Yes, we used granite tile. Our kitchen is now about 2 1/2 years old and I do like it. I like the way it looks, and that I don't have to be careful of marring it. I like the fact that it cost a fraction of slabs (at least that's the situation in my area of the boondocks).

Suggestions: Use epoxy grout with minimal (1/16") grout lines. Black tile is great because you can use black grout and it won't show up so much. OTOH, black tends to show dust and smudges readily. We used a fine grained traditional grey with black and white specs granite and grey grout - hides about everything (not sure that's a good thing!) We had our tile edges bullnosed and then faced the edges with cut tiles - so the edge is granite too. Some people use wood, but we didn't.

People will tell you they don't like it because they don't like to deal with grout. I don't find it difficult, I do clean it periodically when it needs it - but the epoxy grout doesn't stain and it comes clean. People will tell you it is a poor choice because you can't roll out dough on it. I use a marble baking slab on top of the counter for rolling out dough. Some people will tell you it looks cheap. Matter of opinion, I guess.

We had a tight budget, we did want stone, we were worried about the weight of all those slabs on our 95 year old floor joists and decided this was the best choice for us. HTH

i have a friend who used granite tiles and i think it looks great. in fact, it looks like granite but it is a bit unique which i like. if you have a store called "the tile shop" near you, they often have seminars on the weekend on how to tile your countertops. the one in my area also has a number of kitchen displays with tiled countertops so you might be able to see it first hand.......

I live just outside of Kansas City, Mo and the tile shop has all your needs. Here is the link: http://www.tileshop.com/
They have a counter done in the store with tiles in absolute black and it is very nice. The web site shows your trim pieces in various colors. I would say go for it! It should be very durable, after all it is still granite.

On the following webpage, there are several pics of granit tile countertops, as well as several different options for trimming them:

Here is a link that might be useful: My Backsplashes and Countertops Page

I used AB granite tile in my laundry room, trimmed with wood. Did the install myself, so its not perfect. Backsplash next. It definitely was a good way to save the budget.

Acountryfarm, that looks great! I like the look of the granite tile, but DH still wants to go with a slab since our kitchen counter is only 21 sq ft.

You can get granite tile in 24" squares, so minimal grout lines.

For a budget similar to tile, you can get prefab granite and install it yourself.

That's one of the projects my DD and DSIL did before listing their house. They stripped the plastic coating off the cabinets and painted them white, and put black granite tiles on the countertops. They look WAY better than the low quality laminate that was there before. Their biggest problem was going around a corner sink, but it really turned out nice -- they've enjoyed using it (but wish the house would sell!!).