Adding a Tile Backsplash

Simple things, make a BIG difference.  

I'm always sprucing my house, thinking about what to update, and continually making changes.  A quick reno that I just finished was adding a tile backsplash to my powder room sink.  

 This is how the powder room looked before we moved in.  

The walls were painted a semi-gloss, DARK forest green color and there was an ugly flower border at the top ~ too bad I don't have a picture of that...you would have loved it, NOT!

 Once we got our hands on it, we removed the ugly border and painted the room a card board brown color (one of my favs) and the sink wall, a burnt orange (very warm and inviting ~ the accent color throughout the house).  BUT the sink was still missing something...

 So on one of our numerous Home Depot trips, I was strolling down the tile aisle, and picked up a 12x12 sheet of 1x1 slate tiles and thought they'd be perfect for the backsplash of the powder room.  I also picked up this great product that's an adhesive and grout; its available in different colors as well...I got a bone color.  

All-in-one....FABULOUS! 

The process is fairly simple and straight-forward.  Before putting on the adhesive, lay the tile onto the wall and mark the outline with a pencil.  Then using painters tape, tape the outer perimeter so you avoid any glue getting onto your wall.  Then using a putty knife or your finger (which is what I did), put a thin layer of adhesive onto the back of the tile.  Do this in stages....one tile at a time.  In my case, the tiles were adhered to a mesh bag, but I cut the mesh lining and adhered the tile in 3 row segments.  So now all the tile is up...

Once the tile is on the wall, carefully remove the painters tape ~ you can do this before the adhesive dries.  The drying time is about 24-48 hours.

After the tile is completely dry, it's time to grout.  The area that I was working in was tight and awkward, so I couldn't use a typical grout application, using a float.  I put the grout in a Ziploc bag and snipped the corner edge off to create a 1/8"-1/4" hole.  Then just like piping a cake, I filled the joints with the grout.

After the joints were grouted, it's time to wash it away with water.  Using a rough sponge, go over the tile with water.  Over and Over and Over until the tile surface is clean and grit-free.  Depending on the look you want to achieve, you may want to use a sealing product on the tile BEFORE grouting. This will seal and protect the tile.  Also, when you are finished, it's always a good idea to seal the grout lines too.  Both sealing products are available at any hardware store.

Voila...complete.  

To cap off the top of the backsplash, I used a 1/4" barliner....it just needed a final touch!  The next step is to replace the sink faucet...I'm thinking something in an Oil Rubbed Bronze finish....that I might need a little handyman help with :)

Onto my next tiling project....the fireplace surround

Check back soon for the results!!

Check out my metamorphosis at BNOTP