People did this in the 1990's with granite tile, as the budget option instead of granite slab counters. It was always a negative when it came time to sell those houses. No one wants to clean grout lines on kitchen counters, even if it is less of them with the larger tiles.

It might also not be the savings you think, as you have to build a solid/thick base to lay the tiles on and you will need much more than a pencil liner to cover the edge of the tile plus the mortar bed.

It has been tried before and there is a reason that solid materials are used and preferred for countertops.

One of my close friends has is - she’d like to get rid of it, crumbs seem to get lodged in the grout seams even though they are very small and it feels uneven, even tho it might not be so I always hesitate before putting down my wine glass on the counter when I am visiting -wanting to set it in the middle of the tile and not on an edge - I’d do butcher block before tile any day of the week

Chispa, I never saw 24" x 48 inch granite tile in the 90s. I always saw 12" x 12" tiles where there is grout everywhere. With my small kitchen there would be about three seams. Even with granite, quartz, marble, there will be seams which is filled with epoxy grout. I'm really not concerned with resale, just a place holder for a few years until I can do stone.

La_la girl what size tile does your friend have?

Knowing how exact they can make 24 x 48 porcelain tiles, I think they are a good option for counters if there is a way to protect the edges.

There is a new porcelain tile that comes in slabs that is what they are calling 4D. Some how it is printed through the material so it can take an edge. You may want to check this out before you make a decision. I have no idea of the cost.

https://www.sapienstone.com/

Thanks Beverly!

The size is a problem since you need more than 24" for the dpth since you need some overhang to protect cabinets so IMO that would be 25" so with that in mind tou now have a ton of waste.. Pencil tile a pretty dated look in most cases and also more grout to get gross . I had a tile counter for years not that large but the grout was an issue for sure even with using cutting boards always , So happy when we changed to Stratificato from Abet Laminati my 9 ' x54" counter cost 1K It is a laminate like nothing like old laminate it can handle hot pots, acid all with no bad effects

Beverly, there is no way that slab porcelain will be cheaper than basic/standard granite slabs. I will actually guess that it is quite a bit more expensive and probably more than quartzite counters. A friend just priced a similar porcelain product for shower walls, and just the 3 walls of a standard sized tub/shower was $16K. There is always a premium for the "new" products!

We used plywood covered with clear contact paper as our temporary counters while waiting for our marble. (9 months.) It held up great, looked beautiful, and was super easy to maintain. We loved it. Guests always thought it was our final countertop and couldn't see why we were getting rid of it.

I agree with @porkchop that remnants might be a viable option for you. Go to a stone yard and find out what they have - and bring your measurements.
There are many countertop places, and going to them can be an education in what the pros and cons are for of all the options. There are new products all the time, but that also means there isn’t any long term information.

IKEA butcherblock perhaps?

That is what people upgrade FROM. Also, unless you have the suction cups, big tile snapper, and all the tools to DIY, the cost to pay someone to do this will be twice the cost of an entry level granite. Granite is cheap.

I like the idea of looking for remnant stone or considering butcher block. I had a 2nd laundry in my old house and when I wanted to update it on a budget, I got a piece of 25" x 72" butcher block from Menards and stained it. It looked beautiful and held up quite well. (link) As mentioned above, IKEA sells butcher block as well.

You can get 5 basic 2cm granite colors for $28 a square where I am. You can’t even buy custom laminate for that cheap. Much less a custom large format tile install that starts at 3x that and goes up from there.

Wasn't this also posted last week? I believe I had commented on it.

What is your layout? Honestly there is no reason you can't do this. You said it was going to be temporary. The big hang up I see ( it was mentioned above ) is that counters are 25 1/2" deep so your 24 x 48 tile won't sit as you imagined because you need deeper. You will also need a plywood or cement board substrate and adhesives. The grout lines can be narrow. You will need to figure out the front edge of the top as well and what you are doing for a backsplash if any. You will need to do a top mount sink. I wouldn't trust trying to waterproof that area for an undermount.

Are you planning on doing this yourself or paying someone? It may be worth it to see if your local granite yard has remnants that can work. It may wind up being the same price. .

Side note - why wouldn't you do laminate? Those tops are great!

They’re looking good!

It really looks fantastic!

Those are inspiration pictures from Pinterest, not my kitchen haha but I think they look great!

I think those are inspiration pics? I have a 1980's house with ceramic tile counters that I LOVE! They do need some updating, but I will be using porcelain tile with epoxy grout, when I get around to it. I love being able to set hot pans on my counter, no worries about staining from anything, no worries about knife cuts if someone cuts on it, etc. Epoxy grout is bombproof - no staining, no scrubbing, no cracking or crumbling. I don't care what the next owner wants; they don't live here. And the way trends go...all those people who upgraded to granite, thinking it would be good for resale? Well, those buyers now don't want granite, they want quartz. So everyone is putting in the same veined quartz that is surely going to be the avocado shag carpet of the 60's 70's - it's so ubiquitous that no one is going to want it.

If you're going to DIY, be sure to get porcelain tile and study up on epoxy grout. Apparently, it can be trickier to install...but heck, men do it, so I'm sure you could!

Here are a couple I have saved on Pinterest and a link to some more:

Tile counters link

Eta: you can find tiles that have trim pieces to use for edging or to use at the back of the counters, or in a creative pattern to make the measurements work out.

Sally Sue it looks so good, you already had me planning how to finally get rid of my laminate countertops. LOL. I really hope you post after photos!

Sally sue, have you done the large format tile countertops? I would love to do it in my kitchen, and want to see after pictures!

No tile edges, please; unrepairable chip factory. Wood or color coordinated solid surface.

If you ultimate goal is stone anyway, look at Pyrolave, french lava stone,cut and glazed to order. I have had my counters for 26 years, no maintenance but a quick wipe, no grout, no separate edging, dont look like imitation stone, very strong, go well with wood. My counters look exactly the same as when installed. Cons: very expensive, you cant care much. about trends.