Cons of Using Ceramic Tile on Countertops
This past week, we took a look at a particular kitchen countertop clad or covered with ceramic tile. Ceramic and stone tile present an alternative to the most common types of countertop surfaces for kitchens and bathrooms. It’s not commonly used, and definitely has some downsides. Last week we particularly focused on the positives of using ceramic and natural stone tiles as a countertop covering. Today though, the tables are turned, and we’re going to look at all of the downsides of using individual tiles as countertop surface covering.
We’ve taken pictures of a bunch of the defects or shortcomings and or problems with this particular tile installation and as we go through the pictures will describe these details and explain how some of these problems are actually inherent with using tile as a countertop surface covering.
The picture below shows the poorly configured union between the edge band tile and the side panel at the edge of the peninsula. This single picture, here by itself, explain several of the potential issues of problems with using ceramic tile as a countertop surface covering. A brief summary list follows:
- Not all ceramics come with a matching edge band.
- Cutting small format tile from larger tiles isn’t a perfect solution because there are more inherent problems with that alternative.
- Custom cut tiles are not rectified.
- Most zirconium blades, used in small site portable wet saws will leave small chips in the porcelain or ceramic glaze at the cut edge. The inside corners between the wall and the floor have a joint seal with caulk, normally so at location like that, there is no problem, but at a countertop edge, it’s a problem.
- Outside tile corners often have inherent issues or problems without a termination strip, but termination strips do not compliment all types of tile or all design configurations.
It’s, almost always, much better for the end panel at a peninsula for Island to be installed under the countertop. In cases of waterfall edge type countertops, the panel being set under the countertop wouldn’t apply. In almost all other cases though, it’s a much better installation because the open joint for the union between the edge of the end panel shouldn’t be susceptible to food or liquids on top of the countertop.
This seems obvious, especially to anyone who’s ever worked in planning or designing or building their own kitchen, but here they have overlooked that detail. The reason the detail was overlooked, though, is not just because it was an oversight. Here they had limited options and probably chose not to wrap the countertop end panel edge with tile because a wooden carcass type base preceded the tile.
The next picture below shows the joint between the edge band and the tile at the horizontal surface of the countertop. You can see there’s are other problems here.
The next picture below shows the full context of these edge band tiles of each one of the shelves including countertop itself. One of the advantages of ceramic tile is that if you want to omit base cabinets, you have an option to clad a wood field assembled or field custom built surface. But, here in this example, you can see that there’s lippage at the countertop. Also, the particular edge band has vertical edges that end in a triangular shape and do not mate well with the right side terminations at each location.
The next picture below shows that lippage more closely. In this particular she was like the result of poor craftsmanship. However, even with the excessive grout line, a really large, in this case, there is a crack that separates or has failed and begun to delaminate between the ground and the substrate tile at the lower side of the lippage.
Since the overall geometry of this field built countertop is wonky and out of shape, the associated grout line at the edge of the countertop is so large that it has cracked. This is likely a result of both the excessive size of the grout line and also the flexible nature of the relatively thin plywood substrate.
Dupont Kitchen & Bath Can Help
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