As a designer I have had the privilege of shopping at some pretty high end stores and boutiques for things. But as the economy slowed and I got into more of the renovation business instead of the design business, I found that most people started their DIY projects at the local mega home center instead of shopping around for the deal. Well, hopefully I am going to make securing the home improvement deal a bit easier to find.

First of all, let’s start with the counter top. Granite seems to be the one counter that is most sought after. But let’s face it, some places in the country granite is going for $35 to $100 a square foot and it is not very DIY friendly. I don’t know too many people that have friends strong enough to lift a 600 lb slab of granite without breaking it. So the question is how to get granite counters without the slab of granite. The answer: granite tile.

Granite tile can be bought at most tile discounters for $1 - $5 a sq. ft. and the colors are very comparable to the slabs you see in the quarry. There are some pros and cons with granite tile that you need to consider before going this route though.

1. Easy to carry and work with
2. Less expensive than slab
3. If you can lay tile, you can lay this
4. Upon resale of your home – granite counters are granite counters (tile or not)
5. You have more decorative options with tile.
6. You can use a tile saw with a diamond blade to cut it, no fabrication needed.
7. A variety of edges can be bought to fit your style.

1. Granite is heavier than ceramic or porcelain so you should “practice” working with it first.
2. A few more tools are needed to lay tile
3. Granite tiles take longer to lay since you should go slowly and be patient to get a professional result.
4. Some tiles are not perfectly square, and neither are counters, so your measurements have to be more accurate
5. There will be about 24% waste since you need to match color and individual tile pattern.
6. Grout lines
7. You can't use your counters for at least 3 days after install.

So now, if you can live with the cons, tile is the way to go.

1. Use QUICK SET mortar made for natural stone. Using regular mortar will allow the tiles to ‘sink’ and you may find some dips and valleys between tiles. The quick set mortar will set up within a few minutes not allowing the tile long enough to do any significant sinking.

2. Do not tile over your Laminate counter tops. I know it is tempting, but don’t do it. If you have a home built in the 90’s or later, you can simply take the laminate off by heating the surface and using a long putty knife, or margin trowel to lift the laminate off the wood sub counter. Remember, you have to remove the glue by sanding before putting down your ¼ inch cement board.

3. If your home was build pre 1990’s you might want to contact your city bylaws in regards to removing products with asbestos in them. It is possible the laminate counters have this toxin in them, and it could be released if you break up the laminate.

4. Secure your cement board with a SILICONE adhesive not a liquid nail type product before you screw it down. The breakdown is quicker over time with a liquid nail product, where the silicone will move with the humidity levels of the wood sub counter.

5. Make your spacing between tiles as small as possible. If you are comfortable with the install, I would suggest butting the tiles together for a more seamless look. Never do the standard ¼ inch spacing. It will make your tile look like floor tile. Natural stone tiles on counters should never be set more than 1/16th inch apart.

6. Wait for the tiles to dry 24 hours at least before you grout, and another 24 hours before sealing the whole counter. The key is to make sure the tiles are done soaking the water from the mortar before sealing. Otherwise you will have uneven color because they will never dry properly after sealing.

7. When you are considering what kind of sink to put in, do not choose an under-mount sink. Tile does not lend itself to under-mounting a sink as well as a slab does.

8. Lastly, read, read, read! Go on every home improvement site you can to read how to install granite tile that you can stand. The more you read about it, the more you will understand the techniques used to do a proper and professional looking install.

Try using Marble Tiles instead of Granite. Sometimes you can get a better deal on the marble tile and it looks spectacular in bathrooms. Marble is a softer stone, so using it in the kitchen could pose some challenges when you go to setting hot stuff on the counter or cut up veggies without a cutting board. Marble will scratch and burn whereas granite holds up to these things a bit better. In the bathroom is where you can splurge with the fixtures and sinks if the budget allows. Vessel sinks look great on marble tile counters and there is minimal cutting involved. Remember unlike the kitchen where you have a built in template you may have to buy some ¾ inch plywood to create your sub counter. Most bathroom counters are one piece of cultured marble or some other kind of solid surface that when removed leaves only the cabinet. When using marble and granite you need to have at least ¾ inch wood sub counter as well as ¼ inch cement board. NEVER adhere your tiles to plywood. Like I stated earlier, wood contracts and expands with humidity, your tiles do not move with humidity, so to avoid cracking of the grout or of the tiles themselves use the cement board. It will absorb movement for the tiles.

If you live in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada or California I would suggest looking up a Floor and Décor Outlet Store. Not only do they have the natural stone tiles, but they also have a huge selection of porcelain, ceramic, glass and clay tiles as well as vessel sinks and small granite slabs for ½ baths.

You can find them at http://www.flooranddecoroutlets.com

If there isn’t a Floor and Décor near you, try looking up a Habitat for Humanity store. You can not only find fixtures and tile at a discount over retail, but you will be helping to give someone else a chance to own a home of their own someday.

Here is something most people don’t know:

There is a well known secret in the design community about buying natural stone tiles. The best time to buy at a large tile distributor is in September. You can find some outstanding deals on Italian tile in September at places like Master Tile, or The Tile Store – whatever large tile distributor your city has. The reason why is because in Italy, business takes the month of October off. They ship everything they have in August and September in order to have it sold by October 1st so they can take the month off. This has been the way things are for many years over there, so the tile industry cuts prices like crazy to get rid of the inventory as fast as possible; therefore large tile outlets and distributors will liquidate their stock at the end of August and the whole month of September to make the October 1 deadline in Italy. Sound crazy? It is true. The only thing you have to take into consideration is that when you are shopping for the tile, make sure you can get all the material you need for your project. Since they are liquidating you will not be able to order extra later. It might be a good idea to buy for 30% overage rather than the standard 24%. You can always sell it on Craigslist later if you need to.

Which brings up another source for tile. Craigslist.org is a terrific source for people on a budget. It is great if you only have a small amount of tiling to do. Sometimes you can find some exceptional deals, for instance I was able to buy 200 square feet of granite tile for under $400.00. I had about 50 square feet left over and was able to give it to a friend who is a single mother, to do her master bathroom. She had some left over and was able to sell it at her garage sale to earn a bit of money. I encourage you to look at least 50 miles from your home. A bargain might be worth the drive.

Lastly, don’t forget everyone’s favorite online auction house – EBay. There are wholesalers that sell things like vessel sinks at a huge discount. I purchased a frosted glass sink, with the waterfall faucet INCLUDED for under $120.00 with shipping. When it arrived, I was amazed at the quality. So do some searching and remember to check the comments from people who have dealt with that ‘Ebayer’ before. You don’t want to spend over $100 on something to find out you have gotten into a bad transaction.

There, now all you have to do is GO FOR IT! These kind of upgrades are easy and will increase the resale value of your home when the time comes.