Our kitchen backsplash project actually started several months ago. We identified, explored, and discussed numerous options for materials. We liked the white-painted walls we were starting with and would have simply left them, but we were afraid they would not hold up to the mess of a kitchen. We considered tin ceiling tiles, but felt they would get dented too easily. We like zinc as a material, and had considered using it for countertops. However, we did not like the price. We initially settled on shiplap siding, until we realized it could not be used behind a stove, so back to the drawing board. In the end, we picked the most basic of materials - white subway tile. Easy to clean, relatively easy to install, and at around nineteen cents a tile at Home Depot, budget friendly. Three hundred tile and a few bullnose pieces came to around $80. I had most of the tools from previous tile work, so the additional costs were limited to a new grout float, thinset, and grout.
It is not the most cutting-edge or fashion-forward of material choices, but subway tile are one of the few materials that seem timeless. Perfect for a farm kitchen.
Before buying the materials, I spent a couple of weekends drafting a layout for each wall. I wanted to minimize the number of skinny pieces, so I made scale drawings, adjusting the tile layout as needed. I also wanted to make sure the area behind the stove was thought through, since this would be the largest expanse of tile. The drawings also helped me estimate the amount of materials. This is my tile tip #1 - draw a scale layout. Lastly, we needed to wrap up our pantry project so there would not be any competing work. The stars aligned, and the kickoff weekend for tile corresponded to the Fourth of July. We took an extra day off to provide some extra time if needed.
I woke Thursday morning, and almost immediately received a call from work. I spent the morning on the phone with clients, staff, and laboratory trying to accommodate a last-minute request before the holiday. In between calls and emails, I prepped the work area by putting rosin paper on the countertops and electrical box extenders on each of the five outlets/switches in the tile area. Several years ago I took a week off to re-roof a garage and spent part of that time standing on a roof in 90 degree heat taking calls from work. Sometimes it is hard to get away from everything, but these days I am thankful to be employed.
Work issues were resolved by noon, and I started tiling. With breaks in the walls from the passthrough and window, there were five sections to tile. I worked in small batches, cleaning up after each section. By the end of Thursday, I had three sections done. There are two tools that are indispensible for tiling. One is a tile scorer/snapper, and the other is a wet saw. You can rent these tools, but my tile tip #2 is buy these. The wet saw will feel like a luxury, until you have to try and use tile nippers to slowly break out pieces of tile to fit around five electrical outlets. These tools are worth every penny, and if you are ever at a party and someone remarks they are thinking of doing their own tiling, you can impress your friends by saying you have a wet saw you can loan out for a case of beer. If nothing else, sell it on Craigslist when you are done. I bought my tile snapper at a rummage sale 10 years ago for $5 and never used it until this weekend, when I used it constantly for 2 straight days.
That first night was a long one. Wall tile are more unnerving than floor tile, since a tile can't fall off the floor. I kept worrying that I would hear the sound of tile falling off the wall and onto our new countertops. Thankfully everything held and the first sections were firmly on the wall the next morning. The second day left me with the largest area left to tile. My tile tip #3 is to work in small batches and clean as you go. Thinset has an open time of about 3 hours anyway, so there is no point in mixing a giant batch and then having to throw it out. Tile for 2 to 2-1/2 hours, wash up, take a break, and start again. After two batches, Maggie and I took a break for dinner, and I then wrapped up the last area.
As I worked in the area where the stove will sit, I was glad I thought to remove the hood first. That is my tile tip #4 - get as much out of the way as possible. The more places you can use a full tile instead of taking the time to cut tile, the faster things will go and the better it will look.
By the end of Friday, I was sore but we had a full kitchen backsplash of tile. As with most of our projects, this is a multi-week endeavor. Next week we will spread grout, and the following week the grout gets sealed and we caulk the edges. That will put our kitchen in the 100 % complete column and it will be on to the next room.
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