Transform Your Kitchen

A tile backsplash is a great way to make a statement in your kitchen. My kitchen has great 42 inch custom solid oak cabinets, but the white walls, gray countertops and gray floor tile made it seem like a hospital. I wanted to warm it up and give it some visual interest.

Tile is pretty permanent, and I had never tiled before, so I spent a lot of time researching and shopping for tile. There are so many styles and choices of tile that it can get pretty overwhelming. Tile can also be very expensive. My first estimate came out to $800 (just for the tile) and this almost put a halt to my tiling days before they ever began.

Instead I did some more searching. I looked at a lot of tile in several different stores until I found some accent tiles that I liked. I bought a few of each (you can always take them back to the store) and left them on my kitchen counter for several days until I decided on the ones that worked best in my kitchen. It turned out that my favorite was a great glass mosaic, but since I have a traditional cape cod style house and traditional furniture, I decided that doing the whole thing in glass might be too modern. But I didn't throw it out completely. The colors in it were perfect - it had several neutral colors, some of them warm and some of them cool, which would help me to bring in some warm color to the kitchen, but would help to tie in the gray countertops and floor.

Next I searched for affordable tiles that complemented the accent tile. I found the perfect tile at another store - a reddish ceramic tile that looks like stone. This tile also had a coordinating decorative tile with a metal tile in the center. I measured the space and drew out a design on graph paper. I put together a focal point using the accent tiles for over the stove, and then used them sparingly in the rest of the design to keep the cost down. By using a less expensive tile for most of the space, I brought my cost down to $180 for the tile. That was less than a 1/4 of my original extimate, and I wasn't sacrificing quality or design.

Since I had never tiled before, I spent a lot of time on the internet learning how to do it. I found a great article on this website: www.finehomebuilding.com/PDF/Free/021167078.pdf

By following instructions and advice from some professionals, this project came together pretty easily. I laid out my focal point on the countertop, using this as the center of my design and then worked outward in both directions. I used a liner tile to frame my design, matching the metallic finish in my stone tiles.

Because I used the glass tiles as a border, and an accent, I only had to buy three 12x12 sheets and cut them fit. The accent tiles with the metallic center were more expensive, so I used only four in my focal point and scattered just a few around the kitchen to tie it all together.

The result: It feels like a different kitchen - one I'd like to spend time in.

Materials and supplies:

Tile saw (You can rent one at Home Depot)

Enough tiles to fit your space + 10%. (You can always take extras back to the store)

Enough bull-nose tiles to cover the rough edges. (this is a tile with a smooth edge on one or two sides)

Trowel with a 3/16 serrated edge

A smaller trowel to get into the tight spaces

Grout float

Bucket for mixing grout (I used a big paint stick to stir it.)

Plenty of spacers. I used 2 different sizes - 1/8 for my main tiles, and 1/16 on either side of the border (just because by doing this it prevented me from having to cut 1/8 inch off the top row of tiles.

2 tile sponges

Tile adhesive (take your measurements and read the box for sq. foot coverage)

Unsanded grout

Cost: $180 for tile

$45 to rent a wet saw for 24 hours

$12 for adhesive

$30 grout

$6 for 1/8" and 1/16" spacers

Time: One full day to cut and lay the tile

One more day to grout

Things I learned:

Get online and google tile backsplash. Look at lots of pictures. Get an idea of what you want your kitchen to look like, before you go shopping for tile. I also got on http://www.diynetwork.com and watched as many videos as I could.

Have all your supplies on hand, including extra tiles, and start early in the morning so that you can get your tiles cut and laid the first day before you have to return the saw.

Have plenty of paper towels on hand

Put 1/8" spacers between the counter top and the first row of tiles, in case you ever have to replace the counter top.

**Use spacers in between every tile. Even a slight discrepancy in spacing can throw off the whole design.

Also use spacers between individual tiles that come on a mesh to prevent them from shifting. I had to use 1/16" spacers for the tiles I used. (I ended up with a couple of slightly crooked mosaic tiles because I didn't do this at first.)

Press firmly on each tile, making sure it is aligned and stuck firmly to the adhesive.

Rinse your sponges frequently and thoroughly when wiping off the grout

HAPPY TILING!