The right side of the photo shows what it looks like when it still needs to be wiped off. The left side of this photo shows what it looks like when it is all cleaned up. (Tip: Put some masking tape over the area to be cut! This helps keep the little pieces of stones from breaking!)Īfter we got all the tiles stuck on the wall, we went back and grouted it with the biscuit colored grout, just like you would any other tile. When we came to an area where we had to cut the tiles for outlets or switches, we used a cut-off-wheel for stone on a 4 ½” grinder.
#HOW TO INSTALL PEEL AND STICK TILE WITH GROUT ON WALL FULL#
We did lots of number crunching with this project! Our tape measure and level also came in handy to help keep things level and to utilize each 12×12 piece to its full potential! Our goal was to measure twice (or more) and cut once. After we got a going, it was pretty much the same oh steps, time, after time, after time. We peeled back the backing off our first 12″x12″ piece and lined it up to the middle of the lines we had drawn, started sticking the tiles in place and then pressed them down firmly with a tile float. This would help keep the grout lines level and the pattern somewhat symmetric. We then decided our starting point for the very tile would be the center of the area directly above our sink and we would work up and out from there. This did set us back a day, but if it is worth doing, it’s worth doing right! (If you are wanting to remove wallpaper, check Pinterest for a zillion different ways and hopefully you find one that works best for you!)Īfter the wallpaper was FINALLY removed, we were oh so ready to start peeling and sticking! First things first – We put out our first (of many) sets of tile spacers to help keep everything spaced out evenly. Our walls were a mess when we finally got it all off, so we decided to do any drywall repair needed, and give it a fresh coat of white primer paint prior to starting our backsplash. All those magical solutions that others used successfully didn’t quite work for us. Let’s keep it honest here, getting all that wallpaper off was by far THE hardest and most time consuming part of this entire project. Our first task was removing the ugly wallpaper that served as a backsplash. You can read all about our overall plan HERE, adding in beadboard HERE, and painting our countertops HERE) (We already painted our kitchen cabinets and countertops. So, we loaded them up in a buggy (that’s what we call shopping carts here in Kentucky!), grabbed a bag of biscuit colored grout, four coordinating bull nosed tile trim pieces, and a tile float. Neither of us had any tiling experience and didn’t want to get in over our heads. Being DIY-ers, this seemed like a good idea. We could simply stick the adhesive backing directly onto our drywall. This allowed us to avoid using (and buying) any mastic tile adhesive to apply it.
What we found to be a HUGE advantage (and selling point) of the Instant Mosaic Wall Tile was its peel and stick backing. (Lowe’s no longer sells this, but you can purchase it here) It was very different than all the other traditional options we had found. Not only did we love the natural stone look of the tile, but also loved its mosaic pattern. The backsplash we kept coming back to was a beige and brown toned natural stone Instant Mosaic Wall Tile that we just happened to find at Lowe ‘s Home Improvement Store. Instead of making our backsplash a focal point of the kitchen, we decided we wanted a neutral color and use colorful accessories so the overall color scheme can be easily and inexpensively changed at any time. We looked at tile stores, big box stores, and even some overstock resale stores. Just about anything to replace our “wallpaper backsplash” (installed by the previous homeowners) would definitely be an improvement. When planning our kitchen facelift, we kicked around several ideas for our backsplash. One way to save a little money on your backsplash is not to go with all expensive tiles, but if you find some you like that may be out of the budget for your entire backsplash, simply work them in as an accent to some cheaper tiles to create a nice backsplash. It really just depends on your style and budget as to which backsplash is right for you. As for the materials, you can go with a natural stone, ceramic tile, metal tiles, mosaic tiles arranged on a mesh backing to hold it together, glass tiles, and more. You can go bold if you choose to make a statement and have it really be a focal point of the kitchen or you can go with a more neutral style and have it be just a subtle accent to the rest of the kitchen. There are tons of options and colors when it comes to a kitchen backsplash. When you think of your dream kitchen, there is more than likely a nice backsplash in your mental image of that perfect kitchen.
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