11 Unique Tile Counter Ideas for Kitchens and Baths

Updated December 10, 2014.

Tile companies aren't encouraging you to install tile on countertops. Really. Go through any company's listings and you will find exactly zero tiles specified for counters; or at most, a grudging suggestion that a certain type of tile just might work for counters. I, too, tend to steer homeowners toward any other type of countertop material .

But I do understand why homeowners gravitate toward countertop tile. It's the only all-new surface of reasonable thickness that they can install themselves. So let's take a look at some options:

The tile on this kitchen counter comes from one of my favorite manufacturers, Nemo Tile, based in New York, NY. This is one of their more distinctive and color-rich tiles, Color Blox, which they describe as having colors such as "deep red and midnight blue" and including "proprietary cross-sheen finish that repels dirt and stains." This is a wonderful tile that would fit just right in a Craftsman-style kitchen .

American Olean

A gorgeous glossy blue tile at six inches square for this rather shallow kitchen counter. From American Olean, this is Cache in Smoky Sky. But what really gives this counter its flair is the 3" x 7" Botanical Cap Accent trim.

It's a showy tile for any kitchen emulating French or Italian styles.

You may want to avoid high-gloss finishes, as they easily scratch. American Olean recommends "double glazed like [our] Crystaltex or glazes fired at higher temperatures, such as glazes on vitreous and porcelain bodies." I will add that the Crystaltex line has since been discontinued.