Add some color to your kitchen with a Mexican tile backsplash. Here's how, for handmade and factory produced tiles.
Time Varies
ComplexityIntermediate
Cost$70 to $100 per four square feet of installation
Introduction
I adore the bold colors, striking designs and authentic look of Mexican tile. It evokes feelings of old world artistry. So when it came time to tackle the kitchen backsplash on our house project, we took a road trip to Taos, New Mexico, to pick some out.
The more coveted Mexican tiles are hand formed, dried in the sun and painted by hand, which gives each tile a unique characteristic. However, the more affordable (and slightly easier to install) option is factory-manufactured tiles with authentic Mexican designs. The latter is what we opted for with this project.
Whichever you choose, you don't have to go to Taos to get your materials. There are lots of options for ordering online, with color schemes to fit just about any taste, from subtle to bold.
When to call a pro
If you're feeling hesitant about this project, you might want to call a pro if:
- You're uncomfortable cutting tile and you have a lot of complex corners and electrical outlets.
- You're installing the tile in an area that gets soaked frequently, like a shower or washtub.
- You're unable to make the wall behind the tile adequately secure.
Tools Required
- Level
- Notched trough
- Pencil
- Rubber grout float
- Small bucket
- Sponge (large smooth-surface)
- Straightedge
- Tape measure
- Tile cutting wet saw or angle grinder with a tile cutting blade
- Towel (lint-free)
Materials Required
- 80-grit sandpaper or 80-grit wet sandpaper
- Grout
- Tile
- Tile adhesive
- Tile spacers
Project step-by-step (5)
Step 1
Lay out the design and prep the wall
- Lay out your tile design on a countertop or table, arranged as you intend to install it. Be sure to account for the spaces between the tiles, and where the grout will go. For ease, we put ours on the countertop, in line with where we were planning to install it.
- Check your measurements.
- Make sure your backsplash wall is intact, secured and relatively smooth.
- Remove any dirt or grease.
- Measure the anticipated finish height of the top row of tile and make a level line across the installation area.
- Pro tip: Making a second line that’s 1/4-inch higher than the finish line will make life easier. That line will remain exposed above the adhesive to act as a guideline for where the top edge will finish.
Step 2
Apply tile adhesive
How you apply the tile adhesive depends on what kind of tile you’re dealing with.
- For true hand-made tile with large variations in size (more than 1/4-inch in height and width, or 1/8-inch in thickness) apply a dime-size amount of tile adhesive to the back of each corner and one in the center. This allows you to individually align the depth and height of each tile.
- If your tiles are more uniform, as ours were, apply the adhesive to the wall using a notched trowel. Do areas no bigger than about two feet, six inches square at a time. Any larger and you run the risk of the adhesive setting up before you’ve installed the tiles. Also, don’t put adhesive in places where you’ll have to cut tiles to size, like outside edges and outlets. Instead, you’ll apply adhesive individually to those tiles.
Step 3
Install the tiles
For spacing reasons, it’s easiest to begin in the inside bottom corner of your installation area and work your way out.
- Starting with the bottom row, place your tile spacers on the counter at approximately two-inch intervals (assuming you’re using four-inch tiles).
- Put adhesive on the back of your first tile. (Skip this step if you applied adhesive to the wall.)
- Place the tile so it gently rests against the bottom spacer.
- Insert a spacer on the inside edge of the tile, and gently slide it against the wall on the end to hold the spacer in place.
- Place a spacer on the outside edge of the tile.
- Put adhesive on your second tile and place it on the wall. You’ll then place the next spacer, and the next tile, and so on, until you’ve installed the bottom row of tile.
- Place the next row of spacers on top of the first row and repeat the process for each new row. Try to make the finished surface edge of each tile the same depth as the neighboring tile. This will make grouting easier and the final appearance better.
- As you go, cut tiles to size around outlets and at the edges of your rows. Cutting them with the finish side down will keep flaking on the face to a minimum.
- Let the adhesive set up for a few hours, then pull out the spacers.
- Wait 24 hours before applying grout.
Step 4
Apply grout
- Prepare your grout. If it’s a dry mix, add water as specified. If it’s premixed grout, check that it’s properly blended.
- Using your rubber float, apply grout to the joints. Hold the float at a 45-degree angle to the surface of the tiles so it fills the seams entirely.
- Work the float back and forth over the joints until you no longer see any spaces or gaps in the tile joints.
- After all of the seams are filled to the tile surface, use a dampened sponge to gently remove any grout from the tile surfaces. This will also smooth out your grout lines and make a nice finish edge between the grout and the tile.
Step 5
Clean and de-haze
- Allow the grout to set up for a few hours.
- Run your damp sponge over the tile surfaces again to remove any grout left on the front of the tiles. If you have areas where the grout is a little thicker and won’t just wipe off, put a little more water on the sponge, press it on that area, then wipe again. The water will soften the freshly set up grout, allowing it to be cleaned off.
- Using a dry, lint-free towel, rapidly wipe the tile in a circular motion. This will remove the grout haze from the tile. Repeat this step after 24 hours if you notice any remaining haze.
