Tile Countertop Question

[nmt]

Hey all, I’ve removed the original laminate galley countertops on my Defever 41 and thinking about replacing them with two large format 2ft by 4ft tiles (cut to shape). Planning to use this brand because they are only 7mm thick, https://www.flooranddecor.com/maximo-thin-tile?prefn2=size&prefv2=24%20x%2048. I don’t want to go super thick. Any tile experts have some tips on how to install over the original plywood? I was thinking I could do a coat of epoxy over the plywood to waterproof it and then flexibond thinset. Or do I need a layer of Ditra to ensure there is no cracking? There will only be one seam and that will be hidden by the sink as the tiles are wide enough that it be just under the edge of it, see attached photo.

 

[Choices]

They make a latex tile adhesive, premixed at HD.

Use it to skim coat plywood, it will waterproof plywood.

Once dry use same stuff to stick tile.

HD also has a water based epoxy grout that is pretty dang stain resistant to staining. I have never had a stain that did not clean with 409 & chlorox bleach.

 

[mvweebles]

Waterproofing liquid membrane. I think Floor & Decor carries Mapei, but ask. There are competing products that work fine too.

https://www.mapei.com/us/en-us/mapelastic-aquadefense

Peter

 

[fryedaze]

Following
I want to do the same thing. I am looking at 2' x 2' granite or marble. The porcelain looks like another good choice.

 

[Datenight]

Use the Ditra. It will waterproof and take care of the one seam. Not sure how well thinset will adhere to epoxy.

How thick is the plywood? I'm sure you know it needs to have no flex esp. with big format tiles. If there is flex, can you add another "joist" under the ply? Be sure all adhesive is removed from the substrate before using the Ditra. Schluter will guarantee the the job if you use their adhesives.

Rob

 

[Comodave]

On our last boat I made a new countertop out of Corian. Made a pattern, routed the Corian and then glued it down with big dabs of silicone. Worked fine. You could probably just use silicone to glue your tiles down. If you put big dabs it will allow for some movement and fill any low spots. The silicone will stick to plywood.

 

[PhilPB]

Hey all, I’ve removed the original laminate galley countertops on my Defever 41 and thinking about replacing them with two large format 2ft by 4ft tiles (cut to shape). Planning to use this brand because they are only 7mm thick, https://www.flooranddecor.com/maximo-thin-tile?prefn2=size&prefv2=24 x 48. I don’t want to go super thick. Any tile experts have some tips on how to install over the original plywood? I was thinking I could do a coat of epoxy over the plywood to waterproof it and then flexibond thinset. Or do I need a layer of Ditra to ensure there is no cracking? There will only be one seam and that will be hidden by the sink as the tiles are wide enough that it be just under the edge of it, see attached photo.

I looked at those same tiles for a backslash. They are incredibly delicate and chip very easily.

 

[nmt]

I looked at those same tiles for a backslash. They are incredibly delicate and chip very easily.

Ah good to know. Did you end up returning them?

 

[nmt]

Thanks for all advice. Maybe corian is a better route if these are so delicate.

 

[Mako]

Corian burns/stains with hot pots. Today’s trend is more towards quartzite, which holds up better, although not as good as true granite.

 

[nmt]

Use the Ditra. It will waterproof and take care of the one seam. Not sure how well thinset will adhere to epoxy.

How thick is the plywood? I'm sure you know it needs to have no flex esp. with big format tiles. If there is flex, can you add another "joist" under the ply? Be sure all adhesive is removed from the substrate before using the Ditra. Schluter will guarantee the the job if you use their adhesives.

Rob

It’s 1/2 inch ply. Seems pretty well supported.

The challenge with quartz etc is I’m trying to not rip out my whole counter top so I need something thin (edge is capped with 1.5 inches of teak so don’t want to build it up too much). I don’t love laminate so would rather not go back that route. Tile seemed promising but worrying if it is that delicate. I guess I could get a bit thicker of a tile. But maybe I’m better off biting the bullet and taking the plywood and yeah edge off and putting in a thick piece of quartz etc.

 

[Comodave]

Corian burns/stains with hot pots. Today’s trend is more towards quartzite, which holds up better, although not as good as true granite.

Yes, but you can DIY Corian. Try to get someone other than a marine carpentry shop to do work on a boat. Home Depot, Lowes would not do it when I asked. I bought a solid surface material online. It works with standard woodworking tools. I made a pattern with strips of luan plywood. Transferred the strip pattern to a sheet of luan plywood. Then clamped the full size pattern to the solid surface and used a patterning bit in the router and cut the solid surface to size. Then used dabs of silicone to adhere the solid surface material in place.

 

[Mako]

It looks like you hired frosty the snowman to install your counter! That one-piece really looks beautiful. Nice job.

No respirator - gotta take care of those lungs.

 

[nmt]

Yes, but you can DIY Corian. Try to get someone other than a marine carpentry shop to do work on a boat. Home Depot, Lowes would not do it when I asked. I bought a solid surface material online. It works with standard woodworking tools. I made a pattern with strips of luan plywood. Transferred the strip pattern to a sheet of luan plywood. Then clamped the full size pattern to the solid surface and used a patterning bit in the router and cut the solid surface to size. Then used dabs of silicone to adhere the solid surface material in place.

Nice work! What thickness corian did you use? Did you leave a gap for expansion?

 

[PhilPB]

Ah good to know. Did you end up returning them?

Didn't buy them. As I was handling them in the store I noticed chips on many of them. Also the first one I moved just barely touched the tile next to it and chipped. I installed glass.
I plan on installing tile on our countertop as well and plan to probably use 24" x 24 with the goal being one tile width from edge to backslash. The PO used an epoxy on the current top. I will scuff up the top, put 1-2coats of Zinser 123 primer, then apply the tile with adhesive (probably Lexel) I've successfully used it with tile and stone, works incredibly well. I have used the primer as an adhesive grabber more than a few times successfully with no failures.

 

[Datenight]

Nice work! What thickness corian did you use? Did you leave a gap for expansion?

Quarter inch thickness would be fine with a solid plywood base.

The tile is most vulnerable to chipping during cutting. Be sure it is well supported.

Another option is 3/4” granite. Often available at surplus building supply stores. Comes in sheets five feet long by thirty inches (if I recall) wide. I used that in the green boat. Can post photos if you like.

Rob

 

[Comodave]

It was 1/2”. We left a very small gap between the solid surface and the fiddles on the countertop. Then filled it with a gray color caulk. It looked great when we were done. The problem with a lot of fabricators is they don’t have insurance to work on boats. I believe it may be related to the Jones Act, at least that was what one of them told me. On a previous boat, about 10 boats ago, we tried to find someplace like Home Depot to come and do the solid surface work. Finally had to get a marine woodworker and his prices were more than the top of the line granite then for solid surface. So on our last boat I decided to DIY it. The problem is finding a source that will sell you solid surface material. I found one in Tucson that sold to DIY.

 

[mvweebles]

Corian burns/stains with hot pots. Today’s trend is more towards quartzite, which holds up better, although not as good as true granite.

I like Corian a lot. Like Comodave, I DIY mine over 20 years ago and it's held up well (actually, was a competing product that was easier to source). I've never had the issue of burning or scorching Mako highlights. One thing that works well is it doesn't chip glassware nearly as easily as stone or quartz.

30 years ago I did tile counters on the Uniflite 42 I lived aboard. It was pretty easy. Scuffed the laminate witb 60-grit and it held together just fine. Tile inherently looks DIY though.

On Weebles for her refit, I again with Corian, this time with molded in sinks. They do get some staining that requires Soft Scrub for cleaning, but again, a very forgiving surface.

I bypassed re-installing fiddle rails when I did the work 20+ years ago. Did not miss them so didn't do it this time either. A damp paper towel beneath plates and pots keeps them pretty sticky on the counter.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Peter

 

[Mako]

"One thing that works well is it doesn't chip glassware nearly as easily as stone or quartz."

Interesting that you bring that up, because I've noticed that also, especially compared with tile or granite, which is hard as a rock. I suppose the Corian has just a small amount of give to it.

 

[Comodave]

I got mine at solidsurface.com.

 

[nmt]

I like Corian a lot. Like Comodave, I DIY mine over 20 years ago and it's held up well (actually, was a competing product that was easier to source). I've never had the issue of burning or scorching Mako highlights. One thing that works well is it doesn't chip glassware nearly as easily as stone or quartz.

30 years ago I did tile counters on the Uniflite 42 I lived aboard. It was pretty easy. Scuffed the laminate witb 60-grit and it held together just fine. Tile inherently looks DIY though.

On Weebles for her refit, I again with Corian, this time with molded in sinks. They do get some staining that requires Soft Scrub for cleaning, but again, a very forgiving surface.

I bypassed re-installing fiddle rails when I did the work 20+ years ago. Did not miss them so didn't do it this time either. A damp paper towel beneath plates and pots keeps them pretty sticky on the counter.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Peter

Hmm, good point on fiddle rails. Maybe not worth keeping. Would make it quite easy to install the countertops without it. Also thinking of getting rid of this post in the photo, doesn’t appear to be structural. Would really look clean without a post or fiddle rails. And plenty of handholds on the ceiling.

 

[Comodave]

Do you have some DIY skills? If you do then it isn’t a terribly difficult project. You need a decent size router, preferably a 1/2”. If you haven’t used a router then get one and do some practice with it. Get a patterning bit. I used a hot glue gun to stick the luan strips together, quick and easy.

 

[Mako]

@NMT, if you plan to spend any time at sea then I'd suggest either keep the tall, strong fiddles or install a new column (that one is REALLY dated looking). It's very helpful to have something lower in height to hold onto in a seaway, in addition to that nice rail on the overhead.

 

[mvweebles]

@NMT, if you plan to spend any time at sea then I'd suggest either keep the tall, strong fiddles or install a new column (that one is REALLY dated looking). It's very helpful to have something lower in height to hold onto in a seaway, in addition to that nice rail on the overhead.

We actually cook a fair amount, and given our slow boat speed, do so underway, probably more than most (though our boat is stabilized). We would not go back to fiddles aka "crumb catchers." Fiddles are also a PITA to set down cutting boards and such so sort of reduce usable counter space. They are in the way 100% of the time even though are only needed 2% of the time. We use wet paper towels to keep things from sliding on counters. Personal choice and decision.

I too had a lathe-turned wood compression post similar to OP (actually two of them). Replaced with 2" polished stainless steel that were welded along with some other work.

Peter

 

[Comodave]

The nice thing about fiddles is that they hide the unfinished edge of the Corian.

 

[mvweebles]

I laminated the edges to build-up thickness and sanded smooth (320 grit? 400? Don't remember). I had a special-purpose glue gun that would mix the two part color-match epoxy adhesive to form a virtually invisible seam with help of several dozen spring clamps. Gun was quite expensive as I recall. But the job turned out very nicely.

Hafele makes some interesting cabinet hardware. They had some nice brushed stainless 1/2" railing with 1" standoff supports that I used as fiddles elsewhere around shallow shelves. I thought about adapting for on-demand/temp use, but just never felt fiddles were worth the effort for us.

EDIT: peoduct I used was Swanstone. Distributor had monthly classes to certify installation and would sell materials. At the time, I was doing some general repairs and did a few galleys for friends. Fizzled from there.

 

[nmt]

We actually cook a fair amount, and given our slow boat speed, do so underway, probably more than most (though our boat is stabilized). We would not go back to fiddles aka "crumb catchers." Fiddles are also a PITA to set down cutting boards and such so sort of reduce usable counter space. They are in the way 100% of the time even though are only needed 2% of the time. We use wet paper towels to keep things from sliding on counters. Personal choice and decision.

I too had a lathe-turned wood compression post similar to OP (actually two of them). Replaced with 2" polished stainless steel that were welded along with some other work.

Peter

Peter, were your posts structural? I don’t think this is. It’s quite loose and does not go through the counter or have much support under it. I think it’s purely decorative.

Have some diy skills but might have friend who’s a pro cut it.

A lot of decisions to make!.

 

[koliver]

My galley was originally Formica on 3/4 plywood. It is now Quartz on the same base. I removed the fiddles (look just like yours) and replaced them when done, but I had to rabbet a new space to fit over the 1.5 cm thickness of the Q. Not a big deal. I don't have a post, but you can likely remove it, shorten or rabbet to fit and replace it without difficulty.
I had Corian in my Motorhome. It never looked as good as Quartz, though it was trouble free. It is lots thinner than Q, so maybe an easier fit.

Your idea of 2'x4' tile would look awesome. For tile I would use Ditra. It will allow movement of the substrate without cracking the tile or even the grout, though with large format you can likely have no visible joints. Pictures when done, please.

 

[Shrew]

Decoupling membrane. Home Depot sells Red Guard which is labelled as a 'Crack Prevention Membrane'.....basically a 'decoupling membrane'.

This is going to handle small amounts of movement, likes vibration from a road with heavy trucks, or the slight vibration from a close running train, or a tree being dropped in the back yard.

There is a limit to the amount of movement a paintable membrane can handle.

I'd look at Corian. It works like a hard wood.

 

[jleonard]

Yes Red Guard is what the remodeling guys around here use. I just used a gallon on a concrete floor we had tiles. Pricey though, at $56 a gallon.