A granite countertop is one of the finest amenities you can have in a kitchen. While a single, unbroken granite slab is the preferred choice for a countertop, it's not something a homeowner can generally tackle without professional assistance. However, installing granite tile is a project within reach of do-it-yourselfers, and achieves a similar look. If the existing laminate on your countertop is in good shape, you can tile right over it with the proper preparation.

1
Go over the laminate of the countertop with your vibrating pad sander and 80-grit sandpaper. Sand and de-gloss the surface completely. Wipe up the dust.

2
Measure and mark the middle of the length of the countertop. Use your carpenter's square to make a line from front to back over the middle of the countertop, taking the line down around the vertical front edge.

3
Measure the height of the front vertical edge (it may be anywhere from 2 to 4 inches high). Cut several granite tiles at that height, on your wetsaw.

4
Use your notched trowel to apply thin-set mortar over the vertical front edge. You should still be able to see the lines through the mortar.

5
Set the cut tiles into the mortar, starting on either side of the vertical line. Set spacers between the tiles.

6
Apply more thin-set mortar to the top of the countertop surface. Press tiles along the front part of the countertop, starting on either side of the line, so the front edges of the horizontal tiles cover the exposed sides of the vertical cut tiles.

7
Spread mortar over the rest of the top of the countertop. Set the rest of the tiles in a grid pattern, working back from the front and cutting the tiles at the ends of the countertop as necessary on your wetsaw. Put spacers between all of them.

8
Let the tiles set overnight. Remove the spacers.

9
Grout the tiles with your grout float, pressing the grout into the spaces between the tiles and scraping it off the face. Wipe off the excess grout with a damp sponge.