Table construction

Herb · February 2008

For all the folks that have build tables for their eggs and have tiled the top. Can someone give a novice a hand. Can the tiles be set on top of plywood and do I need to use a cement board as an underlayment? My project is an 8ft table that will house my 2 large eggs. The tiled portion will only be 30 inches by 24 inches.
Thanks in advance

Herb

Grandpas Grub · February 2008

If the table will be exposed to the westher, I would suggest water certified cement board and follow normal installation using silicone thinset.

GG

Frank from Houma · February 2008

I recommend you use cement board or sometimes referred to as green board.

"Sparky" · February 2008

If you look at my last post,You will see a small tiled area.I'm not sure if it's done correctly,but it has held up for almost two years so far.I used a router and recessed the tiles so they sit flush.I used outdoor caulk instead of grout.This gives it flexability.

vidalia1 · February 2008

I agree with the other two posters. My table has granite tiles which measure 3' x 2'. We used green board, thin set & grout just like laying a floor.

Kim Youngblood
(aka vidalia1)
Lawrenceville, GA

AzScott · February 2008

Is the 30 X 24" section surrounded by wood? Are you building a long version of the table like The Naked Whiz's?

I was thinking of doing something like this to my table but was going to leave the tiles loose. My reason for leaving them loose was since I was going to do stone and wanted to make it easy to switch them out if they get etched or stained by food, drinks, or the elements. I was going to recess a section by the width of the tile + 1/4" and use a piece of plywood with holes cut for drainage. The extra 1/4" would be a water/vapor barrior like Redgaurd or even just tar paper. Personally I would use 1 large tile cut to fit the hole. The grout will never look as good as the first day and it will pick up everything. The large tile will make it so you don't need to grout anything. If you want to grout the outside edges I would tape off the wood and use a grout caulk.

Herb · February 2008

Thanks for the quick responses. Does the cement board have to sit on plywood or can a lay it on top of my 1x4 frame? i only have 7/8 inch in height to work with.

AzScott · February 2008

One other thing. Don't ever use the mastic that comes premixed in a tub for tile on a floor or anywhere it can get wet. That is a serious mess waiting to happen down the road.

AzScott · February 2008

Just make sure there is enough bracing to hold weight. If you were doing the whole table top I'd say do the whole thing with plywood but a small section you should be ok with the cement board as long as the support below is sufficient for the weight that may be put on the tiles.

Herb · February 2008

I've considered one large piece of grant or slate and to just drop it into a recess surrounded by wood. This would be the easiest solution. But I can't seem to find a stone cutter in my area.

AzScott · February 2008

Do you have access to a grinder with a wheel disk? You could mark a straight line with a pencil and then use that to cut through it.

AzScott · February 2008

Another option is going to a granite fabricator and offering a $50 for them to cut a scrap piece of stone to size. It would only take 10 minutes of their time plus you would have a great opportunity to pick out some really cool granite.

Scubadog · February 2008

You can dry cut your granite with a diamond blade on a worm-drive Skil saw. Clamp down a piece of one-by or other straight edge to use as a guide. Make passes that take 1/4 inch and keep lowering your blade till through the material. A dust sucking friend with a shop-vac helps. Best to do this on a flat piece of ply that supports the entire piece so the cut-off piece doesn't break-off.

As for your 7/8th inch restriction, I'd go with half inch ext.ply (not particle board or OSB) and then 1/4inch Hardibacker (cement board). I would not use greenboard on a horizontal exterior application.

Scubadog · February 2008

If anyone lives up here in the Seattle area, you should take a look at granite. They have a choice of 12 to 15 colors and you can get a solid 3ft by 7ft slab of 1inch granite with a polished bullnose on all four sides for about $450. Not sure if they ship. But they will cut your specified Egg hole for an additional $50 to $75. Might be other import granite dealers in your area that specialize in these fully polished pre-sized and pre edged granite products. For exxample, 8 ft countertops, 25 in deep, bull nose polished on three sides are ony $250.

Check it out at valuestone.com

vidalia1 · February 2008

I bot 6 pieces of granite. They were pre-cut in 12" sections like tile. I found them at Home Depot in the tile section.

On my BGE table there are 2 rows of the granite which sit 3 across. This is 3' x 2'of granite countertop on my BGE table. Yes it does sit in the table and underneath is plywood & hardi board with the tile on it.

And yes I took the plans from TNW and made a larger table.

Hope this helps.

Kim Youngblood
(aka vidalia1)
Lawrenceville, GA

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