HOW TO INSTALL KITCHEN BACKSPLASH TILE
Last week I shared tips on how to prepare a kitchen backsplash tile. If you haven’t seen that post you can go here to check it out. Today I’m sharing some tips on how to install a kitchen backsplash tile. Although my husband and I have some experience from installing a backsplash tile in our old home (before I started blogging) we are not professionals and merely want to share our experience on installing backsplash tiles.
SUPPLIES YOU’LL NEED
- Backsplash Tiles
- Grout
- Trowel
- Spacers
- Mortar / Thin Set
- Buckets
- Sponges (for wiping)
- wet saw
- safety glasses
- gloves
- small board (for back of stove)
- Caulk Gun
- Caulk
- Painter’s Tape
- Tarp or newspapers
- mixing drill
PREPPING YOUR SPACE
Before you start installing your backsplash tile, you will need to prep your area. First thing that the hubs and I did was clear out the counter surface and kill the power to the outlets in the kitchen. We then removed outlet covers and taped off the electrical outlets as well as the counter edges.
To prevent any damages to our countertops we placed some old pull blinds (that solid ones) and clear tarps from the Dollar Tree that worked great! We also moved our stove away from the wall and screwed a 1″x 3″ a few inches below the counter line for our tile to end there. This helps to keep the tiles aligned and to prevent them from sliding down as they dry (if that makes sense).
PLANNING TILE LAYOUT and ATTACHING TILE
First we placed some of the tiles flat on the surface and measured out tiles and the height of our wall space (from countertop to bottom cabinet). We then marked tiles for cutting around the outlets and under the cabinets.
Now you can mix the mortar according to package direction making sure you work in small sections. Use the trowel to add mortar and press your tile firmly. Continue to add your tiles adding spacers to the base and top of the tiles as well as between new tiles.
Once finished adding your backsplash tile. Let the mortar dry, we left ours over night. The next day we added our grout (mixing it according to package directions) and wiped any excess grout. We let the grout dry a few hours and then we wiped the backsplash with a damp rage until they were all clean.
Once done, we added caulk to the base and corners of the tiles. We then replaced the outlet covers and removed tapes, tarps and board. Wiped the backsplash down a second time making sure to clean everything up real well and done.
I’m so happy with how the backsplash turned out. I’m super happy to have my kitchen backsplash tile up and now I can focus on the next project. Painting the wall.
