Tile a backsplash

A weekend, and the wall behind the stove wipes clean. Subway tile is the easy place to start.

How much wall are you tiling?

square feet

This fits in a car

About 146 lb of materials. Comfortably inside what a car carries (200 lb), so any shopper can take it. ⚠️ 2 items on the list have no weight on file, so the real load is a little heavier than this.

Before you start

A wet saw is loud and throws water and chips: wear eye and ear protection, and keep its cord and plug up off the wet floor.

What to buy — untick anything you have

Tile

4 cartons of wall tile, 3×6 subwayBuy every carton from the same lot or dye number, printed on the end of the carton. Check the square feet on the carton too; this list assumes about 10.
1 pail of premixed tile mastic, 1 gallonMastic is fine for a backsplash. Anywhere that gets soaked, like a shower, needs thinset instead.
1 bag of unsanded grout, 10 lbMatch the grout color to the sample card the customer picked.
1 pack of tile spacers, 1/16 in
1 bottle of grout sealer
2 Tile edge trim or bullnose, 8 ftFor the exposed ends. Match the finish to the tile or the cabinet hardware.

Supplies

1 tube of color-matched kitchen and bath caulkSame color as the grout. It goes in the joint where the tile meets the countertop.

Tools — already ticked off, since most people have them

Tools

1 V-notch trowel, 3/16 in· most people have this
1 Grout float· most people have this
1 Tile cutter or wet saw· most people have this
1 Grout sponge and bucket· most people have this
1 4 ft level· most people have this

It lands in the shopping form, where you can edit anything and say what you think each thing costs. Nothing is ordered until you send it.

How it goes · about a weekend · some experience

Clear the counter, unscrew the cover plates (just the plates), and wash the wall with degreaser.
Snap a level line one tile up from the countertop and start there, not on the counter, which is rarely straight.
Spread mastic in a small patch, press the tiles in with spacers, and work up and out.
Cut the pieces around the outlets and the ends last, then let it set overnight.
Pull the spacers, grout the joints, and wipe the haze off with a damp sponge before it dries.
Caulk the joint along the countertop, and seal the grout a few days later.