Step By Step Process For Installing A Ceramic Tile Backsplash
If you are going to update or modify your kitchen, then the best place to do it is betwixt the cabinetry and countertop. Tile a kitchen backsplash and create an instant center of attention. Installing a tile backsplash will make your kitchen & for that matter home look beautiful & attractive. To install a tile backsplash is a very easy task, for which you don't need to be a professional but having intermediate skills will do the job. In order to install tile backsplash or apply thinset for backsplash, gather the tools & materials required for the process before going through the step by step instructions carefully:
Tools & Materials Required
- Manual Tile Cutters
- Mortar & Grout Mixers
- Trowels & Floats
- Wet Tile Saws & Blades
- Tape Measures
- Mosaic Tile & Grout
- Floor & Tile Spacers
- Cleaning Rags
- Painter's Tape
- Tile & Grout Sealers
Step 1: Measure And Lay Out The Backsplash
- First of all, take the measurement starting from top of counter to the base of cabinet and accordingly plan your tile layout. Include any accent tiles that you are planning for the design. Make a visible impression on the center point of the wall and, with a level, draw a horizontal line along the wall from one end to the other.
- Also, take the measurement from the accomplished countertop to the base lip of the upper cabinets in order to ascertain or establish the number of tile rows required. Remember to incorporate 1/8” grout lines in your measurements.
- If in case you are laying down a countertop with a pre-engineered backsplash, then you need to use the uppermost part of that backsplash as the bottom line for your first row of tiles. Ascertain or establish whether you will need to trim tiles at either end of the wall or for the row attaching to the upper cabinets.
Step 2: Mix And Apply Thin-Set Mortar
- Blend the thin-set mortar with a small amount of water as per the manufacturer’s instructions, when ready it should be the thickness of creamy peanut butter.
- After mixing mortar with water, let it set for near about 10 minutes. Then, put on or spread thin-set to the wall with the help of a 3/16-inch notched trowel in order to ensure proper depth. Make sure to put on thin-set in smooth, even strokes.
- Wrap near about a 2-square-foot area at one time. Keep a sponge and water available in order to start cleaning. Thin-set will stay workable for at least 45 minutes, however, don’t apply too much at once.
Step 3: Lay The Ceramic Tiles
- Commencing with your bottom row of tiles, put on tiles to the thin-set. Press and move each tile in order to make it set into the mortar, keeping each flat, vertical and level.
- With the help of 1/8-inch spacers, keep a consistent space betwixt tiles as you go. You can withdraw the spacers as soon as the mortar starts to dry.
- Now, add accent tiles or liner bars in whatever place you designed them. Monitor both the vertical as well as horizontal lines and use the level in order to keep you honest.
Step 4: Cut And Polish Tiles
- Trim the glass tiles to the exact size with the help of a manually operated Rubi cutter. Put in the tile stop to the correct width, positioning the cutting blade down and score the tile with one gentle motion. Pull down the handle in order to break the tile into two pieces. Make sure to practice on several tiles in order to reduce the mistakes & to make the smooth motion perfect.
- If you want to expose the cut end tiles, then polish the cut edges with the help of a grinding stone in order to give the tiles a more finished appearance.
- If a lot of cutting needs to be done or many difficult compound cuts such as fitting tiles around electrical outlets, then the best option to use is a wet saw to cut the tiles. A wet saw can cut the tiles very smoothly.
Step 5: Grout The Tile Backsplash
- The best option is to grout using unsanded grout in order to prevent scratching the glass tiles. After successfully setting the mortar as well as cleaning the tiles of any excess mortar, blend the unsanded grout to the thickness that is recommended by the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Put on & spread the grout with a float, moving smoothly over the tiles at a 45-degree angle. Make sure not to apply too much pressure otherwise the tiles may sink into the thin-set or squeeze them out of plumb.
- When you move to the end of one wall, the first portion of tiles needs to be dry in order to wet sponge. Clean the grouted tiles with the help of a wet sponge, applied at a 45-degree angle, be very careful not to indent the grout lines. As soon as the grout is dry, polish the haze off the tiles with the help of a soft cloth.