Tile Backsplash: How to Install
One thing that can make or break a kitchen’s appearance is the backsplash area. This is the area you see between the worktops and any wall units. This area is usually around 18 inches high, some are more and some are less, but this is the area we are talking about. We all know that this area looks great when it’s tiled, but it’s usually a daunting task because of wall sockets, and many people just don’t know where to start. Read on to find out how you can tile your kitchen backsplash.
The tools required to tile a backsplash are fairly minimal. You will need several tools for this job. The most expensive tools will be a tile cutter and a notched trowel. These other tools listed here will also be needed, a pencil, bucket, sponge and rubber gloves. Tile spacers are needed to space each tile correctly, but check your tiles first, as many tiles now come already made with spacing lugs on the tile so there is no need for spacers. If you’re not completely sure your worktops are level, then you should have a level too. Assuming you already have your tiles, adhesive and grout then lets get started.
The good thing about kitchen tile backsplashes is you don’t have to center the tiles like you would when tiling a whole wall or floor, you can simply tile a full tile onto the worktop, and work a full tile from the end of the worktop and work towards the corners. This means that you will have nice full tiles along the worktop surfaces and end up with just simple cuts into the corner. When working from the opposite wall, even if you have half tile cuts going into the corner, it won’t matter as once it’s all grouted it will still look like a full tile when looked at as a whole.
Using the notched trowel spread the adhesive onto the wall, and lean the trowel at a 45 degree angle. This will create an even spread with grooves in the adhesive. As you press the tiles into the adhesive the grooves create a suction, which holds the tiles in place while drying. On long open areas you can tile quite a large area of the backsplash quickly, but when you come to a socket this will be more time consuming for you.
The best way to tile around sockets is to unscrew the socket plate and tile behind it like you see with wallpaper. You can either cut the rectangular shape out of the tile using a tile saw or if you have many sockets you can use a hand held angle grinder, but it must have a diamond wheel. This will cut tiles with ease. You may need to buy some longer screws when replacing the sockets to allow for the thickness of the new tile.
Once you’ve tiled your kitchen backsplash, you can proceed to grout using the sponge. You can grout the whole of the backsplash, then go back to where you started grouting and rinse off any excess grout with a rinsed out sponge.
The best tip for your newly tiled kitchen backsplash is to finally polish the whole thing once it has dried with a cotton cloth. This will get rid of any streaks left behind by the grout. Instead of grouting the section where the tiles meet the worktop, this line should be filled with a waterproof caulk or silicone. This will help to prevent any liquid spilled on the worktops, and thus cannot penetrate your kitchen tile. To keep your kitchen tiles clean permanently, clean once per month using a reliable glass cleaner.