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Question:

how to finish edge of ceramic tile counter?

so i bought tile but not the bull nose end pieces cause they did not have them for that tile. I tiled all the way out to the edge of the counter and now need a way to finish the edge. I have seen wood edges but what is this called and how do you do it? does it butt up against the tile of does it go over? is a wet tile saw supposed to leave ugly, chipped edges? bought a Brand new blade and it did not help.

Answer:

How To Finish Tile Edges
I agree with most of the answers already submitted. My preference for your finish would be the stained oak trim. In my opinion- a wood edge finish for a tiled counter is always superior to other finishes because this edge gets a lot of abuse and the wood can handle it without cracking, breaking or chipping. As for the chipped edges from your tile saw. There are a variety of qualities to blades and saws and tile. You've been challenged by probably not the highest quality in all categories. Not to worry- if you get a sanding stone available at your home repair store you can give the edge a quick rub to smooth the worst of the cuts.
Yes, wet saws leave unfinished edges. They're meant to cut a tile not finish it. You didn't mention what type of tile you're dealing with, but I'm going to assume its ceramic for the sake of this answer. You have a few options. First, you can finish with an oak counter trim piece. Many home improvement retailers sell them unfinished. You can buy one, stained and seal it, then silicon it on. Second, you can bullnose. Remember here, a line of grout can be your friend. It will help give an overall finished appearance. Third, some styles of tile (usually the expensive ones) come with something called a V-cap. It looks exceptional on counter top edges. It will give a rounded appearance to your edging. A bead of grout finishes the bottom. I hope you bought this tile at a home improvement retailer with employees on site to help you. Go back to the store and talk over ideas with them. Take a sample of the tile with you. The people that work for me would be able to help you solve this problem in a heartbeat. Any properly trained employee at a retailer should be able to help you.
The are several types of wood counter edges . Each will fit flat up to the edge of the tile, There is one type that you can get at most home improvement centers that do go up and over the edge of the tile. One other possibility is the metal or plastic edging. This is usually installed on the top tile and its over hung and you put another pc of tile on the edge. You might be able to use a decorative strip of tile on the edge if you can find one that is the same width as you need. Some one mentioned the V type ceramic trim pc, these need to be put on during installation since they partially set on the top of the counter. As far as a saw blade, new blades are not supposed to chip tile so theres a couple of reasons why this may occur. The blade was on back wards, a bearing was going out in the saw itself and causing a wobble. Chip in the blade itself so minor you can t see it. The type of blade. Did you get a segmented blade or a continuous rim type? I ve never liked the segmented blades, can cause chipping on some types of tiles or if you pushed it through to fast. Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar and check my qualifications there. GL
some cheaper tiles will chip regardless of your wet saw blade. forget the wood surround. it so 70's. i typically rip those types of tops OUT of houses. go to a reputable tile distributor, and purchase a nice glass tile you can apply as the counter surround. you can bring the glass tile up high enough to cover the bad tile edge and grout the gaps in to finish. also, a better tile distributor, not lowes or home depot, may have a bull nose that matches or have a differing idea, but for SURE would have ample choices for glass.

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