Tiling the Backsplash (No Sweat!)
About two weeks ago I finally got around to tiling our kitchen backsplash — something we have been talking about doing for a year or so. Have I ever tiled a backsplash you ask? No. In fact, I’ve never really tiled anything, but like any good husband I confidently told Alex, ‘No sweat. I can get this done in a weekend!’
The Tile
We had picked out the tile months ago and had it sitting in the garage all summer. Funny how household projects all seem to follow this pattern. We (when I say ‘we’ I mean ‘Alex’) chose multi-color glass tiles that came in 12in x 12in mesh sheets from a tile warehouse in Niles where I was mistaken for a Romanian forklift worker. I was waiting next to the forklift as one of the workers was in the back of the warehouse getting our tile when another customer walked up to me and said, and I quote ‘Are you Romanian?’ while handing me his receipt. Interestingly enough this is not the first time I’ve been mistaken for a European. On a flight from Chicago to Frankfurt, I had a flight attendant recite me my full dinner and drink options in German before I stopped her and explained that I don’t speak a lick of German.
The Plan
As I said, I’ve never tiled anything before so I went to the best source of how-to information in the world, the internet. In a matter of minutes I was a tiling expert and was pretty confident I could build an extension on the back of our house with the help of the internet, but that’s another story. With my list of materials in hand I set off to the best source of tiling materials in the world, Home Depot.
The Execution
Three things I learned while tiling.
- Tiling is a Mess
- Cutting Small Glass Tiles is Impossible
- Glass Tiles Look Wonderful
The grout was flying everywhere, behind the stove, on the countertop, in the sink and in my hair. Everywhere!!! What a mess, I swear it took me longer to clean up than it did to grout the tile.
The glass tiles were approximately 3/4in square in a 12in x 12in mesh sheet making them flexible and very difficult to cut with a wet saw. To make matters worse the clamps provided by the almighty Home Depot saw weren’t made to fit our specific tile. Lets just say that safety flew out the window after a few scrap sheets were wasted. It wasn’t pretty, but with the help of a pair of vice grips, a couple of shims and a home made clamp I was able to cut a few tiles to fit in the corners.
You can judge for yourself, just take a look at the before and after pictures, but I think it made a huge difference. The kitchen looks great and it was well worth the effort!
The Aftermath
Unfortunately for Alex, I’m ready to take on any tiling project. I already have plans for the kitchen floor, bathroom floor and shower. Watch out world, tile man is coming! Now I just need a cool green spandex suit like the guy on Always Sunny.