oh, look, bunnies!

My ceramic tile counter tops are being replaced with granite on Monday! I don't like them at all because I feel like they are never clean. Even right after I clean. Even right after I do a major grout cleaning. And I'm not even a neat freak. That being said, the crazy person who put my tile in used a matte finish, textured tile, more like you would find on a floor (except small). The photo you show looks like it would be much easier to maintain. Grout is still a pain, though.

I had them two kitchens ago. Other than the difficulty of keeping grout clean, I do not like the fact that they are not a perfectly flush surface. It means there are less things you can do directly on them (especially with bacteria possibly lurking in the grout). Even when you put a cutting board on them, sometime the board rocks a little when you chop ... annoying.

But I'm actually tired of granite and vast smooth surfaces, I like the tile look. But it is, in my mind, a busy pattern created by the grout grid. IMHO that would be too much with your busy bunnies.

In my previous home, I replaced laminate counters with ceramic tile. I loved the way the tile looked. They were Ann Sack tiles with a crackle finish. We had the accent tiles custom made so we could get the exact colors we wanted. We also used a fairly fancy edges tile. They still looked great when we sold the house. It has been 10 years since I moved but I lived with the tile counters for at least 6 years and I don't recall them being problematic as far as maintainence goes. They were 6 inch tiles so they had plenty of grout lines but I never had to re-grout them.
If you decide on tile you could go with a large format tile and you would have less grout lines. Granite tile counters usually have very large tiles with very small spacing between them. You could do that size but with ceramic tiles.
Here is a picture I found on Houzz that has a nice looking ceramic tile countertop. They are not as large as granite tiles but they look like they might be about 8 inch tiles.
{{!gwi}}

In my last house, the previous home owner put in large (1 ft by 1 ft) black granite tiles with dark grout. Now in my experience white grout in the bathroom is a royal pain, but dark grout in the kitchen was fine. The tiles were flat and I never noticed any issues with an uneven surface. This experience encouraged me enough that I am using even larger ceramic tiles (2' by 2') in our remodel on the island. I only looked at dark tiles so I could use a dark grout (I didn't want a strong contrast). DH and I really liked the extensive selection available with ceramic tile.

You know I love my6 tile! Sanded grout is the pits, but there is nothing more easy and functional than tile.

DIY is another story, however. Tile isn't theoretically that hard to lay...until you get to the part where you prepare the surface. It needs to be flat and level and have the correct underlayment. And until you get to the edges and the corners and need to make precise cuts in difficult places. You can do it if you're willing to be meticulous, but I think what people most dislike about tile is the result of poor installation.

Kudos to those who love their tile countertops. The one I recently demo'd was the thing I hated most in my pre-reno kitchen. I'm really not a germaphobe, but I just couldn't imagine that the grout was ever clean. I just imagined the raw chicken/meat juice that inevitably spills on the counter leaving it's nasty germies behind. And it was what was left by the previous owner who had cats and dogs that made me wonder what grossness might be lurking on the counter.

I only lived with it for just under a year before I got the chance to take the sledgehammer to it. The tile itself was fine, though I do agree that on occasion the non-flat surface was somewhat irritating. But if you have a flat surface elsewhere then it's no worries. And for me it was just the porous grout that made me feel icky. Maybe you could seal the grout to avoid needing to worry about it? And since you won't have a "previous owner" to worry about...

My only dislike with tile countertops was keeping the grout clean. In our last 3 houses, we had the builder's 4 x 4 white tile with white grout. It was also installed badly, with the thickness of the grout lines varying tremendously. The white grout just didn't seem to stay clean looking, especially around the sink. Sealing the grout correctly after installation probably would have helped, but I'm sure they didn't do it.

If I were to do tile on the countertops, I would go with a bigger tile that could be laid with a narrower grout line. I would choose some color other than white, and choose a grout color that doesn't contrast too much with the tile. If you use a contrasting grout color, the pattern of the tile really stands out. That may be what you are looking for, but maybe not. Maybe you would want more of a homogenous look.

That being said, I don't really have anything else against tile. If it's laid correctly, tile is very durable. It doesn't stain easily, and takes heat well. There really are some gorgeous tiles out there.

I agree with plllog on the installation. You can do it yourself, but if you need to be very careful with the surface prep, laying out the pattern, measuring, and installing to make sure it both looks nice and functions correctly. The counters we ripped out last year had some of the tiles cracked, and the corners were coming loose because they were not careful when intalling the tile. If you've never done tile before, you might want to try a small, simple project first, (small tile floor) to see if a more difficult project is something you want to get into.

Love those bunny tiles!!!

Lovely Lavy Lass,

I detest square tile countertops. Perhaps it was my white
tile and white thick lined grout that frustrated me.
Mix this kind of counter with sticky fingered children who
eat peanut butter, spill spaghitti sauce and have cracker
crumbs everywhere but in their mouths. Tile was a
nightmare to clean. I could not wait to rip them out of
my kitchen.

Now with that said, my sister has large 12 by 12 black
marble (Emperada) tile in her vacation home. The grout
lines are so tiny you can barely see them. And this
is wonderful. The tile is easy to clean and looks
beautiful. I think thin grout lines are the way to go
with whatever you use.

~boxer

badgergal, I'm not crazy about tile counters, but I love the one you did. I just had my 6" white tile with dark gray grout counter replaced with quartz. It had held up remarkably well and was easy to keep clean (I'm a clean counter fanatic). Although the grout was dark, it looked clean and new after 20 years. I didn't mind the unevenness and since I always use a washable cutting board, I didn't have animal juices lurking anywhere. The kiss of death for me was the bold grid pattern created by the grout against the tile.

There was never a happier day than when my dh tore out my 25+ yr old ceramic tile island countertop and replaced it with laminate. That counter was the bane of my kitchen's existence. The tiles were cracked. The grout was coming up and disgusting. Every time I tried to clean it, new things would come up (& I'd wonder how long that particular bit of dirt/germs had been there).

Now that I have a large, cleanable surface there, my kitchen functions sooooo much better - I am strongly considering a very inexpensive fix up of the kitchen now instead of an entire overhaul I **thought** was going to be necessary.

I have ugly brown late model tile in my current kitchen. I don't mind it, except that it's ugly. It's lumpy and has wide grout lines but it functions well enough and cleans up okay. I love the drip edge. I don't like the cast iron sink but that's more due to its shape and disrepair. I do like that it's undermounted.

I've been admiring my bathroom counter a lot lately. It's the old 4" (not quite) stuff, perfectly absolutely flat. I keep getting stupid ideas of putting it in the kitchen redo. Maybe it's because it's mottled minty 50s green, I dunno. But I'd love to see a huge expanse of it. I like the photo Badger posted, but of course that size tile reminds me of a particular era to which I'm not yet ready to return. Love that backsplash though. ANyway what was the subject?

Oh yeah. Tile. I like it. If it's pretty, well-installed, and maintained. If the grout starts to fail, redo it. If it's in right it won't crack. It's good stuff.

I absolutely LOVE badergal's kitchen tile (the 6x6's). We had 1x1 mosaic countertops for 32 years, various shades of white/tan/beige with a brown grout and it held up wonderfully. I loved the fact you could put things from the oven right onto the counter and never have to worry about it. Great stuff!!

And the variety of colors is endless. You'd be able to find a BLUE you like, no problem at all!!

Will be anxious to see if this is the direction to choose .... plus, tile is nowhere as expensive as granite or a lot of other countertops.

jody

Lav, I don't think marble or granite tile is what you're after.

To avoid the lumpiness, look for old-fashioned flat tile rather than the pillow shape typical in modern tiles. Subway Ceramics makes some, albeit in limited color ways. Use non-sanded grout and/or epoxy grout. Seal the grout.

I love the look, but was very traumatized by my old unglazed quarry tile with thick lines of sanded grout. Took years off my life.

Just to clarify, the picture I posted above is not my current or former kitchen. I did have ceramic counters in my former house and liked them but I would have to dig through lots of albums to find a picture of them since they were from pre digital storage days. As I said above, the picture was from Houzz. Just wanted to post a nice looking tile counter and backsplash for inspiration.

The first thought that popped into my mind when I saw your heading was DON'T DO IT! Had them on an island once, and HATED them -- keeping grout clean is impossible, bumpy, etc.

Lavender Lass,
I also have to echo the tile headaches. I don't know what type of tile my Mom used, I assume it was regular ceramic, but I know a few of them cracked and had to be replaced and she hated trying to keep the grout clean. What's interesting about this is she put them in when I went off to college (I'm the youngest) and she doesn't really cook! My Dad does, but again, it was really just the two of them so even though there wasn't a lot going in in the kitchen they were still problematic for her. I never really knew this until she made a comment recently about how much she "hated that ceramic tile countertop". So make sure you get the right type of tile and maybe seal the grout, as Marcolo suggested.

I have never ever had any trouble keeping properly installed, sealed and maintained, non-sanded grout clean. Many of the stones people use in their kitchens are porous and people aren't imagining mystery bacteria getting in them. I had a much harder time cleaning a natural marble (i.e., no resin filing the pits) counter I had in an apartment when I was young. Tile is easy. Tile is has also been the most commonly used surface in the Americas until the current glut of accessibly priced plastic and stone. Are there any statistics that demonstrate that a change to stone counters is improving people's health? That's what I've seen reported for the change from hand dish washing to machine--a noticeable drop in illness rates.

I understand that there are horror stories out there. Yes, improperly laid tile can crack. Yes, improperly installed, or heavily used and abused grout can crack. At which point, one does some minor repairs. There are probably as many bad tile jobs as there are horror stories. "White" grout isn't white. It's greige. There are some grouts which have a white coloring agent. Either way, if something dire has happened, you can restore them easily enough with bleach. Before you use vile chemicals, however, try a steamer. I'm talking about for things like mildew. You shouldn't get mildew in a kitchen unless you live in a humid enough place where the kitchen never gets a chance to dry out.

The kind of setting I find hardest to clean is the close together sharp cornered ones. The crack between tiles is too narrow to get into with anything but the very sharp point of a bamboo skewer. If you can get the corner of your sponge or brush in, it's easy. I've had tile in all but two of the places I've lived (this is my first that I've done up myself), and even with the not quite brilliant installation of a DIY landlord, I've always been able to keep it perfectly clean.

Hating the tile because it's ugly or in disrepair does not mean LL can't install perfectly lovely tile and enjoy it.

And LL, I like the French blue best with the bunnies.

If you use epoxy grout, you will not have the problems that many people grouch about and is much more sanitary than any stone surface. Granite tiles, of course, can still harbor bacteria just like a slab, and would need to be sealed just like a granite slab.
Depending on the look you want, you might take a look at porcelain tiles, especially rectified porcelain, which doesn't curve down on the edges, can be as tiny as 1/16" grout lines, so will give you a smoother overall surface.
We were not brave enough, so we did 1/8" grout, and advise if you DIY epoxy grout to work in very small sections, because once it's dry, you're stuck with it forever.

I really am thinking about a vintage look...so ceramic tiles, regular size grout lines, and probably not white grout with the blue, but white for the backsplash.

Plllog- Thanks for the thumbs up! I like the french blue, too. Good to know about easy cleaning and I had the same idea. Tile was popular for so many years...I think it might be a good and appropriate choice for my little farmhouse.

One other thing...I was watching Laura Calder again (love that kitchen) and I'm thinking about having the windows, between the kitchen and baking area. It would give me a lovely place for some plants, look a little less modern, and I could have those great window grids!

Here's another picture of my 'inspiration' kitchen. Check out that sink! Just picture french blue tiles and the bunnies! LOL {{!gwi}}From Fairy tale cottage

OTOH,
if you don't use tile you don't have to eff with the stupid grout.

Why those lines are always so fat and oogly is beyond me.

Flat, not "pillow" tiles might be fine, but eh.

Had it with beautiful, mat finished cream tiles, minor grout lines, in the 90s. I really loved the tile, but nothing would keep that grout clean.

Ick.

Laminate now, butcher block now, and in the bathroom marble. No tile. Ever. (never say never, but NEVER!)

I had tile countertops in my old kitchen. The tile was 12x12 and a grey/beige with a dark gray grout. They never bothered me at all. I didn't find them difficult to keep clean, but I know it helped that I didn't have white grout either. I think it is also beneficial to go with larger tiles. I do worry about germs, but I used to spray some type of disinfectant on the counters and let it sit for a minute and then wipe it off. We did install it ourselves right over the top of the old flat ugly style laminate. I believe we just roughed up up first and then tiled right over it. I lived with it for 10 years without any problems. I even considered granite tiles when we did our new kitchen, but the cost ended up being almost the same as a slab of granite so that is what we went with. HTH.

Thanks for all the responses! It's interesting how strong some of the opinions are...I guess people have had good and bad experiences, but I think you've pointed out most of the problems...and I appreciate it.

Tile has always had a 'vintage appeal' to me, but I was concerned about some of the issues, such as dishes breaking and dirty grout. Now, I believe I can make a much more informed choice...and I have to say, I'm leaning towards tile :)

That's funny, I watch her show too and I just love her eclectic kitchen. Modern and old mixed together so tastefully. I thought about doing this instead of granite but I came to the conclusion that a. what looks great is the cobalt blue tiles which I could never commit to in my mostly earthy colored home. b. Any other color other than that blue would not jazz up the kitchen as good as granite or other solid surface would c. like everyone else said maintenance would be a pain. I had white tile counters 2 homes ago, cute, but I don't see doing it again. Grout would have to be white to look right and that is hard to keep clean. But I still get nostalgic when I see her kitchen, especially that sink. It reminds me of my grandmothers house.

This was one of my earliest inspiration pix. I saved it for the bs, but the counters fit right in...
I like the contrasting edge tile.
Other than that, I am not a tiled counter fan. I think you need to explore more laminate options....

Mona- I'm glad you like that kitchen, too. The sink is wonderful and I think the french blue tiles will look just as nice. The cobalt is beautiful, but darker than I want to use.

Dianalo- You post a picture that pretty...and then tell me to look at laminates??? :)

What makes that picture sing to me is the bs, but the tile counters are saved by the edges being black. I still would not want tile counters in my kitchen though. The laminates hold up well and there are so many nice ones these days that I am sure you can find one that would work.
If you can't find the perfect blue laminate, can you use a green from the leaves and just use blue elsewhere? I always have loved the blue green combo when done with the right tones....

Variety is what makes the world go round. I wouldn't have laminate in my kitchen even if it were free, but paid more than for exotic granite for my beautiful tile.

Go for the tile if you love it!! I had tile counters for 25 years and absolutely adored them. We "refreshed" the kitchen before putting the house on the market and I knew that I needed granite to help with the house sale. I nearly cried when we took them up!

They were cheerful and had Personality!! I picked a beautiful granite, but didn't have the character of my old tile.
The tile was a Walker Zanger from back in the 80's, about 4" square and the grout was never a problem.
In fact just the opposite, the tiles were a cinch to clean with a spritz of window cleaner. The granite hid things so well that cleaning it thoroughly could be hard....bits of all kinds of stuff could go undetected!

In our new house (still under construction), I'll have soapstone in the kitchen since it's not the style to have bright tile counters, but will have tile counters in the utility room and laundry room for the blast of color and for the FUN of it!!

Plllog- Your tile countertops and backsplash are really stunning!

Gbsim- Glad to see you're still putting tile in somewhere, for the 'blast of color' and 'fun of it' which describes exactly what I want to do, with our new kitchen :)

If you look at your inspiration kitchen, it does not have a high tiled backsplash. Not only do you want a tiled backsplash, but it will have the bunny pictures all across it.
I still think you can find a solid surface blue counter that will meet your needs.
Also, since you are no where near ready for these elemnets don't you think you are just setting yourself up for disappointment unless you are actually ready to purchase them and keep in storage until you are ready?
Seems like you will be running in circles when that should not be necessary.

Ellendi- That's exactly it. I have a friend, who paints tiles and I'm hoping to take a class and give it a try. If I can't do it, I'll hire her to do them...but it would be fun to try. I'm hoping to do that this summer and want to pick colors for the tile, which means they'll be done, before the countertop.

I also like that the tiles seem so durable and pretty easy to install or have installed. With some of the horror stories I've read here recently (on tile installations, etc.) I think I'd like to try some small stuff and see if I can do it...or at least make sure it's being done properly.

Granite would probably be a more popular choice, or Cambria, something solid surface...but the tile has a real vintage appeal and I think it would fit the house. I will be using something else in the pantry area...in fact, I just posted a thread, asking about the countertop in my inspiration pic.

Oh, and after seeing some of the other pictures on this thread, I think french blue tiles on the countertop (maye with a gray grout) and the white tiles for the backsplash, with an easy to clean white grout. Under the window, maybe a little vine, with the bunnies over the range and maybe the birds under the upper cabinets. It will definitely be unique! LOL

LL, your plan sounds great! And I love that you want to paint your own tiles. For a really vintage look, try a white drip edge V-cap (the black counter edge in Dianalo's photo) and a french blue bullnose, quarter round or other edge molding on top of the backsplash, at least where it doesn't run up behind a light rail (will you be having light rail?). Doing the edgework in contrast colors is definitely the classic way.

I have a new renovation in an old house and I wanted tile. I have 24X24 limestone look (matte). And I love it. Everything goes straight from the oven to the counter. I roll pastry, knead bread and draw in pencil the size of my pie plate so I know where to roll to (new to pie making). All the work I do is in the 2 feet tile and I don't go into the grout lines. I would change one thing. and that's the placement of the tiles so that the square tile is where you mostly need it. The tiler has to cut tiles to fit and I didn't think about the layout of the tiles. Mine isn't quite where I would prefer to stand. But small thing. My grout lines are grey and look fine. Oh and the tiles are perfectly flat, with a (painted) wood edge so no rocking.

Hi lavender-
I don't know much about counter tiles but it sounds like it could look great with your plan!
I hope your precious bunny tiles are available when you need them : )

Plllog- That's a great idea! I think the contrast would look really cool...and it would be very vintage :)

Catherine- I'm so glad you like your tiles. Neat idea to pencil in the pie plate!

Fishies- Thank you. I've always had a difficult time choosing a countertop...but I knew those bunny tiles were perfect for a backsplash, the second I saw them! Unfortunately, the artist passed away, not long before I first saw the tiles, on the Internet. So, I'm going to use them for inspiration and try painting my own (or if necessary have them painted) but I want to add some more flowers and other details. I've tried finding similar tiles, but there aren't very many animal tiles, done in this style.

Here's a link, if anyone is interested...

Here is a link that might be useful: Alora hand painted ceramic tiles

Plllog- After seeing Dragonfly's beautiful marble sill, it made me think about doing something special (for my now much larger) window sill.

So, what about blue tile, on the window sill, to match the countertops? I think it would really pop and look great with the plants/herbs. I still like the white edge (on the countertops) and the backsplash would be white, below the sill...with the bunny tiles. What do you think?

Oh, and all the Laura Calder kitchen pictures, made me decide that I HAVE to have more windows/natural light, in the kitchen...so I changed the plan and put the kitchen into what was going to be the dining space. Now, it has a lot more light and view...and better for the herbs! :) {{gwi:1426159}}From Fairy tale cottage

This is probably a lame idea - please don't flame me! LOL What about doing the tile counter top, then using a tempered glass overlay for a smooth, easy to clean surface? (even if only in the heavy use food prep areas?) We have a glass overlay on our dining room table, becsue the slate tile that is inset into the table top is very uneven, and the crevices between the slate and the wood collect a ton of crumbs, spills, etc.

Just a thought....

Beth- That's not a bad idea, but I'm hoping the flat ceramic tile won't be a problem. According to many on the forum, if it's properly installed, it shouldn't be too uneven...but I'll remember the glass idea, just in case. Of course, big wooden cutting boards are helpful, too :)

I wish I had better pictures of the kitchen in our old house. When I remodeled it 20 years ago I did the tile work myself, and always liked the result. Small unsanded grout lines is the key. Our current soon to be torn out kitchen has horrible wide sanded grout and bumpy tiles I hate. I warn people that just because you've had crappy tile doesn't mean tile is necessarily crappy.

Here's a couple pictures of our old kitchen. The closeup of the tile is almost 15 years after it was installed:

Thank you so much for the pictures! Those are beautiful tile and very similar to what I'd like to do on the countertops (with a white edge). I just saved those pictures, in my file. And...you did that tile work, yourself? It looks amazing! Was it difficult?

Nice range, too! Did you take it with you, when you moved? All the appliances look great...do you have any more pictures? :)

Tile work isn't really difficult, you just have to be very detail oriented. My parents (who are DIYers from way back) helped a lot. I had a couple mistakes around electrical outlets that always bothered me, and I didn't get the sink enclosure quite right (I undermounted with tile, which can be done but isn't recommended, and now I know why because it's really hard to get a good seal).

As far as the range, when I remodeled the kitchen I had the space made exactly for it. When I moved to the new house it wouldn't fit, although now that I'm remodeling it could have been nice, although it doesn't go as well (it was the original range in my old 1930's house, but my current house is 1909 and they didn't have ranges like that).

Ceramic countertops are a thing from the past, in other words "Classic and Timeless" ;-)

I'm considering doing a tiled countertop for my built in hutch in the dining room. It's not going to be used all that often though.

Not sure what is with Julie, there are plenty of natural stone tiles to go with, does not have to be porcelain or ceramic. I've seen some nice marble and granite tiles, and I will probably go with one of them. Way cheaper and easier to DIY.

Macybaby- That would be a great idea!

After this posting on this thread last night I started looking online and decided Emperator would work good for my sideboard counter. Figured I might have a time finding it living rural.

Went to Menards today for something else - and they had a special buy/limited quantities of EMPERATOR! Exactly what I was looking for and at a great price. So for about $20 I'm getting marble tile top for my sideboard! (it's about 20" wide by 55" long) I've got a chunk of 3/4" sturdifloor left over from the hall so that will be the base.

Good thing I didn't haul the wet-saw out of the basement yet.

Excellent find! Don't you love it, when things just come together that way? :)

LL, I just saw your new post. Sorry for the delay--I haven't been on that much.

I think your window sill idea sounds fantastic! That will look really great.

As a contrast to all the people who are trying to talk you out of perfectly good tile because they're so caught up in a different look: Last night, I was tired. I had made duck legs and was pouring out the separated fat before reducing the sauce. As I often do, I poured the fat in a container from the recycling. Didn't notice the holes in the bottom! So there's duck fat with port wine and cherry juice running all over the tile counter. I thought, well, here I go, I'm going to find out how hard it is to clean grout! Feh. What problem? Cleaned up as easily as stone. Again, no sand in the grout, which I agree is a pain. Sanded is perfectly cleanable, but not pleasant.

The glass idea was clever, but please don't do it! Glass nicks very easily, and you can also shatter the corners. It's fine for an eating or serving counter, but is not a good material for heavy work. And that's counter glass. Just regular tempered sheet glass wouldn't work at all.

Plllog- What a mess! But also, how cool is that tile and grout? What a great suface and so easy to clean :)

After seeing Greg's tile work, I don't think glass is going to be necessary, at all. I like that blue, too...very close to what I want to do (see bunny tile). LOL