Tile on old formica countertop

I'm working on an older house that I'm going to "flip" in a few weeks and I've been agonizing over the kitchen countertop. It's the old style "flat" formica with the squared off side splashes and an REALLY BEAUTIFUL mosaic tile backsplash.

I'd hate to lose the backsplash. My fear is that I'd end up screwing up the mosaic trying to get the old formica out from underneath it and then I'd just add to my workload.

I don't recall the procedure for laying tile over the old formica. I was thinking that screwing down the 1/4" hardibacker (over a layer of thinset) might be it but wasn't sure how well that would work on the edges.

Any other ideas.

Thanks

Frank

 

You can tile directly over the formica but it needs to be really clean of oils, grease, etc. Using the Hardibacker will definitely give you a better bond for the new tile. Use a 1/4" trowel to put down a layer of thinset under the Hardi then screw it every 6 - 8"