2nd Stage: Backsplash
White subway tile is inexpensive and I thought it was a good place to start. I had never tiled anything before. I read and read and read about exactly what you need and how to do it. I went to Lowes, got the materials(thanks to the one employee who has ever really helped me there. He's Hawaiian and super cool) and got to work. I used a hand tile cutter since they were porcelain. It took a few messed up tiles to figure out exactly how to get it right.
How did I do this project with two little kids? One of which is a 4 month old? I laid them 5 or 10 at a time- as many as they would let me- I would cover the mortar with plastic so it wouldn't dry out, then come back later. No problem.
I didnt know where to end the tile- at the edge of the counter or all the way to the door trim. I couldn't find anything that indicated what the best choice was. I just had to make a decision. After the project was done, our contractor said I probably should have gone all the way to the trim but it wasn't the end of the world. It still looks fine!
As you can see I worked around my dishes instead of doing them. Priorities.
I got grout caulk and caulked between the bottom of the cupboard and tile, between the counter and tile, and edges of the tile where it was just on the wall. Caulk with painters tape! In the picture above, you can see it on the top edge of the counter. Its so much easier to smooth it out with your finger then peel off the tape. It leaves a nice clean line. I need to redo my bathtub caulk doing this method- I didnt the first time and it looks like a 6 year old did it.
A little bit of touch up paint to go and ta-da! Backsplash done.
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