How To Install Backsplash Subway Tile Sheets

Always wondered if you could DIY your own a kitchen backsplash? Turns out it's not only easy, merely tin can also be pretty cheap too. Here'due south how nosotros added this subway tile backsplash in our aunt'south kitchen using affordable tile sheets. Information technology took united states only 2 one-half-days to complete, and rung in right at $200.

Why Add A Kitchen Backsplash?

I regret Sherry and I have about our first business firm is not doing a tile backsplash every bit part of our kitchen makeover. Best I can retrieve, we wanted an easily changeable "pop of color" in the course of expert ol' fashioned paint instead (and nosotros spent a lot on that makeover, so it was a cost saving measure as well). If only we had known how cheap and easy a backsplash could exist if you lot install it yourself! Now having several tiling projects under our belts – including the backsplashes in our current kitchen and our last kitchen – it feels like a no-brainer.

My Aunt Liz (as well known as Great Liz to our kids) moved to Richmond a few years ago, but didn't have a backsplash put in when her new abode was built. Luckily, she had called some overnice black cabinets and a gray & back granite counter that was well suited for the addition of some classic white subway tile down the line, which she has e'er loved and pictured in there. These iPhone pictures aren't doing the space much justice, merely they give y'all a sense of where we started. And yep, when information technology comes to adding a backsplash, yous can put it right over the drywall (even if it'due south painted!) and use prepare-mixed adhesive and grout to get in even easier. And so permit'due south break downward how we got it washed.

Preparing Your Wall For Tile

Liz had already cleared off her kitchen counters when we arrived the first morning, so we jumped correct into protecting everything using painter'southward tape and red rosin-newspaper (this is a more waterproof version of your standard brown newspaper, both of which yous can go at the home improvement store). We too removed all of the switch and outlet covers (and later, with the power off, we loosened any switches or outlets from their junction boxes). Note: if you lot have old tile to remove kickoff, here'due south how we've washed that in the past.

Since a kitchen backsplash isn't a heavy-duty super-moisture tile scenario (similar a shower wall or bathroom floor) you lot actually can apply the tile directly to your painted drywall without having to tear anything down and install cement board. All it takes is but roughing up your paint job with a high-grit sanding block or sandpaper (nosotros used eighty-grit).

Hat-related side note: in taking all of these photos, Sherry failed to notice that the back of my hat was TOTALLY JACKED UP the whole time. Who has 2 tags sticking out of their lid ever, let alone for an entire series of photos and a video?? I'd encourage you to avert your eyes, but you'd miss all the pertinent visuals in this post – so just avoid staring directly at the hat if you can assistance it.

Planning Your Tile Sheet Placement

Once our sanding was done, we started planning the placement of our design. Rather than a standard 3 x 6″ subway tile, the iii of us decided this smaller 2 x iv″ tile that came in a sheet was a amend calibration for the space (if yous're non near a Lowe's, Wayfair's got the same look for almost one-half the price). We also picked upward some white bullnose tile for the ends that wouldn't terminate into a wall. Laying everything out beforehand helped us ensure we weren't leaving slivers on either end, and that the pattern would wait centered on the wall. I'll evidence y'all in a infinitesimal how this all turned out.

We had measured Liz's backsplash surface area on a previous visit and then purchased plenty square footage PLUS nearly 10-15% actress just in case. It'southward always important to have that around to account for breakage, miscuts, and other hiccups.

Hanging The Subway Tile Sheets

For the next parts of this process, nosotros made a quick video so y'all can run into the basic steps in action. Merely you can keep reading below if you're non in a identify where yous can sentinel it at the moment (or if you lot actually hate jamming out to dope beats. Yup, I said it). Note: If you're viewing this post from a feed reader, you may accept to click through to the post to see the video.

To hang the tile, we used a premixed mastic to adhere it to the wall. I used a small trowel to apply it to the wall in modest sections at a fourth dimension (I found the small trowel easier to maneuver in the tight space under the cabinets). Here are some screen grabs from the video. Once again, try not to only stare at my lid problems.

Once nosotros had a thin layer of mastic applied, nosotros used a Five-notched trowel to scrape off the backlog – holding the trowel at a 45-degree bending the whole time. This not only removes extra mastic, but as well creates grooves that will help the tile adhere to the wall better. Sherry and I are highly competitive about who makes the best grooves.

Once you get your groove on (ha!) you can utilise your tile. The area shown here was large enough for full sheets, and equally yous saw in the video, we used some 1/eight″ tile spacers to help keep the lines of the pattern straight and fifty-fifty. You'll have several minutes of literal jerk room before the mastic sets, only we never try to work as well far in advance without taking a footstep back to run into if annihilation has slipped or isn't straight.

Cutting The Tile Sheets

Laying the subway tile is super piece of cake. The just identify it gets slightly complicated is when cut is involved, so I'll requite you a few examples of the tools and tricks yous might need to have upward your sleeve. For instance, when a partial sheet was needed –  like when these walls chosen for an extra row on peak of each sheet – Sherry discovered that some pruning sheers worked smashing for snipping the glue dots that held our sheets together (the same would work on mesh tile sheets – as would a normal kitchen scissors). We just cutting a few full sheets into rows so we had them at the prepare.

When a partial tile is in order (like when you bump into a calorie-free switch, outlet, or the end of the wall) we relied on a wet saw. For simple tiles similar subway you can too use a ceramic tile cutter, but it will just cut along one line – and then it wouldn't piece of work in cases like the i shown below, where I had to brand that puppy wait similar Oklahoma. I used a pencil to marker the notch I'd need to cutting out, and so took it outside to my wet saw to trim. For whatever kickoff timers, a wet saw is faaar less scary than information technology looks. It's really i of my favorite saws to utilize because you lot tin cut very slowly and be pretty precise.

Don't worry about making information technology crazy perfect around an outlet considering the outlet embrace volition hide a lot. In fact, if you lot roll dorsum to the top pic in this mail service you'll see that the outlet cover goes all the style to the grout crack, then all of that special cutting is hidden under it anyway.

The moisture saw was as well helpful for cutting full sheets faster, like when we got to the end of a wall. And unlike some experiences I've had with cutting tile sheets on a moisture saw, these were super fast and like shooting fish in a barrel to do.

My saw came with an adjustable guide that also made cutting angles really easy. This would be super important if you lot were installing subway in a herringbone pattern, for example, and needed to cutting the edge pieces (believe me, we've done it without one!). Only in this instance, we just needed it for the bullnose border pieces that nosotros used whenever the tile didn't finish into a wall corner.

Installing Ends & Borders

Speaking of those bullnose pieces, y'all do have to think about where and how your backsplash is going to stop. If you lot're lucky, it volition just run right into a corner like Liz's did on the stove side of her kitchen, in which case there's no border necessary (since the unfinished sides of the tile aren't visible thanks to them butting upwards against the side wall).

Speaking of that side wall, we could've opted to turn the tile and continue it forth the side wall only there wasn't a natural stopping point (the counters stick out much further than the upper cabinets, then it could look awkward to stop at one but not the other). Merely going wall-to-wall along the back always makes for a nice clean expect.

On the opposite wall, however, we didn't take any walls to terminate into – which is where that bullnose edge detail came into play. You can come across how nosotros used a 45-degree angled cutting at the meridian corners to brand sure each exposed border had a finished bullnose (as opposed to seeing the unfinished side of a regular tile).

Along this stretch of wall, we chose to install the tile wherever the existing granite backsplash ran, which seemed to look the almost intentional (like they had always been there, installed together at the same time). In the by nosotros have removed that brusk piece of granite and then the tile can go correct to the counter, but in this instance they worked then well together that it felt better to leave it there – especially since it wasn't worth the risk of damaging someone else's granite counters in an try to get it off.

Grouting & Caulking Your Backsplash

We finished all of the tile cutting and installing the tile sheets in about 5 hours (information technology was mostly all of the outlets and switches on that 1 wall that ate upwardly a lot of our fourth dimension). We let the mastic set overnight and came dorsum the side by side morning to remove our spacers, lay downward fresh paper, and brainstorm grouting. We used premixed grout (for the beginning time!) in a lite grayness for the slightest flake of contrast… and I'm undecided on it. Maybe I've just been mixing my grout too watery all of these years, but I found this to exist a little on the dry out side, which made it harder to spread apace and without it crumbling off the wall and falling onto the counter. Simply it certainly was nice to skip the mixing step, so I'd happily requite information technology another try to become more than exercise.

You lot can run into grouting in action in the video, but information technology basically involves using the float to smoosh information technology (technical term, I promise) into all of the gaps between tiles. It takes a bit of pressure and some back-and-forth, upwardly-and-down motions to make sure it catches in every seam – but it'due south a relatively easy, albeit slow procedure. Once you've got it in every seam, elevate your float over the tile at a sharp bending to wipe off excess from the tile surfaces.

After you've allow your grout set for effectually x minutes or then, use a barely damp sponge to wipe forth the surface of the tile. This will help remove any leftover grout on the tiles and also smoothen the grout within the seams. It doesn't take much pressure or h2o at all. You may notice yous want to become back for a 2d pass a fiddling while later, once it's set up even more than within the seams (this helps to have the brume off the tile itself).

You lot'll as well want to caulk the edges where the tile meets your counter, your cabinets, and/or the walls. We bought a caulk that's color-matched to the light gray grout we used (both were "Silverado"), so it wouldn't stick out like a large white border. We like to tape off the areas that are about to be caulked, leaving only a thin gap for where the caulk will go. Then just squeeze a small-scale line of caulk along the seam, and utilise a moisture finger (dipped in a cup of warm water) to smooth information technology. Be certain to pull your record off equally soon as you've got it smoothed to your liking. Practise NOT wait for the caulk to fully dry out before removing your tape. Note: this caulk went on lighter than the grout and scared us for a second, but it darkened to be a perfect match when it stale.

Completing Your Installation

Ofttimes the finishing touches are buffing and sealing. Yous may find a grout brume appearing on your tile over the adjacent 24 hours. Once the grout has had a total day or so to set up, employ a non-shedding cloth (similar microfiber or cheesecloth) to buff the surface of the tile. Information technology may take some elbow grease in certain places, just be carefull not to press into any grout lines – peculiarly if they show any signs of non existence fully cured. Some tiles or grouts may crave sealing also, merely neither of ours did in this case. You lot tin can read more near that in this postal service if yours practice.

Later that – you lot're ready to enjoy your new backsplash! Which, without tooting our own horns too much, Liz was very excited to do. She'southward been in this house for about iii years and has always known the kitchen needed something similar this. And so it was fun to be able to help her make information technology happen… and for simply $200! Note: we did three walls of Liz'due south kitchen, so for anyone who might just need one or two areas of tile, it should be even cheaper – especially if y'all club the Wayfair tile we afterward establish, which is almost half the price.

The just downside to this project is that we may take opened up a tin of worms for Liz (we all agreed that extending the Revere Pewter wall colour from her nearby living room would look awesome in here). Only that's a project for another 24-hour interval! And maybe another nephew? Just kidding. Well, possibly not. Love you, Liz!

Other Kitchen Backsplash Tile Nosotros're Loving

And if this is just the nudge you needed to do what we should've done in our first kitchen (#backsplashregrets), hither are some tile options we hunted down that would work really well for a backsplash update:

ane / ii / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / ten

More than Tiling Projects and Installation How-Tos

If y'all guys want more info, tutorials, and photos of other tile projects in our firm – here are some other installs we've documented:

• Installing A Minor-Calibration Herringbone In Our Laundry Room
• Installing Marble Herringbone Around A Fireplace
• Installing Porcelain Floor Tile In Our Laundry Room
• Installing Large Stone Tile In An Outdoor Area
• Installing A Penny Tile Backsplash In Our Last Kitchen (Getting Started, Cut Tiles, Grouting, Removing Haze)
• Removing An Old Shower Tile Border and Installing A New Ane
• Installing A Subway Shower Environment & Marble Floor (And Grouting Information technology)

Speaking of installing tile, we're bound to take a lot more of it coming upwards in our beach business firm presently. I can't tell if I'm excited or intimidated. Three showers, three bath floors, a kitchen backsplash… *gulp*

*This mail contains chapter links*

This post was originally published in May 2022

Source: https://www.younghouselove.com/install-subway-tile-backsplash/

Posted by: rockwellfook1949.blogspot.com

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