DIY Kitchen Remodel | $40 Subway Tile Counter Tops

As I've mentioned (but for those of you that are new...), we are planning to do a major addition in the near future, but in the meantime, I wanted to do a DIY refresher on our kitchen to make it lighter, brighter and more functional (and tolerable).

We started by ripping out the upper cabinets and old tile backsplash, then replacing them with painted wood paneling and open shelving.  The next step was to address the counter tops.

I didn't want to spend much money, as we'll be ripping it out in a year or two, but I wanted it to feel brighter and happier.  In our first home, we had a charming country kitchen that sported a combo of butcher block and white tile counter tops.  As I had learned to tile while re-doing our old bathroom and entryway, I thought adding bright white subway tiles would be the perfect solution for our temporary counter tops. 



This is the BEFORE.  

As you can see, I just laid white 2 x 6 subway tiles directly over our laminate counter tops.  I used a pre-mixed combo grout and adhesive that I purchased from Home Depot.  It took me all of an afternoon and $40 to do the entire thing. 

I recommend you watch a couple of YouTube videos if you're going to do some tiling.  I had done our old bathroom and entryway, so I was comfortable just slapping this together.  Here is the basic method I used.

Step 1 : Lay out tile in pattern.
Step 2 : Cut all pieces with a tile cutter (I used a manual tile cutter vs. electric wet saw) to fit.
Step 3 : Spread layer of grout/adhesive with tile.
Step 4 : Butter the back of each tile with adhesive and set into place, using spacers if necessary.
Step 5 : Set all tiles in place.  Let dry.
Step 6 : Grout.

Again, this is not a great guide, but gives you an idea - be sure to consult a real resource before you do your own!

 I used 'bullnose' tiles for the sides - you can see they have a rounded top for a finished look.

To see my post about ripping out our upper cabinets and replacing them with a painted paneling back splash and open shelving, click here.

For more information about the new Verona Range, click here!