In addition to the bathroom remodel you all have helped me with, we are doing some (low budget) work in the kitchen. We have painted the particleboard cabinets and installed new preformed laminate countertops. What we can’t decide is what to do with the backsplash. We have considered beadboard plywood painted with kitchen and bath paint like the cabinets, but right now I am leaning towards tile. It will cost a little more and be a little harder to install, but I think it would be worth it.
My question is about underlayment. I would like to install the tile directly to the wallboard if that is possible. The backsplash was plastic laminate glued to the drywall. Taking it off damaged some of the paper facing. My thought is that I should be able to mud over the damaged parts, then adhere the tile.
What other prep work would be required? What sort of adhesive (mastic, thinset, ?) would be best? I’ll attach a couple of pictures so you can see what it looks like, for what that’s worth. Just don’t tell SWMBO that you can see any dirty dishes in the pictures.
Replies
Just overlay 1/4" hardiebacker over the existing damaged sheetrock and use thinset.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
Edited 4/18/2004 5:12 pm ET by Ed Hilton
1/4" Hardie is fine as Ed said but I think thinset is overkill on a backsplash.
IMO mastic is just fine and a lot faster and easier.
I don't think the cost of tile on almost any backsplash thats realativly straight forward is all that much unless you get into all that sculpted or designer tile.
IMO wainscott is tacky looking on a backsplash.......funny enough.the people that ripped me off for a job I did live in a house thats worth wellllll over a mil and they had me put that crap on their backsplash after spending probably over seven grand on the fridge alone...Go figure. And that was over a new granite counter top.
What ever floats yer boat.
Be well and have fun
Do it right the first time
andy
My life is my passion!
http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Backerboard would be fine on the actual "backsplash" (the wall behind the sink and cooktop). The problem is, the countertop is captured on both ends by either walls or cabinets. I want to tile those surfaces too. If I put backerboard and then tile, the edge of the backer would show.
Should I put backer on the backsplash proper, then go naked on the other two walls? If so, how do I prep them?
I have run into the same thing before. What I did was use TSP (Tri sodium phosphate) on the wall to remove the grease and dirt. A good mastic will stick just fine without using a backer board. On the patches you have to float, I would prime them before tiling just to do it right. Good luck!
As others have said HArdie isn't terribly necessary but its sure easy to cut and install.....maybe even easier than patching the wall board....thats your call.
On the cabs I'd use my vibrating sander with a 200 grit paper and make a good surface for the mastic. Wouldnt take more than ten minutes of sanding if that.
On the edges of the tile I'd use a nice wooden molding maybe the same material as the cabs or tile edging.I think these are called finishing touches.
Thats what makes the job topped off.
BE well
andyMy life is my passion!
http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
On the edges of the tile I'd use a nice wooden molding maybe the same material as the cabs or tile edging.I think these are called finishing touches.
I'm not familiar with tile edging. Is that something that would cover the raw edge of flat tiles plus the raw edge of the backerboard? Right now I'm leaning towards backerboard on the back walls and gluing the tiles directly to the sidewalls with bullnose tiles at the edges. But like someone said it would probably be faster and easier to just slap up backer all the way around. If there is a good way to deal with that exposed edge, that's what I would do.
They sell all kinds of edging tiles from approx 1/2" wide by the length of the tile.
You would probably want to stagger the edge tiles from the field tiles.
Go to your local tile store and check out all the possibilities because the come in all kinds of sizes.
Be inventive,
andy"My life is my practice"
They sell all kinds of edging tiles from approx 1/2" wide by the length of the tile.
You would probably want to stagger the edge tiles from the field tiles.
Go to your local tile store and check out all the possibilities because the come in all kinds of sizes.
I'll go see what I can find this weekend, thanks. Just one more dumb question, are the edging tiles thicker than normal tiles? Or put another way, how do they cover the edge of the field tiles and backerboard in this kind of edge-viewed application? Sorry to be dense, I'm a total tile noob.
Be inventive......I've been very happy for the past six years with the Rhinolining in my truck, maybe a roll-on bedliner backsplash? Cheap, indestructible, waterproof, screw the tile!
I'm Buck on this. Use some drywall mud and fill in the gaps; let it dry overnight. Then mastic and tile over the drywall. CBU and thinset is overkill for a non-wet area like a backsplash. If this is behind the sink, I might change my mind, but probably not.
Regards,
Boris
"Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934
Bart
Go look, because there are so many "border"...."edge" tiles from all kinda price ranges its mind boggling.
As I said in my stupid "Be" endings.Look at whats available and what copliments your tile and work and taste and....
BE inventive,
andy"My life is my practice"
Bart, you would do well to get Michael Byrne's book Setting Tile. Usually available at HD & Lowes. Bullnose tile is the same thickness as regular tile, but with one edge rounded over and glazed. If you stick the tile directly to the side cabinets, the bullnose is the way to finish it. Techniucally it's called 'surface bullnose'. Think of it as a piece of regular tile that you took your sander to, and smoothed one edge.
If you use a layer of hardie or other backer, then you may have a problem. There are 'radius bullnose' or 'radius trim' tiles that have a curved edge, and they usually are curved enough to cover a piece of 1/2" sheetrock. If you use 1/4" hardie, then the tile won't lay flat. So for the cabinets in your picture, just stick the tile directly to the cabinet and use surface bullnose.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
Be aware of the need to pull the outlets and switches out to the new surface. Box extensions are available to isolate the device of the tile/backerbd (which really isn't necessary behind that splash tile IMHO). Not everyone uses extensions, some are perfectly happy with just using longer screws. If you do find the extensions, plastic is what I usually use. When setting the bullnose to a cut tile, I find it works good to keep it's surface (BN) a bit proud of the cut tile. Grouts up better. Then again, I'm no tile guy. Learned what I think I know from Fast Eddie.
best of luckRemodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
I am going to go against the grain. Since a backsplash is simply a covering and a decoration, all I ever do is repair any wall board problems, apply a good primer and using mastic apply the tile. I have kitchens with this method that have been standing for twenty years without any problems. Sure saves a lot of time installing the backer board.
Just my 2 cents worth.
On the side walls...how do you plan to treat the edge of the tile, regardless of the Hardie? One answer is that, unless the walls have been buggered, there's no need for hardie like someone else said...clean well, scuff the paint to provide some tooth, and stick up the tile.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
On the side walls...how do you plan to treat the edge of the tile, regardless of the Hardie? One answer is that, unless the walls have been buggered, there's no need for hardie like someone else said...clean well, scuff the paint to provide some tooth, and stick up the tile.
The plan was to use bullnose tiles for the last row where the edge would be visible. Is there another option I should be thinking about?
What Buck and Ed said.
ditto here too, i've tiled many many backsplashes in kitchens
repair the wall with durabond 90, get it reasonably smooth, PRIME IT, glue up tile with mastic
as a last resort, if he wall is really bad, cover with some kind of backerboard
remember, nobody is going to be walking on it, and the tile job wont see water like a shower job would
however priming the newly repaired drywall areas is vital, a good paint primer is finecaulking is not a piece of trim
If the tile is fairly common you should be able to get bullnose tiles for finishing the freestanding terminations. Small detail but looks good and doesn't draw to much attention to it. Also usually one of 4 sides will have more glaze on it's raw edge, if that's the case you can use that edge and mask off a small reveal and grout for the finished edge.