Saves time in folding a newspaper, and the "thinness" would be surely uniform.