I have granite tiles I want to put on a kitchen countertop. I removed the laminate and underneath is about 1.5 thick of a particle board of some sort. The countertop is very sturdy and the board is in great shape. I know if this stuff get wet, you can have problems, but otherwise it seems to be very sturdy stuff. I know most people will say you need to put down a sheet of hardibacker, but I don‘t see the point. With a top grade thinset, these tiles will definitely adhere to the board extremely well. Grount lines will be extremely tiny and I‘m going to double seal everything with a really good sealer. I don‘t see anyway water is going to penetrate these tiles and thinset and get to the particle board. That‘s really the whole issue, right?
I agree with you. You will always need to be aware that there is a possibility the tiles may come loose one day and need to be fixed. Tile adhesive on plywood or particle board may react differently than on backerboard. If budget is a problem, I would try it.
You can do that no problem. Particle board is a very stable material as long as it doesn't get and stay wet a long time. Make sure you seal the edges of the particle board (if you're not covering them with tile). That's the area that's most vulnerable to water damage because of water that drips off of the top of the counter. But I have to say....tile as a counter is outdated and tacky. Get with the program. Use solid granite or solid surfacing. Tiled counter tops are embarrassing.
I personally would rather have hardibacker. Flooring people in my house right now repairing the floor and a joist because it was not used. Not even in an area that gets a lot of water exposure. Consider how often the counter gets wet and cleaned. That may change your mind. Also, you will need to reseal this more often than the product recommendations because of the amount of wear that is involved. Granite is also pourous and can vary on the quality. I just asked the tile/granite guys that are doing my work. Said they would not recomment it in tiles - sheeted granite is a different story.
