Granite Installation for Kitchen Counters
Our 18" x 21" granite tile, bullnose edging, and ogee backsplash make it extremely easy for someone who has never worked with stone before to install their own kitchen counters. If you've never layed granite before, take a look at the diagrams below, read up on some explanation, and watch the youtube videos.
Plywood
- The plywood is your main countertop support. It provides rigitiy to the backerboard and supports the most amount of weight. The plywood is screwed to the cabinets cabinet supports underneath. If you have a span between the vertical cabinet supports of greater than 18" we recommend you secure a piece of 2x3 or 2x4 lumber horizontally between the cabinet supports to ensure that there is no flex in the plywood.Cement Backerboard
- The backerboard serves as the grip for the mortar. The backerboard screws straight into the plywood. Many backerboard manufacturers have marked spots for screw locations. If you just had plywood underneath the tile and any water seeped through the grout, the plywood would eventually warp, swell, and likely break the tile above it; backerboard won't do that. We recommend that you cut backerboard to lengths that span from cabinet support to cabinet support so that the backerboard provides even more strength to the counter.Thinset Mortar
- Mortar is the adhesive that holds your granite to your backerboard. Mortar is actually a type of concrete. In its most basic form it just portland cement and sand that you then mix with water (just like concrete). You will use a tool called a trowel to spread the mortar onto your backerboard.Video
Watching this video will give you a good visual on how the countertop installation goes. It should also give you an idea on how much labor you save by using the 21" x 18" tiles with bullnose edging on the front and ogee edging on the back for backsplash.