Kitchen Tiles

A backsplash crafted from kitchen tiles can create the perfect finish for your kitchen by pulling together cabinetry, flooring and paint choices. Or, kitchen tiles can be used for hard wearing flooring.

Using kitchen tiles for a backsplashes is easy and allows homeowners to express their style, especially when hand crafted murals are installed behind a stove. These murals can be created several different ways. A homeowner can hire an artist to paint a scene onto a series of tiles – such as a favorite family vacation spot or beloved pet. Once painted, these tiles are then fired to ensure their durability. Other ways to create a custom design is to pick and choose a number of tiles in varying colors and textures and create a geometric design that is consistent with the room’s overall style.

Another option for incorporating kitchen tiles is to tile your countertop or floor. Kitchen tiles make a great cover for either surface, as they are extremely durable and not easily stained. However, it can be a challenge to keep grout lines looking sparkling clean in high traffic areas such as these.

Once you have identified where you plan to utilize kitchen tiles installing it then is a fairly simple process - one the average homeowner is more than capable of doing, given time and patience.

Depending on the size of the project, it generally takes at least two days to install kitchen tiles. During the first day, the tiles are laid out to determine the final pattern placement in the space. With the pattern in place, the next step is to spread the adhesive compound on the surface where the tiles will be laid. (Note: if you are tiling a countertop – start with the edge tiles first, followed by the counter tiles and then the backsplash.) Next slowly set the tiles down one at time, taking the time to cut each piece to fit the precise spot. (While kitchen tile clippers can be used, your best option is to rent a tile cutter from your local home improvement store.) As you set each tile in place, set a spacer between the tile you just laid and the next one - this will help to ensure that your grout lines are evenly spaced. Simply continue to follow these steps over and over until the entire area that is being laid in kitchen tile is complete.

The following day, once you are sure the kitchen tiles are set in place mix up your grout compound. Next, remove the spacers that you installed the previous day and evenly apply the grout between all the tile joints. Don’t worry, as the grout will get on the tile as you work. This isn’t a problem. Simply wipe the grout off the tile once you have finished grouting a section, ensuring that there is no residue left on the kitchen tile surfaces.

While it can be time consuming and precise work – all that measuring for corners – once completed you will have kitchen tiles on your floor or countertop that you can be proud of - that uniquely represent you and your family’s taste – for much less than a professional would charge.