Choose patterned, matte marble tile and minor scratches won't show.
There's a reason ancient Greeks and Romans chose marble for palace floors and walls: Servants were always around to obliterate the soil and dirt tracked in by senators, warriors and diplomats, none of whom were in the habit of wiping off their sandals at the door. These days, family members and visitors are the guilty parties and if you're making a marble-top dining table, that's the turf you'll have to clean. Happily, no servants are required to keep your completed project pristine, thanks to marble cleaners in spray bottles that do the job beautifully.
Instructions
1. Select a marble tile color that complements your dining room or kitchen. Examine colors, textures, veining and finishes before making the decision. Pick glazed or polished marble tiles if you crave an intense shine, saturated color and pronounced marbling patterns, understanding that these glazed finishes are easier to scratch and mar once they're in place. Alternately, select matte marble tiles -- also known as honed finished tiles -- for a marble tabletop that's easier to maintain.
2. Cut a section of 1/2-inch-thick masonry board or plywood to the dimensions you've chosen for your dining table. Avoid cutting tile by using the size of marble squares you've chosen as a base measurement and then have the masonry cut to that size. Seal both sides of the masonry board with polyvinyl glue that's formulated to block the absorption of the tile adhesive you will use to bond the marble tiles to the board.
3. Mount one or more prefabricated table bases -- depending upon the size of the dining table you're making -- to the underside of the masonry sheet using screws and masonry glue to secure the unit to the table. Seal the table's underside with polyurethane that will keep it from absorbing stains and soil courtesy of kid's sticky hands, food spills and other tabletop mishaps. Allow the medium to dry before righting the table.
4. Use a pencil to define the parameters of each marble tile's placement, particularly if you're creating a pattern that requires every tile to be strategically placed to create a design. Add tile spacers to the pencil grid if you're working with small marble tiles so each winds up correctly aligned. Place the atop the pencil blueprint.
5. Lift each tile from the masonry, coat the back with ceramic adhesive using a trowel and then replace it on the board, removing spacers if you used them. Follow suit with each of the tiles. Replace the spacers once all of the tiles are in place and leave them there for 30 minutes to keep everything aligned as the adhesive sets. Weigh down the marble and masonry tabletop so the table surface remains even as the adhesive distributes uniformly across the top.
6. Remove the weights after 24 hours. Fill spaces between the marble tiles with tinted grout, using a putty knife and pressure so it permeates spaces between the marble tiles. Use a rubber spatula to remove excess grout and wipe down the marble tabletop with a rag and spray bottle of water to tidy up the surface. Allow the tabletop to set for 48 hours. Attach decorative, finished molding or trim to the sides with silicone caulk and a nail gun to complete the project.
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