The plywood top and camp stove worked just fine for a couple of trips, but we had now acquired the real stove, a sink and its time to put the counter top in.
We used 18×18 black granite tiles for the top. They were reasonably priced and much lighter than the slab of stone we had originally looked at. I was Leary of using standard tile thinset to stick the tiles in place, there is just so much movement and vibration in a RV, especially one that does a fair bit of time on forest service roads.
First order of business was to remove the thin crappy ply I had on there and put down a sheet of new 1/2″. Then carefully layout the sink and stove holes. The stove was rather complicated….
So I decided to try using polyurethane caulking to glue them down. Let me tell you that was interesting to trowel on, so much so that I have no pictures at all. Its sticky nasty goop. But it stuck! They took a few days to dry to the point of not moving when pushed on.
After they had dried for a few days, I was able to test fit the stove. There is only about 1/8″ overlap on the edge of this stove so I made the hole very tight, too tight. I was able to come in with a diamond grinder and carve it away just enough to slip it in.
Once that was done we could “grout” it. Just like not wanting to use thinset I didn’t want to use grout, again I was worried about flex. So we used a black silicone caulk.
To do this nicely, you first have to tape off all the grout lines. This will allow you to squirt lots of caulk all over trying to force it into the gaps, and then it also gives you a surface to wipe it down to.
Again a messy process, but it turned out well. You need to wipe as much as possible down to the tape line so it can be cleanly peeled off without leaving a ridge at the edge of the tape. Lots of paper towels and take your time.
You have to peel the tape before the silicone sets up, don’t worry its not too fast.
All finished. It turned out really well. The joint look nearly just like grout would, just a little shinier. So far I am really happy with how my unorthodox install worked out.