SUPPLIES FOR INSTALLING A STICK-ON BACKSPLASH
• Peel and stick glass tile.
• Tile adhesive (I used 1.25 tubs of this)
• Grout (I purchased one-gallon tub of this)
• Utility knife
• Grout float
• Sponge (get a few of them)
• Large Bucket (for grouting cleaning the sponge from the grouting process)
• Patience (taking your time will ensure you get the best results)
TIPS FOR INSTALLING SELF-ADHESIVE TILE BACKSPLASH WITHOUT USING A WET TILE SAW.
1.DON’T USE THE PEEL AND STICK BACKING ON THE PEEL AND STICK GLASS TILE.
“What?”
Think of self-adhesive tile as contact paper on steroids. It was a nightmare to adhere the tile while keeping it straight and level. I even followed the directions, peeling off half the backing paper, applying it to the wall very slowly and working my way up.
The ‘stick’ part of the peel-and-stick backsplash tile works AWESOME. Translate: once it’s on there, that sucker is not budging. Zero room for error. And well, I’m prone to error. So, the first few tiles didn’t line up like I want them.
After I realized that wasn’t going to work out, I just bought a tub of premixed tile adhesive from the hardware store. You can find it here. It was super cheap and worked like a charm.
But even with having to use the mud, this by far was the best option to install the glass peel and stick tile without having to use a wet saw. Just be sure to use a grout float to press the tile flat onto the wall.
2.START IN A LESS OBVIOUS PLACE IN YOUR KITCHEN.
If you’re new to installing backsplash tile, you may want to begin at the most inconspicuous place so that once you get to the most seen spot, you already have the hang of things. I began in the dark corner of my kitchen usually hidden by a cutting board or appliance.
3.BUY A FEW EXTRA PIECES OF THE SELF-ADHESIVE BACKSPLASH TILE
This mosaic peel and stick tile is comprised of squares and rectangles that make a full 12 x12 square. It’s a genius little system that helped me skip the wet tile saw.
The tile separated in straight lines without having to cut through the actual glass in three different 4-inch panels, then each square or rectangle can be cut out individually. When I got to areas like light sockets and window trim, I simply used a utility knife to cut out squares to piece together the correct amount of tile. It was kinda like putting together a jigsaw puzzle.
4.CHOOSE YOUR BACKSPLASH GROUT WISELY
This tile has A LOT of grout lines. Your grout lines will be very prominent in the design.
I used a premixed grout called Simple Grout. It was very easy to work with. It cost a little more but was less headache to worry about mixing properly for a newbie. It also didn’t require a sealer. So far it has held up great and cleans up easily.
I seriously went gaga over the tile before I grouted it. Here’s a photo.
Adding the grout changed the entire look of the glass. I chose a bright white grout so that I could have a little shine, but more so textural interest. Choosing a colored grout was a no-go for me because it would have highlighted my errors on the first few tiles.
I don’t hate it, but it kinda lost a little luster for me after grouting. I will say everyone that sees it in person thinks I’m nuts. So there’s that. I have been known to be hard to please.
5.USE TILING EDGE TRIM
To get pretty, square corners I highly suggest you use Tiling Edge Trim. I totally forgot about them when it was time to install my kitchen backsplash and I really regret not using them near the window corners.
It took me a few days to complete the project, 2-3 hours to lay the tile. The adhesive needed 24 hours to dry before grouting. Grouting was messy and was the hardest part because you need to make sure you fill every nook and cranny…and there are a LOT of nooks and crannies in this tile. I’d do it over in a heartbeat.