Installing a Granite Floor

Installing a granite floor can add character to a home whether in a modern building, to create a ‘different’ look and feel; or in an older building to restore it to it’s original flooring material.

Being cut from an igenous rock, tiles or slabs of granite are extremely hard wearing and have a very low porosity - making a granite floor a great option for a bathroom, kitchen or utility area. Granite tiles and slabs are available in a variety of colors and tones according to the minerals and conditions that formed the Granite.

Preparation for Granite Floor Installation

As with just about any home improvement job - preparation is king; and preparing the floor on to which the Granite tiles or slabs will be laid is vital. As Granite is a heavy material, having a solid and level base onto which you can fit the Granite floor is essential. If you’ve already got a ‘solid’ floor, the best possible base you can use is a fully dry sand and cement ‘screed’. A floor screed is a cementitious underlayment product used for the re-surfacing of concrete floors.

If you have to create a new screed prior to fitting the Granite floor remember it can take a week for a 25mm (one inch) depth of screed to fully dry out. If your solid floor has already got tiles of any kind on it - you are recommended to remove them before you apply the screed.

If the floor onto which you’re going to fit the Granite floor is a timber one - preventing the floor timbers from flexing under the weight of the Granite is essential.

First make sure all the floor timbers are nailed or screwed down securely. Then, using 140mm centers (6 inches approx.) screw 18mm (half inch) plywood sheets to the floor timbers - you can also use a flexible adhesive in this job. Any cracks between the plywood sheets will need filling with a flexible grout. Finally if there is still any unevenness in the floor, apply a floor leveling compound and make sure the surface is clean and dust free before starting to fit the Granite flooring.

Fitting Granite Tiles or Slabs

As well as being hard wearing, Granite is also a dense and, therefore, heavy material to work with. Dependant on the size of tiles or slabs you choose to work with it might be a good idea to have someone else around to help with lifting and carrying the Granite flooring. Being a naturally occurring substance, Granite tiles will have variations in color and tone; so adopt a random approach to fitting the tiles or slabs - rather than trying to establish a deliberate pattern.

Granite tiles can be fitted using a solid bed trowel with a cement based adhesive; which should be colored to match the tiles as best as can be achieved. The main problem fitting Granite tiles is when you need to cut them - Granite is hard!

While a diamond edged angle-grinder will, eventually, cut through them; to be sure of getting straight lines you really need to either hire or buy a diamond wheel cutting machine. With all the tiles or slabs in place, leave them for the adhesive to dry out, usually 24 hours. You can then grout the tiles using a complimentary or contrasting color- as you prefer.

Sealing Granite Tiles

When the grout has also dried, possibly after about one hour, the Granite floor will need sealing. Although Granite is generally thought of as a non-porous rock it does have a degree of porosity, which cannot be left untreated. Therefore, you must apply a sealer across the whole floor. Your Granite slab/tile dealer will advise on the best retail product they have for that job and you’re recommended to apply two coats of the sealant.

If you’re fitting Granite tiles or slabs and have under-floor heating - you must use a flexible adhesive and grout.

Making a Bathroom Countertop

Making a bathroom countertop is an ideal way to provide extra storage space, meaning that all the lotions and potion you use in the bathroom are readily to hand.

If you’re replacing an existing bathroom countertop, or installing one for the first time into an existing bathroom, you should take care to ensure that the material you use for the countertop is sympathetic to the existing style of fittings and décor of the bathroom.

However, if you’re renovating the bathroom you can decide what material will best compliment the fittings and final decoration scheme in the renovated bathroom. The following comments relate to making a bathroom countertop that has a wash basin incorporated into it.

So, if you are replacing an existing bathroom countertop you’ll need to remove the washbasin first. Alternatively, if you’re renovating a bathroom - you need to make and install the countertop before fitting the wash basin.

Bathroom Countertops and Wash Basins

If the wash basin is supported by a pedestal then the countertop can simply surround the wash basin and be supported by battens fixed to the wall and/or angle brackets. However, if the wash basin is to be supported by the countertop a sturdy frame needs to be built; into which the basin can be inserted and be supported by it. Having created a frame for the countertop to sit on - it is then a matter of personal choice whether or not you fit cupboards or draws into it.

Materials for Making Countertop

Whilst you could use wood to make a bathroom countertop it’s not really the best material to use. Even using the hardest of woods it would need constant treatment and care to avoid it becoming saturated and damaged. Natural and synthetic stone can be used for bathroom countertops.

Marble and polished granite are popular choices here, but working with stone countertops, cutting them to size etc, can be difficult for the DIY home enthusiast. However, a solution within the capabilities of most DIY home enthusiasts is that to create a wooden countertop; that is then used for a base onto which you fit bathroom tiles, creating a tiled countertop in your bathroom.

Making a Tiled Bathroom Countertop

Having cut a sheet of plywood, at least 3/4 inch thick, to the correct size; fit it securely to the frame with counter-sunk zinc plated screws.

Position the wash basin upside down on the countertop and above where the water and drainage connections are or, if necessary make and cut around a template of the wash basin - some manufacturers provide templates in the packaging of their templates for this purpose.

Draw around the outline of the wash basin and cut the appropriately sized hole.

After fitting the taps, waste outlet etc run some mastic or caulk around the opening in the countertop to create a watertight seal - you can then insert the wash basin into its aperture.

Next fit a smooth layer of a moisture resistant membrane, like roofing felt, over the plywood; then fit metal cap strips along all the edges of the plywood that do not butt up to a wall.

On top of the membrane pour a screed that can also be used as a leveling compound, on to which the tiles will be fitted. To ensure the screed is level, pass the screed board over it several times and check it ‘by eye’ regularly.

Once you’re satisfied its level and dry you can start to fit the tiles following the normal tile fitting procedures. In a bathroom I would not recommend using the new cementitous panels, as they would require nailing to the substrate - potentially weakening it in what will inevitably be a very wet environment.

Polishing Worn Granite Countertops

If you have granite countertops that are worn, scratched or simply looking dull - there’s no need to pay someone to come in to your home to restore them. With the right equipment any DIY home enthusiast can be polishing worn granite countertops themselves and save themselves a lot of money. The most important thing to remember when you start polishing worn granite countertops is that it’s not like using beeswax or your favorite furniture polish.

Buffing the Surface

Before starting to polish a granite countertop you should, of course, make sure that the surface is generally clean - using one of the preparatory granite cleaning products. Being a naturally occurring stone granite is polished by actually grinding, or abrading, the surface and then buffing it; with increasingly finer abrasive materials that have diamond particles on the pads. Unless you have some particularly deep scratches in the granite countertop, using these abrasive pads shouldn’t be necessary.

If it is necessary you should proceed with caution as by re-grinding the surface you will actually strip away a layer of granite; which could result in a patch that is a different to its original coloring. However, under normal circumstances the starting point for polishing a worn granite countertop is to spray it with a specialized crystal spray and to then buff it.

The buffing action does have to be done strongly and vigorously so as to really work the crystals into the granite; to do this job you are recommended to buy a hand-held, electric powered, orbital buffer for the job - with an appropriate buffing pad fitted to it.

Both the spray and the buffing should be applied evenly over the entire granite countertop surface. You should be able to find supplies of the crystal spray that vary from having a coarse action to a finer action. If the one you buy doesn’t seem to make much impression on the granite countertop - then try a coarser one.

Protecting Polished Granite

Having gone to all the trouble of polishing and restoring a worn granite countertop you’ll want to retain its bright and fresh appearance for as long as possible. You can buy granite sealing compounds that will give the granite surface an extra layer of protection.

Like the granite polish it usually comes in a spray dispenser and prevents the day-today staining from food, liquids and dirt that can cause granite to look worn. To work the sealant into the granite you can use the powered buffing tool, with an appropriate pad; or you can use a soft buffing cloth.

Keeping your Granite Countertop Clean

Whilst it might be tempting to use your usual domestic cleaning products on a granite countertop - it is not to be recommended. One of the major reasons why granite countertops can look worn and dull is because people have been using ordinary domestic cleaning products on them. Despite being a very durable natural stone - granite is susceptible to attack by chemicals such as strong acids and alkalis.

Most domestic cleaning materials in common use in kitchens and bathrooms are chemically very strong alkalis - which should be avoided on a granite surface. Using your usual anti-bacterial sprays on a granite countertop is fine; but to clean it you really should use a specially formulated granite cleaning product.