So this one is long. Definitely couldn't finish it yesterday.
I worked on the backsplash in our kitchen for the six weekends prior to Easter, and it's finally done. This project made me nervous because I hold myself to a high standard and while most house projects can't be completely perfect, this one is super visible. So I decided to work on it at my own pace. My wife loves it, and that's a good barometer of success.
Let's break it down.
In doing a tile backsplash, there are two parts. First the tiling then the grout and caulk. The tiling took me four of six weekends and most of those days were long. Grouting took most of a weekend and the caulking another.
The project really starts prior to actually working on it. I had to prep the wall in a few places after the countertop guys left holes, patching with drywall spackle and sanding until it was close to flat. Before starting on tiling, we needed to pick the tile and accumulate tools. After visiting Home Depot and Lowes (and I think my wife visited another tile shop) we settled on sheets (foot square) of rectangular tiles from Lowes. The actual individual tiles are fairly small, 4" by 2". I demanded a simple pattern because I didn't want to deal with herringbone for something similar. As for equipment, for tiling I needed:
- a wet saw (what I chose instead of a tile cutter)
- tile mortar, premixed
- spacers (I used 1/16" Ts for between tiles, 1/8" Ts for around tiles)
- a notched trowel
- box extenders (for the outlets)
I already had a utility knife, levels, pencils and screwdrivers.
There's more, as you need to figure how it'll all lay out. Difficult places will come up no matter what, but you want to discover as many of them as possible before getting started. We have two walls where I would install tile, a short wall next to our fridge and a longer one that includes the sink, a corner, and the range/microwave. On laying out the tile, you want to see how everything will work around these objects and the outlets. The short wall layout was pretty easy. The long wall required figuring out the window and the corner especially, plus open ends on both sides. In no place do you want tiny pieces of tile that are impossible to cut and will look horrible even if you could. After deliberation, I decided to center the tiles on the window over the sink, and by laying tiles down on the countertop determined the ends and corner would work in that design. Just this took me an evening.
A few design decisions and a bit of prep remained. We did not use any edging. The tiles themselves look nice on the ends so we didn't need bullnose tile or metal edge pieces. We also decided to have the tiles stop with the cabinets instead of the countertops, which go slightly farther out. I assembled the wet saw. I cleaned the walls prior to applying mortar. And to protect the countertops, I used brown craft paper taped down and taken off each weekend. Another good idea is to open up each box of tiles and make sure there's a good mix (color/style) in each. Natural stone varies, and you want a variety on each wall section.
Okay, we were finally ready. Starting with the short wall I put a whole tile sheet into the corner with 1/8" spacers underneath and on the side. Then I took a level and drew a line across the top of the sheet and farther along the wall to ensure subsequent sheets were level. I checked the levelness of the countertop too. After taking the sheet back down, I opened the premixed mortar and used the notched trowel (or a smaller putty knife) to spread it on the wall and notch it according to directions. You only want to do small sections at a time since the mortar dries fairly quickly. Then the first sheet went back up, with spacers around the outside again. Here a large rubber grout float (something needed later) helps supply even pressure to push the tiles into the mortar. Even so I often just used my fingers, especially with individual tiles. Another sheet followed. Throughout I used between-tile spacers (1/16") to keep good separation between both the sheets and tiles on a sheet. I also checked that the rows were level periodically. When running into an outlet, I used a utility knife to cut out the tiles impacted (a mesh backing holds them together) and put the rest of the sheet up. On the first day of tiling I completed most of the tiles on the short wall, but left a lot of cutting for the following day.
Something I learned quickly is to complete areas when you start them. As the mortar dries, the tiles on the wall become immoveable and you want flexibility to adjust them slightly as you do cuts and work the tougher spaces. Since I didn't do this the first day, the second day was a little difficult. I lucked out that none of the tiles on the wall were horribly out of alignment. Even though far fewer tiles went up that second day, it took just as long. It's time consuming to mark for cuts, go out to the saw, make the cut, come in and put it up. In addition to finishing the first open end, I needed to make long narrow cuts underneath the cabinets. I also learned it's a good idea in tough spaces to cut out more individual tiles so they 'float,' again giving you more flexibility. After the first weekend, I realized how long this was going to take but also how nice it would look. My hands were sore and I was exhausted.
The following weekend I started on the longer side. (Friday night is when I actually figured out the layout, which took a while.) I started tiling underneath the window, centered on it. It required more long narrow cuts under the sill. After finishing under the window I worked left toward the end of the countertop. I forgot my own lesson to complete a section and worked around the outlets instead of immediately doing the tough cuts along the window. This made the window area challenging later in the day. I spent way too long staring at my work afterward, thinking about what I could've done a little better. It was overly critical.
During the week, I wanted a few of the outlets to be accessible and installed a couple of the box extenders, which protect the wires in the box and allow the cover to be installed with longer screws over the tiles. I discovered how important it was to have the cuts around outlets be close to exact. They don't need to be pretty, as the covers hide any errors, but if the hole is too big the extender doesn't fit right. I was more careful going forward. I also discovered that box extenders don't fit into 'New Work' electrical boxes, after I had adjusted the location of a couple. It wasn't pretty but by cutting into the extender it fit.
The third weekend I finished the left side and end then tiled to and through the corner. For the end you line up all the tiles using a level and the side of the cabinet, after picking tiles with good factory cuts. The corner required some thinking. Once I finish one wall, do I just start with whole tiles or do I cut so it looks like they wrap through? The wrapped look seemed best so that's what I did. The colors don't all match, but the style looks nice. Cutting and getting the smaller tile pieces on both sides of the corner was difficult. So was using 1/8" spacers between the sides, requiring tape to hold them tight for consistent spacing. Once through the corner, there were few obstructions and I was able to go quickly. I did discover the distance from countertop to cabinet was slightly larger than expected here, as the countertop isn't perfectly level. Smh. I had to accept a few larger gaps between rows.
The final weekend of tiling saw me go over the oven, under the microwave, and finish the final open end. We had to decide what to do under the microwave. It's even less visible than under the cabinets and after getting tile close to the top, I just left a gap. We also decided to do two rows of tiles below counter depth behind the range. The new oven/range is a slide in with a (nearly) counter height profile. Having the tile below a bit was the right call. Once I got to the final end, I was lucky it all worked out. The tiles could go right to the edge of the cabinet and there were no tiny pieces. It was definitely a bit of a guessing game that far from the starting point. Suddenly I was done with tiling! Now grout and caulk remained.
For grouting, I needed some additional equipment, most of which I had acquired already:
- unsanded grout (in very light gray, unsanded is for gaps up to 1/8"), powder
- mixing paddle
- new bucket
- rubber grout float
- sponges
Getting started the next Saturday, I covered the countertops and also a section of floor. One bucket was filled with clean water. In another I mixed the grout according to directions. Here I didn't buy premixed because there were more color options in powder, including a very light gray, and I wasn't sure how much we'd need. Using a rubber float the grout is spread into all tile gaps, preferably at a 45 degree angle. It takes care to get into all the little areas, like immediately over the countertop (but not to the countertop!), around outlets, etc. I did not use grout between the tiles and countertop, cabinets, corner or window trim. Those would be caulked. After the gaps are filled, the float is used to remove excess grout from the tile faces. Like with tiling you do sections at a time. After the grout has been in for 15 minutes or so (often longer as I did sections of wall), then it's time to clean. Taking a fresh sponge, you get it wet and squeeze nearly all the water out. It should barely be damp. You go over all the tiles to give the grout a consistent look and clear off the faces. This requires doing tiny sections and cleaning the sponge over and over. It seems like the haze will never come out. That day I probably went over the tiles with a sponge five times, and it still looked hazy everywhere. It wasn't until I used a clean towel and went over every tile during the week that it cleared up. I finished the long wall that day and the short wall the next. My back was sore from bending over.
For caulking I needed a few more things:
- painters tape
- unsanded caulk (light gray again), 2 tubes
I already had a caulking gun.
It only took one more day of work to finish the project. During the week I used some quality painters tape (Frog Tape rocks) and taped all around where I needed to caulk. This was wherever the tiles bordered the countertop, cabinets, corner, and window trim. Over time, largely due to changes in temperature, everything, including tiles on the wall, will expand and contract slightly in size. Caulk is flexible and will allow this without anything breaking. If you grouted everything you'd likely eventually end up with cracks everywhere. That Saturday I pulled out the caulk gun and got to work filling the remaining gaps. You cut the caulk tube tip at an angle and use the gun to shoot caulk into the gaps. To give it a nice look, get your finger wet then wipe the caulk and smooth it over. Then remove the tape. Again, sections need completing before it dries or you'll have a mess. When removing the tape you may have to fix spots. As with everything else I got better as I went along. There were difficult places, like tiny spots under the microwave. The ends took care to get good lines as well. But really the day wasn't too bad.
I was done, with a bit of cleanup remaining. I have since (clear) caulked the little countertop ends after the tiles stop. And I still need to apply the grout sealer I've purchased. Only one thing has bugged me. On the long wall there's a gap that runs all the way under the cabinets. It's too small to fit tile and too big to caulk. It doesn't bother Danielle but I've spent some time thinking about what to do there. In the end, I'm going to leave the gap but will try to paint over the bits of mortar and caulk that are visible. It does look really good at the window when it comes out from under the cabinets, and with time I'll get over it.
In retrospect, a few things. The size of the tiles really contributed to the amount of work. If I was ever to do this again, I'd want to use bigger tiles. I also wouldn't stress out quite so much about the exactness of tile placement and small differences in gaps. The grouting covers that up. Also, I repeatedly made fun of Danielle for creating a basically all white kitchen, including these tiles, but for whatever reason the tiles seem to have more color once up on the wall. Overall, I'm pretty proud of my work. It looks really nice.
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