How to Bullnose Granite Tile
Granite tile is one of the best surfaces you can use for a countertop, both in terms of aesthetics and durability. It's generally not difficult to install, except for the front countertop edge. Granite tiles come in straight, sharp-edged squares, and it may be difficult to find any in your style that are bullnosed (meaning the top front edge is trimmed off so you don't have a sharp corner at the counter edge). By making a miter jig, you can bullnose it yourself on your tile saw. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 4-foot-square sheet of 1/2-inch plywood
- Straightedge
- Pencil
- Circular saw
- 3/4-inch wood screws
- Screw gun
- Tri-square
- Tile saw (table-saw style)
- Granite tiles
Instructions
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Lay a tile on your plywood and trace its shape. Remove the tile and use your straightedge and pencil to add two inches to one side of the square. Cut out the square with your circular saw. Cut an additional two-inch strip of plywood to fit the additional area that you added to the square. Use your screws and screw gun to affix the strip on one edge of the square. You should now have wood square that will hold a tile, with raised, 2-inch-wide "stop" against one side of it.
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Cut out a second square of plywood, the same size as the first, to be used as a base. Cut out two triangular pieces with 45-degree angles, using your tri-square to mark out the angles. Set the two triangles on the base, at either side of the piece, screwing them in from the bottom of the base, so the 45-degree angle rises from one side.
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Place your first square piece of granite on the miter jig, with the 2-inch stop at the top, and secure it with screws into the edges of the triangular pieces. You should now have a flat square of wood the size of a tile, mounted on a base at 45 degrees.
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Set the granite tile on the slanted board on your saw platform, with bottom of the tile sitting at an angle against the platform and the top pressed against the stop piece on your jig. Set the saw fence next to the blade on the opposite side as the tile.
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Turn on the saw and very slowly feed the tile through it, still on the jig. The top edge of the tile should rest against the saw fence and then go into the blade, taking off the edge. Don't push hard, but go very slowly, letting the saw do the work, until the whole edge is bullnosed.
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Tips & Warnings
Wear eye protection when using your tile saw.
