A DIY kitchen backsplash is one of those projects where most of the work is in the planning and preparation.  The actual process of sticking the tiles to the wall took less than two hours.  Installing backsplash tiles can get tense – Will the tiles fit? Do we have enough of them? Hurry, the mortar is drying!  But thanks to our (my) careful (OCD level) planning, sticking tiles onto the wall was a success!

Catch up on our DIY kitchen backsplash series through these links: 

• Part 1 – Planning a DIY Kitchen Backsplash
• Part 2 – Choosing the Right Tiles for your DIY Kitchen Backsplash
• Part 3 – DIY Kitchen Backsplash Supply List
• Part 4 – Installing Backsplash Tiles  (You are here)
• Part 5 – Grouting Backsplash Tiles

Drywall Surface Preparation

We degreased the painted drywall we’d be tiling over with a spray bottle of Bix TSP and a towel.  Just spray it on and wipe – super simple.

Cutting the Tile Sheets

Note to self (and everyone else): cut your sheets to size and trim the excess along the edge before you mix your mortar.

Testing the Arrangement

A few days before our mortar party I cut up and laid out all the tiles on the living room floor (our hardly-furnished room comes in handy sometimes!).

Testing the arrangement was good for seeing and fixing unwanted patterns and ensuring there was enough tile (for the third time).

Masking Off the Work Area

If you thought you were ready to get to work, think again! Next up is masking off your work area with painter’s tape.  This was a good idea, don’t skip this step. Keeping your mortar contained to a nice little mortar playpen will save you a ton of tedious scraping and repainting later.

Mixing the Mortar

Finally, a step that makes it look like we might actually put tiles on this wall!

The box of mortar promised 20 sq feet, so we guessed that we would need half of its contents for our 8 sq feet project.  We used our kitchen scale to weigh out 2.1 lbs of the mortar and halved the liquid measurement.  Everything went into our 2-gallon bucket for hand mixing with a metal scraper (the paint stick pictured was useless for stirring).

Mixing mortar got tiring, so I was glad to take turns with Jim.

We let our tile batter sit 5-10 minutes as per the box’s instructions and then mixed it again.  Done!

The sheer amount of steps pictured on the box had me worried at first, but mixing mortar was butt simple, probably the easiest part of this whole project.  If you can make a brownies from a box mix, you can make mortar.  Tasy, tasty mortar.

Applying Mortar to Wall

Grab a glob and put it on the wall.  Repeat x 100.  Use the v-notched trowel to carve lines (and if you have time, dirty words or pictures) into your mortar.  Keep the mortar layer thick enough to fully cover the wall, but no thicker than that.

The grooves will help the tiles adhere without a ton of excess oozing out when you press tiles into the mortar.

Where to Start Tiling?

The corner seemed like a good place to start because the interior corner is inherently trickier than anywhere else we’ll be tiling.  We wanted both sheets to touch in the corner but not overlap.  We had measured each wall independently, not realizing we were expecting both sets of tiles to go all the way to the edge – oops.

Here’s how the tiles fit together in the corner:

Tiling

Putting sheets on the wall was straightforward and quick from here.  We used the level to check our work as we went.  It’s ironic that the part of this project that most looks like actually tiling a backsplash was probably 10% of the total time spent.

Most of the time went into filling the little holes with “one off” tiles.

Filling Gaps

To fill the gaps that inevitably occured, we used the 1×1 squares and the 2×1 rectangles.  The gap-patching process was simple:

1. Cut the “one off” tile free from the mesh and trim excess mesh around edge
2. Butter the backside of a tile with a thin layer of mortar
3. Plug the tile into the gap
4. Mush it around until it’s level and evenly spaced from tiles around it

Tiling Behind the Range Oven

Our current range oven has a big built-in backsplash (with control panel), but we’d like to upgrade our range to a gas model with controls in front (the GE Cafe is our favorite pick right now).

The “controls in front” type of range typically lacks a built-in backsplash, so we continued our tiled backsplash behind our existing range, even though it won’t be seen until we upgrade.  We even tiled a couple inches below the top of the range to keep it looking seamless behind the appliance.

 

Letting it Dry

The easiest step of all.

We’ll be back in a day to grout and finish ‘er off!

In Part 3 of our DIY kitchen backsplash series I’ll show you all the stuff I bought to make this project possible.

Catch up on our DIY kitchen backsplash series through these links: 

• Part 1 – Planning a DIY Kitchen Backsplash
• Part 2 – Choosing the Right Tiles for your DIY Kitchen Backsplash
• Part 3 – DIY Kitchen Backsplash Supply List  (You are here)
• Part 4 – Installing Backsplash Tiles
• Part 5 – Grouting Backsplash Tiles

With tiles in-hand, all that was left was to accessorize our them with stuff for the actual installation.  Turns out, buying the tiles was just the first 10% of the battle.  :D We needed so much more than just tiles.  To save you a bunch of separate trips to the store, here’s our all-inclusive DIY kitchen backsplash supply list: 

• Tape measure
• Level
• Backsplash Tiles
• Glass Tile Thin-Set Mortar
• Grout
• Scissors
• White paper
• Painter’s tape
• Terrycloth and paper towels
• 2 gallon plastic bucket
• Metal scraper
• V-notch Trowel
• Float trowel(s)
• Grout sponge
• Sealer
• Eye protection & breathing mask

Tape Measure

Essential for planning your DIY kitchen backsplash… and picking a tile that will actually fit under your windowsill, and confirming that yes, you do indeed have enough tile…

Level

A level is essential for determining if the gap you just bridged over your range area is actually level, and for checking your tile work as you go. Uneven tiles are immediately noticeable, so check your work as you go with a small level.

Backsplash Tiles

Read more about choosing the right tiles for your budget and kitchen.

Glass Tile Thin-Set Mortar

We used CustomLite Technology’s Glass Tile Thin-Set Mortar product (in white) which we purchased at The Home Depot.  We cut the mix formula in half (the box holds 4.2lbs, we used 2.1 lbs) and used every last drop for our 8 sq ft backsplash.

If you aren’t sure what kind of mortar you need for your tiles, ask Google or your friendly local tile store.  (FYI: Mortar is sometimes called “mastic”.)

Grout

Grout is the goop that goes in between your tiles to fill in the gaps. For our glass tiles, we chose non-sanded grout.  (The little bits of sand would likely scratch the tile faces.)

Scissors

For cutting tile sheets in half and trimming excess mesh off the edges)

White paper

We used it to protect the countertop underneath the tile edges

Painter’s tape

We used Scotch blue painter’s tape to secure protective sheets of paper between the tile and the countertop.  We also used the tape to mask off the top of the mortar area to protect the painted wall above the backsplash.

Terrycloth and Paper Towels

Used throughout the installation to wipe our fingers and clean up smudges.

Two Gallon Bucket

Used to mix our mortar.  Our 8 square feet worth of mortar hardly began to fill the bucket:

 

Metal Scraper

Our all-purpose metal scraper was used to mix the mortar in the bucket (it gets pretty stiff, a paint stick won’t cut it) and spread the mortar onto the wall.

V-Notch Trowel

The v-notch trowel was essential for carving thin lines into the mortar once we’d applied the mortar to the wall.  The lines help the tiles squish onto the wall and adhere using a thin, even layer of mortar.

 

Float Trowel

Your float trowel is for spreading grout over the delicate tile surfaces.  A float trowel is smooth and soft to protect your tiles from scratches.  We had two: a wide one and a narrow one (for fitting the short area under the window ledge).

Grout Sponge

Question: What’s the difference between a normal sponge and a grout sponge?
Answer: About $6.

Your grout sponge is for gently wiping grout off the face of your tiles as it cures. These cost somewhere between a buck and ten dollars. We used one that cost somewhere in the middle of that range and everything went fine.

Whether you splash out on a Cadillac sponge or get one from the dollar store, use a clean, new sponge.  You don’t want particles from your last sponge project getting into your nice grout or marring your pretty tiles.

Sealer

For sealing your tiles against stains and other unpleasantness.  Match the sealer type to your type of tiles.  Our tiles are some kind of stone (quartz, maybe?) and glass.

Eye Protection & Breathing Mask

Mixing the mortar is dusty but unless you’re mixing a ton of it, it probably won’t be a problem.  Protection is up to you – I wore science class goggles and a cloth breathing mask, but my two helpers went without and everyone was pleased with their choices.

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