Stone backsplash will not only spruce up your wall when installed to the area encompassing the countertop, but it will also serve as protection against being ruined from water splashes and grease drips. The procedure for setting up the stone backsplash would need the skill of an expert and would exactly take around 2 days, provided that two experts are working on it hand in hand. Estimated expense for this procedure would be around $200 for the average kitchen.
Things that you would need:
• Spacers. (size: ¼”)
• Safety glasses
• Grout float
• grout
• Wet saw
• Master adhesive
• Grinder for the metal. Specifically the one that has a diamond blade
• Level
• Trowel. Specifically the kind that is notched
• Stone tiles
• Drill. Choose the one that includes a mixing attachment
Procedure:
Before anything else, ensure that your countertops’ backsplash is even. Then, right above the enclosure, position one tile on the wall. Put a mark right above your tile on your wall. Then sketch an even line to be used as reference along the total space that will be tiled. Just in case your enclosure is uneven, you can gauge your line on the bottom most tile on the highest part of your enclosure.
Now to make sure that your tiles are correctly positioned with one next to the other, begin with your reference line just in case your countertop backsplash is uneven. The upper part of your board should be aligned with your line of reference and have it placed against the wall to make it easier for you to setup your tiles. Once you are done setting up your tiles, take off your board. Proceed in getting your tiles cut to fit then have it setup on the upper part of your backsplash.
In case you are working with big tiles which will occupy the gap found in the middle of your backsplash and on the upper part of your cabinets, the evenness of your backsplash will not be an issue.
Next thing to do is to determine the midpoint of every area that you will be tiling. Then do a dry fit. Get one tile and position the edge on the midpoint. “Leap frog” one tile after the other in order to see the exact number of tiles that would be required allowing you to see how the last ones would appear. In case the last ones are going to be pretty small, do another dry fit ensuring that the first tile is centered at midpoint. This way, you can cut bigger and nicer pieces for the corner.
If you will end up having edges on one side that are exposed, choose full tiles on the edge part and use the cut tiles for the ones to be placed near the wall.
Using your notched trowel, scoop a generous amount of your master adhesive and apply it to your wall beginning at midpoint (figure B). Apply it all the way up to your line of reference, and then move horizontally. Make sure that the trowel is angled at 45 degrees when applying. Do not spread more than 10 minutes worth of tiling.
After that, position your tiles securely in an even row beginning at midpoint. Ensure that your spacers are correctly positioned. If you would need to do some cutting, then leave the corner empty for now.
Clip and smoothen as needed to fit the tiles that will be placed near the electrical outlets. Start by getting the measurement of your outlet’s location and carry it over to your tile. Get your metal grinder and use to that to create openings which would later on accommodate your fixtures. Begin to cut in front of your tile without reaching the corner.
Next, flip the tile and completely finish off the corners from that view (figure D). Be sure that you have your safety glassed on before you start cutting.
Once you are done with the first row, proceed to the next row. Follow the same procedure up to the point that your tile will reach the height that you planned. Check to see from time to time that your rows are even.
Now, get your wet saw and start cutting the tiles to fit the corner. Position the cornet tiles, whose edges were, cut to confront the corners. It will be hard to spot the once you are done with the entire procedure.
The next part will deal with grout application. Once your tile is done setting, start to put the grout in. Grout that is not sanded is best suited for the grout lines that are pretty small. The same goes for your tiles that are glazed. Pick out the same color of your tiles for your grout to achieve a flawless appearance. When preparing the grout, your desired consistency should be like that of peanut butter.
Dampen the stone tiles using a sponge prior to putting in grout in case they are fast to soak in moisture (figure E). Then, get your rubber gloat and start putting in your grout. In case the gap between the lines for the grout is big, grout the lines one by one (figure F).
Leave your grout for around 10 minutes to let it set. Once it has set, remove any excess. Keep an angle of around 45 degrees when you are wiping to remove the excess grout so as not to take off too much.
After that, your tiles should then be sealed with your stone sealant. Leave it until it gets dry.
Change the receptacles that you have in your wall. This would call for screws that are longer than the old to ones to get through the stones’ depth (figure G).
