I've been waiting patiently for
10 1/2 years
for a REAL back splash!
Did I tell my hubby this?
Yes!
But then again, he loves our new back splash as much as I do.
And the wait was so worth it!
I asked my young-and-cute-handy-dandy-handyman to tile my back splash with my assistance, of course! He called on a Thursday and said he would be here the next day. We worked on it from noon to nine and finished it in one day. You can see the whole kitchen re-do in this post HERE.
Here's how we did it in one day...
Pre-prep work: Hubby took off the four inch granite back splash that was installed with our counter-tops. I patched the walls where the glue had pulled off some of the sheet-rock. Here in the above picture, you can see where I was playing with the tile design and you can also see the hand painted tile look that I did years ago in red and tan. It certainly was cheap and popular and it looked rather good with the red kitchen, but after 8 years like this, it was time to move away from a painted tile look to the real thing, don't you think?
I decided to try a tile backer called Bondera from Lowe's instead of using the messy mastic usually used with tiling. This comes in a long sheet that is gray, with two sides very, very sticky but with a clear covering on each side to remove before sticking to the wall or tile. It's extremely easy to use and works great. I highly recommend this product. Yes, it's much more expensive but as my handyman would say, "it's worth the price when you consider the mess and clean-up time of the mastic."
Above, you can see that we had put on the backer Bondera. The beauty of this product, is that you can tile as quickly or slowly as you have time for. Just pull away the clear covering to expose the very sticky backer and apply tile.
Ah, the excitement...when my young-and-cute-handy-dandy-handyman applied the first tile!
I chose white subway tile because it is Timeless! I also believe that it will look good with any wall color that I use over the years. The black 'pencil' tile that I used was to add some style, tie-in to the black in my Quartz countertops and break up the sea of white subway tile.
I used a smaller version of the popular subway tile and it came in sheets instead of individual tiles. As long as we had no outlets, we could really go fast with the tiling. Also the tile sheets allowed us to withhold using spacers. Yeah, another time saver!
This product says to grout within 8 hours from
tiling. So we decided to go ahead and grout that same day...that is why
it took us until 9pm to finish the whole kitchen.I like the more streamlined look and clean look of grout that is the same color as the tile. Therefore, I used white grout.
All done. All beautiful!
These parties I love to link up to or check out my Blog Parties tab
Monday
Party Time @ It's So Very Cheri
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps On The Porch
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple
Make it Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House
Masterpiece Monday @ Boogieboard Cottage
Creative Blogger's Party @ Homemaker On A Dime
Making The World Cuter @ Making The World Cuter
Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
Mop It Up Monday @ I Should Be Mopping The Floor
Market Yourself Monday @ Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Tuesday
Cowgirl Up Link Party @ The Farmhouse Porch
Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home
Knick of Time Tuesday @ Knick of Time
The Inspiration Board Link Party @ Homework
Turning the Daunting Into Doable Tuesday @ Project Queen
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Time to Shine Tuesday @ A Diamond in the Stuff
Tuesday Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
From Dream to Reality @ The DIY Dreamer
Tweak It Tuesday @ Cozy Little House
Creative Tuesday @ The Rustic Pig
Wednesday
Be Inspired Party @ Elizabeth & Co.
Power Of Paint @ Domestically Speaking
Swing Into Spring Wednesday @ DIY by Design
Wildly Original Wednesday @ I Gotta Create!
Adorned From Above Party @ Adorned From Above
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Piece of Work Wednesday @ Primitive & Proper
What's It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephants
Centerpiece Wednesday @ The Style Sisters
Thursday
Creative Juice Thursday @ Momnivore's Dilemma
Show & Share @ Southern Lovely
Show Me Extraordinary Thursday Party @ The 36th Avenue
Tutorials Tips and Tidbits @ Stone Gable
Creative Things Thursday @ The Vintage Farmhouse
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage
100 Ideas Under $100 @ Beyond The Picket Fence
Blog Stalking Thursday @ The Crafty Blog Stalker
EBTKS @ A Little Knick Knack
Friday
Fabulously Creative Linky Party @ Jennifer Rizzo
Show And Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed
Frugal Friday @ Shabby Nest
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage
Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground
Free For All Party @ Five Days, Five Ways
Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home
Saturday
Any Link Goes Party @ Bacon Time With The Hungry Hungry Hypo
Weekend WrapUp Party @ Tatertots and Jello
Serenity Saturday @ Serenity You
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Show and Tell Saturday @ Be Different, Act Normal
Strut Your Stuff Social Hop @ My Crazy Beautiful Life
Sunday
Overflowing with Creativity @ It's Overflowing
Sunday Showcase Party @ By Stephanie Lynn
Sundae Scoop Weekend Wrap Up Party @ I love Nap Time
Sunday Blog Love @ Cherished Treasures
So Darn Crafty Party @ Sew Many Ways
Sunday's Best Wrap Up Party @ My 1929 Charmer
Think Pink Party @ Flamingo Toes
Let's Get Social Sunday @ My Turn for us
Sunday Show Off Linky Party @ Twigg Studios
Silver Pennies Sunday @ Silver Pennies
It's Party Time @ Cupcakes and Crinoline
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