SHOULD I TILE MY KITCHEN COUNTERTOP? FROM SOMEONE WHO’S LIVED WITH ONE FOR A YEAR

Tiled work surfaces have made a comeback and it’s left you wondering: ‘should I tile my kitchen countertop’. Well, I tiled mine, here is my honest review.

During our kitchen renovation, I found shopping for a kitchen countertop bleak; there was absolutely nothing I liked. Anywhere (within our budget anyway). It seemed if you didn’t like marble in black, white or grey, then you were stuck. At the time, social media was littered with users tiling tables and, as easily influenced as I am, I was obsessed. It dawned on me: why not tile my kitchen countertop instead?

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I sheepishly asked my builder, aka my brother, if it could be done. To my surprise, he was on board (or on tile, should I say?) and we got to work.

It’s been over a year since we tiled the kitchen worktop and I ‘m still as in love with it now, as I was then, so much so, I tiled my desk and my kitchen table afterwards.

WANT TO KNOW HOW TO SET YOUR DINNER TABLE PROPERLY THEN READ MORE HERE: MODERN WAYS OF SETTING A DINING TABLE FOR A DINNER PARTY AT HOME

photo: @lindsey_isla

ARE TILED COUNTERTOPS OUTDATED?

Tiled countertops were first made popular in the 1920s, but they were also really popular in the 70s and 80s. As with most fashion and trends, what goes around comes around, so it’s no surprise to see that they’ve made a comeback.

photo: Annie Spratt via Unsplash

HOW LONG DO TILE COUNTERTOPS LAST?

This depends on the quality of the tile you’ve used, as a good-quality tile is less likely to chip and crack, but if you’ve ever stepped into a dated kitchen, I’m sure you’ll realise, they can last a lifetime.

CAN YOU USE FLOOR TILES ON A KITCHEN COUNTERTOP?

After tiling my worktop, I tiled my kitchen table with floor tiles left over from our bathroom. It has to be said, these have been a much better choice; floor tiles are much stronger so less prone to chips and cracks. If I were to do it all again, I would spend invest in slightly better quality tiles to make sure they lasted a lifetime.

SHOULD I TILE MY KITCHEN COUNTERTOP USING A CERAMIC TILE?

Yes, ceramic tiles can be used if you want to keep costs down, however, they’re more fragile than porcelain tiles so keep that in mind.

ARE TILES GOOD FOR KITCHEN COUNTERTOPS?

In my experience, I’ve found tiles to be great for a kitchen countertop; they’re heat-resistant, scratch-resistant and super easy to wipe clean.

If a tile does get damaged, you can replace individual ones rather than the whole countertop. Grouting can be more prone to looking grubby after a few years, but this can be cleaned out and replaced. And lastly, in my humble opinion, they look great.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO TILE A KITCHEN COUNTER?

This depends on so many factors, but personally, I found it to be much cheaper than any traditional work surfaces around at the time. Especially heat and scratch-resistant surfaces (which tiles are) like stone and marble.