How to Install a Tile Backsplash, Part 1 -- Buildipedia DIY

learn how to install a beautiful ceramic tile backsplash like this one coming up next on the at home channel at dildo pedia comm a ceramic tile backsplash is a great way to enhance the look of your kitchen or bathroom it's also a project that just about any do-it-yourselfer can accomplish either i'm jeff wilson this time we're going to talk about choosing tile for a backsplash what tools and supplies that you'll need for the job and then we'll show you exactly how to get the job done right with me today is corey core is a tile installer from the flooring studio thanks Ropin out today no problem Jeff happy to help out what are we using for our backsplash today this is a porcelain tile it's real smooth it's great for mac splashes and in this case I know that these tiles have a have a self spacer right yes they're building right to it they already have a spacer in them when you set them together they're already creates the joint yes what about trimming out this tile uh we've got bullnose pieces to help finish it on the ends it just gives you a nice finish where you stop the tile at you want a nice finish unless it's against the wall where you won't really need a bowl I see right so we want to think ahead of what the edges corners are going to be like so make sure you have the regular tile maybe some trim tile as well okay then we need some kind of mastic what this is what we're going to attach the tile to the wall with right yes this is an adhesive it's great for wall tile and then once we've installed our tile and it's had a chance to cure dry in place we're gonna put some grout in right yes okay the grout is what goes in the the joints between the tile to fill in this the gaps okay now we'll also need some tools for the job right we're going to use some paper and some painters tape to protect our countertop surfaces also some layout tools just two tape measure and a pencil a scraper so we can knock down some of the high points on the wall before we start this is a trowel with a quarter-inch tooth on it to spread out our mastic and then once we get to the grouting will use this grout float and then the scrubber there so I think we have everything that we need Cory so we can get started okay Cory so first we want to protect the countertop surface and then we want to scrape down some parts of the wall right yeah high spots we don't need to get it real smooth but we want to just so there's no wobbly tile okay and then some layout right yes okay well let's get to it in our case the layout is fairly simple we're using this white subway tile and what's called a running bond pattern it's like the staggered joints on brick we'll start on the ends and work toward the corner and lay the tile up from the countertop this way our cuts are hidden in the corners and under the bottom edge of the cabinets for our straight line cuts like the half tile starter piece we need for the second row we use a tile cutter score the tile and push down to snap it cleanly Corey starts by using a trowel with quarter-inch teeth to put on a layer of the mastic it's important not to lay the mastic on too thick or it'll fill the grout lines too thin and there won't be enough mastic to hold the tile to the wall all right Corey so uh how am I doing here is that all right get a is that gonna be enough then I'm getting on there am I getting too much hold your trial a little bit more like this long so I get more of a tooth on I got you oh I see yeah all right sometimes it'll want to slide new mastic gonna slide right you just have to go over it a couple times okay so maybe like goop samaan and then hold hold it more perpendicular like that yep and if it pulls away just go over in a couple times it will it'll eventually work Nick wait we're going into the drywall okay in setting a tile we're just gonna press firmly we want to make sure we get that coverage on the back of the tile like Corey said of about 85 percent with the mastic don't want to push too hard you can snap a tile and break it but nice and firm make sure the grout lines are clear a little bit so we'll have room for grout in there but what the self spacer goes on pretty quick the tile has built-in spacers which will leave an 8-inch gap between each tile but we'll still use our spacers to hold the tile up off the countertop and we'll that gap when we're done now that we've set a lot of the whole tiles we need to cut some tile to fit around the electrical outlets and along the bottom of the cabinets for that we use a wet saw first mark the edges of the area to remove on the face of the tile for the corners and the row beneath the cabinets use the tape measure to size the piece you'll need and market Isle accordingly now if you need to make any complex cuts like we do around the electrical outlet or the switch use a tile saw which is also known as a wet saw it's essentially a small table saw with a diamond blade a guard and a small reservoir to hold water that water will keep the diamond blade cool while you're cutting the tile now safety gear at a minimum you want some eye protection and some ear protection wear the mastic is hard to get properly applied on the wall at corners edges and around outlets and fixtures use the trowel or your fingers to evenly spread some mastic on the back of the tile for the finishing touch we use bullnose tiles along the open edges with a rounded edge these pieces make for a smoother transition to the wall surface to make the bullnose turn the corner Corie cuts to bullnose tiles with a 45 degree angle at quarry this is looking great nice work now how long do we have to wait until we can put the grout in overnight around about 12 hours is a good time to wait okay so 12 hours for the mastic to cures the tiles really set to the wall yes that way we don't have any of them sliding when we grout we want it to be nice and stuck to the wall ok good so I guess I'll see you in the morning then yeah right thanks ha

Channel: Buildipedia

Views: 376,983

Keywords: ceramic tile backsplash, tile backsplash, installing a tile backsplash, backsplash, installing a backsplash, installing ceramic wall tile, cutting ceramic tile, tile grout, grouting, wall tile, kitchen tile backsplash, kitchen backsplash, installing tile, tile installation, subway tile, kitchen remodel, backsplash construction, Do It Yourself (Website Category), remodeling, Buildipedia, Jeff Wilson, Kinopicz, Kinopicz American, Everyday DIY with Jeff Wilson

Id: eLqi8qnw7as

Length: 6min 38sec (398 seconds)

Published: Mon Dec 13 2010