I hope someone here will say I'm wrong, but I think black tile would be a bad idea.

Tile counters in general are a pain to keep clean because of the grout - that would only be accentuated by the black, as you would see everything. I love the contrast of black and white, but I'd do something solid surface. If $$ is an issue, even some of the new formicas are nice now.

The Just Beachy blog showed a black and white kitchen with formica slate - look counters. Scroll down to see the pics.

Here is a link that might be useful: Just Beachy

No I also think it's a bad idea even if you want a black and white retro kitchen.

go here and look at the retro style kitchens for ideas on tiled counters. But if you do use black tile, you'd never use white grout. Grout usually matches or goes darker than tile. But ultimately, it's your kitchen. Do what makes you happy.

Here is a link that might be useful: rejuvenation

I think you will regret having tile countertops. Especially for resale. JMO.

I agree about the tile, especially the 4x4. If you have to do tile look into the large format granite tiles. They are available here in 18 x 18 & 24 X 24. These sizes make grout much less of a problem.

I am sure many can post pics of black counters but they would be solid surface, granite slab or soapstone. I don't think tile is very popular for counters around here.

I did do black granite tile, 12x12, for my laundry room. It was a cost issue. We were already over budget and I did them for a temporary solution. I will change them in a year or so. They are not bad but would NEVER do it for a kitchen. If you want a pic I can post one.

I guess I'm in the minority, but I lived with and loved black tile countertops for 11 years. It was, in fact, the only thing about my previous kitchen that I liked--just everything else about it was hideous (see the pic below for the 'lovely' pink and black color scheme!). The grout was also black, so no stains or anything showed, and the tile itself was bulletproof.

Cost is not as much of an issue, as is the old fashion look.
Solid granite is too high end for a cottage kitchen and granite squares look very "home depot DIY".
The only other solid surface I considered would be White marble.
I don't care about resale, since it is my house and I don't put anything in it, except what I like. I have no plans on selling it.

If I install it and don't like it down the road, I can always rip it out and put in something else (the tile is cheap and the labor is elbow grease).

I was just hoping for some photos for ideas of designs.
Solid Black or some type of inlaid design with a few white tiles..
Thanks

I don't know if you've seen this one yet, but it's pretty perfect. If the backsplash is mostly or all white, I'd think adding a little white to the countertop would be a good idea, AND maybe you could add a little row of black on the backsplash. Just my 2 cents.

I love this blue-green kitchen.

Here is a link that might be useful:

I think that the kitchen silverspring posted looks pretty funky! I especially like the black trim tile around the sink. Still not sure that I'd use super white grout, though. I'd picture myself scrubbing tomato sauce in grout lines often....

I like that teamsugar kitchen - since you have alot of black and white already (floors) you might consider adding another color, kinda like they did with the back splash, to add some contrast.

White grout is a scary concept to me. I have white grout in my kitchen and I hate it. It's been sealed well, so it cleans up, but I hate having to scrub every single inch of the stupid stuff (not my pick).

It's amazing what toilet bowl cleaner with bleach can do, though.

Take a look at VedaZu's kitchen in the FKB: VedaZu's upmarket kitchen with Rutt cabs, LaCanche stove and tile counters

I used to have 12" black granite tile counters and liked them just fine. They were much better than the white laminate or whatever that it replaced. I do like my solid black slab granite now in my remodeled kitchen, but I certainly liked my black granite tiled counters quite well. Definitely do black grout since that gets pretty grotty otherwise. I don't know about mixing with white tiles. If you say that you have the checkerboard patter on the floor, I'd go out of my way to make sure that the counters don't look too much like the floor, in the kitchen! ;-) One thing that I did to bring some relief into my kitchen was that I had a 30" counter and I effected that using 12" + 6" + 12" rows of tiles. The 6" row in the center made a quite attractive self-pattern (I thought).

rodco-- You most likely won't find many that have any kind of inlaid design in the counter, if for no other reason than to conserve on the number of grout joints, which is always the biggest complaint about tile countertops. The same can be said, as many here have already mentioned, for the tile size. My father, who was also a tile contractor did my family home's countertops in white 4 1/4" wall tile and white grout, and my mother paid hell trying to keep those grout joints clean, although she DID succeed. How, I don't know! But that being said, it's not the most prudent thing to do. I'd also recommend going with the larger tiles-- 12x12 at the smallest, and preferrably something even larger than that. Here's one done in 12x12 absolute black granite:

The day that sledgehammer hit my 4" tile countertop with used-to-be white grout was probably the happiest day of my life. I hated that countertop- the grout was impossible to clean, and I tried EVERYTHING. Also, the tile made it so that the counter wasn't perfectly smooth, so rolling anything out on it wasn't possible, and any spills travelled in the grout lines. In my cousin's new house, she has 12" black tiles with 1/8" black grout and loved it...until she lived there a year and realized what a PIA tile countertops are.

what about soapstone? or a matte, honed granite? or even laminate? I much, much preferred laminate to the tile.

I personally love the look of a tile countertop. I think the size tiles you are planning is great too, I don't like larger tiles as they seem like they are trying to be more like a solid surface instead of just being the tiles they are (although I do love Bill Vincent's counter, so I might be wrong about that!). That said, I'd go for black grout. Even light colored grout on a floor is a pain, on a counter it would be a nightmare.

I think going all black would be beautiful, but running a white trim around the edge would also be lovely. It sounds like you already have the tiles, but doing a different shaped tile, like a larger hex could also be a neat idea. Below is a link to a blog where hex tiles on a countertop are discussed with photos. Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: hex tile countertop

Here's a deco kitchen with a solid countertop. I personally love the chair in front of the sink.

Here is a link that might be useful: Not tile, but adorable and deco

Autumngal, I LOVE those little hex tile countertops. That's adorable.

Here's yet another.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

I hope this isn't annoying, but I love looking through all these sweet kitchen pictures.

Here is a link that might be useful: pale green, black and white 30s kitchen

Very pretty, silverspring. Autumngal, I also like the wall sconce over the sink - perfect for that kitchen!

Another option perhaps is a metal edging? A friend had it in their retro kitchen - I thought that it was cool!

The link below shows it with a copper colour - I'd never considered that (no really in the right theme for this thread, but...)

Here is a link that might be useful: metal edging

That's fantastic. I had no idea anyone still made that stuff.

Thanks for the advice. The links of the Hexagon kitchen counter I saw before and purchased the magaizine that featured that kitchen. Those Hex Tiles (bwtile.com) are custome made and take a while to get. The shipping cost is also high coming from california. I think I will go with Black tile and a small White band around the inside. I will counteract that with a Black band on the white back splash. I will take photos and post when I am finished.
ROB

I do like tile for countertops, even better than granite, if I didn't listen to what is "dated".....but I would do the black grout with the black tile....I prefer the matte finish, but that is just personal. Go for it...it would make a very serviceable counter, as well as keeping with the period. Good Luck.

The hex tiles would be fabulous. As far as I know hex tiles are not special order.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dal-tile

That pale green, black & white kitchen is so lovely. I like the look of 4" tile counters, but I've never lived with them.

I think your plan of the contrasting bands sounds very nice.