Bridge the Builder

Tiling the Kitchen (Part1)

You know the saying “Opposites Attract’? Well my husband, Alex, and I are actual scientific proof of that. He is quiet, I am loud. He is calm, I am volatile. He eats no fat, I eat no lean (but am working on it). He likes stupid/funny humor, I find it plain stupid. His is a morning person, I am a night person… You get the idea. {side note: when I have pointed this point out to my mom, her reply has been ‘If you were both the same, one of you wouldn’t be needed!’ I love that}

One other way we are opposites is that Alex hates anything involving tools, and there are sometimes days when I think I could single-handedly build a house if I really wanted to. To that end, I decided to tile the back-splash in my kitchen. I was a little nervous about it beforehand, but once I got underway it really went very smoothly. So to all you Moms out there – you can do it too! The only thing you need to remember is… Power Tools are our friends! I say this because there is no way that you will be able to get through this job without using a Tile Saw. I know, that sounds terrifying but it really isn’t as scary as it sounds. You can rent one from your local hardware store (Home Depot is where I got mine). But I’ll give you a tip I learned the hard way… don’t rent it at the beginning of the job – it will cost a lot of money if you do! OK, first thing first: you need to measure the space that you are going to tile. I had 2 walls to tile, the length of the walls were 8ft & 10ft, and the height of them (between the counter & cupboards) was 1.5ft. Armed with that information and a calculator, make a trip to your local hardware store and pick out the tiles that you like. Once you have picked the tiles that you want, you will need to calculate the number of tiles that you will need to cover the space.

• Step 1 Measure the width of the area to be covered in inches. I had 2 walls in my kitchen: one 8ft long, the other 10ft. There are 12 inches in a foot, so an 18-foot area would be 216 inches.
• Step 2 Divide the width of the area by the width of the tile. If your tiles were 6 inches wide, you would divide 216 by 6, which is 36. This is the number of tiles that will be in one horizontal row.
• Step 3 Measure the height of the area to be covered, in inches. The space between my kitchen counters and my kitchen cupboard was 1½ft, so my height was 18 inches.
• Step 4 Divide the depth of the area by the depth of the tile. In this case, the number would be 3 (18/6=3). This is the number of tiles that will be in one vertical row.
• Step 5 Multiply the number of tiles in a vertical row (3) by the number of tiles in a horizontal row (36). Following the example of my kitchen, that is 108 tiles.

You’ll want to buy more tiles than you will actually need, just in case:) You will also need to buy tile adhesive, tile spacers, grout and tile sealer. And depending on what tools you have around the house, you might also need to buy a trowel and grout float. Talk to the helpful guys at the hardware store and they will point you in the right direction.

Tiling the Kitchen (Part 2)

Okay, now that you have all of the shopping done – you are ready to get started!

• Step 1 Prepare the surface. Remove any wallpaper, lightly sand high-gloss paint and scrape any cracked or flaking paint. Turn off the circuit breakers to any electrical outlets on your surface and remove outlet covers and switch plates.
• Step 2 Stand back and look at the back-splash area and estimate the visual center. Mark it with a pencil, then using the level, draw a perfectly vertical line a few inches away from your mark. You’ll lay your first tile on that vertical line, leaving 1/8 inch between the bottom of the tile and your counter top. You’ll fill that gap with silicone or grout later.
• Step 3 Apply the tile. Spread the tile adhesive over an area the size of about four tiles, using the smooth side of the trowel. Then with the notched side of trowel held firmly at a 45-degree angle to the surface, drag it through the adhesive to form ridges. Next, set the first tile into the adhesive and press securely. Insert tile spacers into the adhesive, snugly against the set tile and continue applying tile out from your starting point. Spread more adhesive to small areas as you progress, and take care to wipe off any adhesive on the tile surfaces while it’s wet – I did not do this and am still scrubbing it off!
• Step 4 Use a tile saw or tile cutter to fit tiles where needed. I waited until the end to do this – I left those areas empty and finished the areas that needed whole tiles. Then I went and rented the tile saw and cut all the tiles at once. If you can afford to rent the saw for a full day, then you can do that, but I only wanted to rent it for 4hrs – so that’s how I did it.
• Step 5 After the adhesive is dry (check package directions for the specific amount of time) remove the spacers if used. Grout is caustic, so wear rubber gloves when handling it. Mix the grout according to the manufacturer’s directions or use premixed grout. Spread the grout across the tiled surface with a float held at a 45-degree angle, making sure you work it into every space. Work at a diagonal to the grout lines for the best coverage, and try to leave the tile surface as clean as you can.
• Step 6 When the grout is firm to the touch, wipe off the surface with a damp (not wet) sponge and clean up the grout lines with a gloved fingertip. Wipe it all down with a damp sponge again. When the tile dries to a haze, buff vigorously with a clean rag. An old cotton T-shirt is ideal.
• Step 7 Seal the grout. Grout sealer comes in convenient aerosol cans; just point and press the tip. The sealer will keep moisture out of your grout and protect the color. Your grout package directions will tell you how long to wait before sealing.

And viola! You have tiled your own kitchen – Congrats!!