Your Quick and Dirty Guide to Tiling a Kitchen Backsplash

The kitchen is the hardest-working room in the house, with cabinets, counters, and appliances filling nearly every square inch. Yet one of its most visible surfaces, the backsplash wall, typically garners no more attention than a tub of tofu at a Texas barbecue. Here's how to use tile to transform this blank wall into an eye-catching focal point.

Visit any home center or tile showroom and you'll find wall tiles in dozens of colors, styles, and patterns. The most popular choices for a backsplash include glazed-ceramic tile and glass tile. Both have nonporous surfaces that are impervious to staining and easy to clean. Natural stone tile, especially tumbled marble, is also popular for backsplashes, but before grouting you must seal the marble's porous surface to increase its stain resistance.

When shopping for tile, keep in mind that most backsplash walls are about 12 inches high, so it makes sense to use 3- or 4-inch tiles, which will reduce the number of cut tiles. (Using whole tiles looks much nicer.)

Tile is often installed with thin-set mortar. But for a backsplash wall, consider using tile mastic. It costs a bit more than thin-set, but it doesn't require mixing and it can be applied right from the can. In addition, mastic is stronger and holds faster than thin-set mortar, so there's less chance of the tile sliding down the wall while you're working.

Start by lightly sanding the backsplash wall with 80-grit sandpaper; tile mastic will adhere better to a roughened surface. Wipe away the sanding dust with a damp cloth. Next, apply the mastic to the wall with a notched trowel. The ridges created by the notched trowel will dramatically increase the mastic's bond strength. Spread only enough mastic for 10 or 12 tiles. If you notice that a skin forms on the mastic, scrape the wall clean and apply a fresh coat of mastic?the skin means the mastic has started to dry and won't bond properly.

Set the first course of tiles along the countertop at the bottom of the backsplash wall. Firmly press each tile into the mastic. Use plastic spacers to maintain uniform grout joints. The size of the spacers varies depending upon the size of the tile, but for backsplash tiles, you'll probably find yourself using 1/8- or 3/16-inch spacers.

Reminder: You'll need to cut and notch tiles to fit around electrical outlets. The best tool for that is a wet saw, which you can rent for about $50 to $75 a day. Once all the tiles are installed, allow the mastic to cure overnight.

Fill the joints between the tile with grout. Use sanded grout to fill any tile joints that are 1/8 inch or wider, and use nonsanded grout for narrower joints. Mix the grout with water to the consistency of thick yogurt and apply it to the tile with a rubber grout float.

Smear the grout diagonally across the tiles, forcing it deep into the joints. After grouting, clean the backsplash with a wet sponge. Be careful not to pull any of the grout from the joints. Wait 30 minutes or so for the grout to set and for a hazy film to appear on the tile surface. Then buff the tiles clean with a dry cloth. Allow the grout to cure for at least two days, then seal the grout joints with silicone sealer.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/improvement/interior/your-quick-and-dirty-guide-to-tiling-a-kitchen-backsplash?src=rss

kourtney kardashian pregnant billy cundiff super bowl tickets birmingham news lee evans lee evans 49ers vs giants