Project details
Skill
3 out of 5ModerateRequires mid-level tiling skills
Cost
About $6 per square foot and up, depending on the tile
Estimated Time
6 to 8 hours in average-size kitchen
In this video, This Old House tile contractor Joe Ferrante shows how to install a mosaic-tile backsplash.
Steps:
- Use hammer and flat bar to pry existing tiles—one at a time—from backsplash wall.
- Scrape the bare wall clean with a wide-blade scraper.
- Mix thin-set mortar and apply to wall with trowel, fill all holes and depressions. Wait 30 minutes.
- Rub the thin-set perfectly smooth using a wet sponge and flat trowel.
- Lay out the tiles, then measure backsplash wall width and height.
- Cut tile to size, if necessary, using a manual tile cutter or wet saw.
- Apply thin-set mortar to the prepped wall with trowel.
- Press the first tile sheet into the mortar, repeat for subsequent sheets.
- Allow mortar to cure, then fill the joints with grout.
- Once grout is cured, protect it from staining by applying a liquid silicone sealer.
Tools
Tools & Materials
Hammer
Flat pry bar
Pointed trowel
Tile cutter
Grout float
Grout sponge
scraper
Putty knife