Helpful video for true amateurs, but missing a couple of fundamentals. First off, protect the counter top with poly secured with green painters tape. Second, leave roughly a 1/8" space between the counter top and the bottom row of tile. This gap is to leave space for the silicone that you should use to seal the gap between the tiles and counter top; do not fill this gap with grout, or it will crumble away after several months and water will be able to run in behind the cabinets. I would suggest using a 3/16" V-Notch trowel for this type of tile, otherwise you will get adhesive coming through the grout lines. You may be able to get away with adhesive coming through grout lines when using white grout, but you'll ruin the whole backsplash if you have adhesive in the grout lines when using dark grout. Also consider functionality for the backsplash; it's going to see a lot of food and such, so the grout will stain if not protected. Standard cement based grouts like that which was used in this video needs to be sealed with a penetrating sealer on only the grout; a cleaner/sealer like the product shown in this video will not do much to prevent staining on light grout. A better alternative would be to use a pre-sealed grout that requires no maintenance such as TEC PowerGrout or Custom Fusion Pro. To make it more difficult to be able to see where each sheet starts and finishes in the end product, randomize the sheets before installation and don't stack the sheets directly on top of one another.
Great video to learn from and in addition to others who have done this before. I work at Home Depot and help lots of people select these tiles. They make such a beautiful finishing touch to a kitchen but their are important details to follow to ensure it looks neat, professional and will be durable. You tube is great for these projects and DIYers!!
I just recently completed my very first tile job in my home. It was a glass/stone mosaic tile backsplash (Bliss Tile - "Norwegian Ice" model). I probably made every rookie mistake you can possibly make, but I got it done. The thing that completely kicked my butt was having to trowel the pre-mixed mortar on the wall. I would have loved having a trowel about half the size of a regular trowel. For me, it would have been easier to place the mortar without banging into the countertop and the bottoms of the upper cabinets. It was like trying to pick a booger out of my nose using someone else's finger. Lol.
$250, Dang where on earth do you live. I just bought everything to do a backsplash that is only 40 square feet and it has run me well over $1200 here in Canada. I understand the whole cost of things going up over the past many years but this is no longer a cheap project. But i will say thank you so very much for the video. it did give some great insight on how to complete this project.
Laying out all of the costs is definitely very helpful as most people try to act like all DIY projects are crazy cheap when the supplies can sometimes run up the bill. This is a great investment though into the value of the home!
As of March 3, 2019, 584 contractors thumbed down your video! LOL I’ll be doing this project soon... thank you for sharing this video... Great job sir!!!
This was SO helpful. Thank you so much for posting this! We are undertaking our very first back splash project soon. Your DIY gave me the confidence needed to move forward!
I'm surprised at some of the critics in the comments. I'm installing my tile today and thought this was very helpful, and the finished product in this video turned out well.
Mike Hughes I've noticed all the diy home improvement videos have a lot of critics some r no doubt going to be contractors and things bc this can cause them to lose money when ppl turn to RU-vid and do it themselves.
the comments below is what I cam for - ALL the info I needed - I know when the video got to the actual install that this is not what I want to do. best DIY advise I find always in comments
Nice video and very good job for a beginner, however, the space between the tiles is for grout, not adhesive. You are not supposed to push the tiles so hard into wall that the adhesive comes squishing through the cracks like mortar. You just gently set the tiles into the adhesive. And no hammer, please. This is why you have glue all over the front of your tiles which is hard to clean off.
+1Howdy1 Thanks for mentioning about the 'V notch'. I'm doing my backsplash tomorrow and only have the 1/4 x 1/4 myself to use, with unsanded. I also saw elsewhere that when applying the grout it's best to do so with diagonally with the rubber trowel, is that accurate? Any other tips before I take this project on?
You’d think that, but trust me. The mosaic glass tile sheets sag when you put them on and are super annoying, have to literally put rubber spacers in each joint, the little plastic mesh they put behind is weak and doesn’t hold, takes so much time setting them perfectly
I know every glass tile manufacturer recommends thinset, but tbh, I dont see why. A really good white mastic along with glass tiles that have that white backing and it's more than sufficient imo. If the glass was totally clear and see thru, I agree, but most glass today has a white coating. Good mastic is going to hold those tiles up there longer than we will be alive. Backsplashes are the only areas I use mastic, regardless of material as long as your not building up , using more mastic than a decent scratch, it's fine. Now if your doing a butt joint marble where you cant scratch and need to do some building up of mud, no way I would use glue, definitely thinset....
I agree with Greg's post. There are alot of things that were done here incorrectly. I do not believe that a first timer should be telling others how to do something that is not correct.
Thank you for the great video and list of tools needed. I'll be putting up a back splash this weekend and between your video and a few of the comments here I feel confident doing this project.
Great video. You made a comment about to much adhesive, also be careful it doesn't come up between the tiles, that will cause grief when you put in the grout.
People who do not know how to install tile back plash teaching other how to install back splash. RU-vid needs to develop sections for first timers making videos and real pros that make videos.
I wonder, why you can see the pattern so much on finished wall.... you can literally see every single "tile" repeating. Probably that's why just 80 bucks.
I feel comfortable trying this project sir. This was well articulated which makes the requirements for completing the job easy to comprehend. No spacers? I’ve noticed others say that spacers are very important. After completing this job would you use them next time? Or were you comfortable with the process as presented? Thanks for the educational info. Much obliged. I think it looks fantastic.
I'm a stickler for detail, so what I didn't like was the corner. The tiles are not "going around the corner" so each piece of tile "side to side" is not matching in that the tile piece on the right is not finishing up on the left. You should use ultra white thinset so tile color is not yellowed. One thing though, tile directly to countertop, or, leave 1/8 inch gap, not sure on that part yet. You did a good job considering this kind of tile is actually very difficult to work with.
$80 for 45 sq ft of glass mosaic tile. Man that would be closer to $720 these days at $16 sq ft. Man have things changed since this video was made 7 years ago 😳
Very nice job Bri... If this was the first time you did they well I just hope mine turns out just as good. I've laid tile before and I just laid and grouted my bathroom with porcelain just wished I'd use the self leveling compound on the floor...
Love the way it looks when I do it in my kitchen I would also like to do it on top of the cabinets to fill up the wall I think it would give it a really nice look 👍👍up
I was certain I’d need a toothed trowel but asked in the q&a on the HD website and the tile manufacturer recommended a square notch! Thinking it might have just been some csr who didn’t truly know and was just looking at a guide sheet at the fact the tile was technically 12x12 without considering it was made up of smaller pieces?
Great job... I noticed that the GFCI circuits are on when your applying grout. You are using a lot of grout and a wet sponge a good conductor of electricity. Don't the last 1/2 videos of other DIY don't cut the power either... A good safety tip would be to tell people to at least cover or cut the power!! Again great job and very helpful tips...
Man, that would drive me crazy looking at that tile everyday seeing that each 12 inch piece of tile is too close together with the next one.. I guess that is the perfectionist in me.. You really can't tell it from far away though..
JohninOCc I thought the same thing. So I'm not going crazy! He did a good job but I thought it looked too uniform for mosaic tile. It was driving me nuts! It looks like a white line every 12 inches down the wall
It was the bad design on the part of the tile manufacturer. The edges are evenly brick-patterned but the inner part of the sheet are random staggered. If the inner part matched the edges (brick-patterned or random) there wouldn't be this problem. Definitely avoid buying this type of design from the store.
You should apply grout by pushing in at a 45 degree angle to the grout lines. This assures you the proper depth and keeps you from removing too much...
Rosa Alba If the tile has been applied properly, then you CAN'T remove it without damaging the drywall, or at least having to spend a good deal of time and elbow grease removing the adhesive, sorry to say 🙁. I just spent the better part of a day removing a backsplash and ended up simply cutting out the drywall and replacing it. It's not ALWAYS that drastic a measure, sometimes the tile CAN be taken off the wall, but not usually without SOME damage to the drywall.
At 6:22, I noticed your drywall was a little ripped up and bald from removing an old backsplash. How is your tile holding up there? In a different video, it said to replace ripped up drywall with backer board. I'm just trying to figure out if I really need to replace my drywall with new drywall or backer board.
You loosen the receptacles from the junction box. When the tile is done, you tighten them back into the box and the little tabs will rest on the tile. The. You screw on your cover. That’s how you keep it from becoming recessed. It’s supposed to be surface mounted.
We are installing our tile right now and found your video really helpful. Thank you! I have a question though, what did you use to seal the edges? I see a white line along the top and the side edges. What is it? Caulking? Thanks
Do you know if there is some sort of bottom trim piece? My countertop's laminate ends 1/2" short from the wall on one side. Was fine for the plywood backsplash!
Mastic for backsplash - no, no, no. You need thinset. Mastic will fail over time in this use. Also sponge work should be diagonal. Otherwise, nice video. Yes, yes, yes on unsanded grout for that tile - right for the grout width and will not scratch glass.
Quick question, was your Ridgid wet saw's laser dead on out of the box or did it require adjusting? Good job on the fine work, as a pro tile setter myself I commend you except for one thing, perhaps for this application get the small 3/16" notch or 1/8" v trowel, much easier to spread around receptacles and switches.
Hardly a DIY video when you have a seriously professional wet saw like that. Also, mask the counter edge to protect from glue run and use sheets of cardboard to protect the counter top.
I don't think you should use mastic with glass mosaic tiles. Also the trowel you are using looks like it's for floors, not backsplashes. The notches should be smaller for this type of tile.
I think mastic is preferred for a backsplash because it's not constantly seeing water and will be stronger for this application. It depends on the type of tile, some have a paper type backing and some appear clear all the way through, then it comes down to what color it will be when dry so you don't have a yellow glue to be seen through the tiles. He should be using a 3/16 notched trowel too for these small tiles
Thanks for this video! When it comes to the outlets, do you need to leave space to screw the screws into the wall? It looks like you tiled right behind the screw holes. Did you have to screw into the tile? Thank you!
I was trying to figure out how you did the corner turn and it wasn't shown. It looks like it doesn't match. So you must have started the adjoining wall with a fresh whole tile flat and cut it straight. I wonder if that is professional or the best look. Hmmm.
I would replace the counter top with quartz before investing in backsplash. In a few years someone will be trying to get a new counter under the backsplash or tearing it all out and doing over.
What did you do to complete the edges all the way around? I see a white edge there. Is that a bead of silicon? Thx. Getting ready to do this exact project next week.
