DIY Subway Tile Backsplash Under $310

Have you ever considered adding a DIY Subway Tile Backsplash to your kitchen? We finally pulled the trigger on ours and I cannot wait to show you how easy it was!

 

We finally did it! After a few delays, we finally finished up the subway tile backsplash on the open shelving side and seeing that gorgeous tile going all the way to the ceiling makes my heart flutter.

It turned out so good and we are so happy with it. White Subway tile backsplash is one of the cheapest options but it also has a very classic feel that will ensure you’ll love it for years to come.

This was my first experience laying tile and although Wayne did a lot of the work, the project was a lot easier than I thought. Minus the times we ran into a few hiccups such as realizing we probably should have mounted our range hood after we laid the tile to keep us from having to make lots of detailed cuts around the hood due to the curved shape, but hey you live and you learn right?

It ended up working out just fine but if we had it to do over again we would definitely mount the hood after the backsplash.

 

This post may contain affiliate links for your shopping convenience, this is at no extra cost to you. For information see my disclosures here. 

 

 

Before we began the subway tile our plan was to rent a tile saw from our local home depot but when I was finally able to look at prices I was shocked that one day rental for a tile saw was $50 which is a lot to me for a rental… Not to mention the fact that I knew it would likely take us several days to complete the project so in an attempt to save money I researched tile saw prices and realized we could buy a small one for the same price as two days of rental. That’s including the blade which was pretty much a no brainer for us considering it would pay for itself in two days vs renting so we scooped this one up and now we will have it for any other small projects if we ever need it down the road.

 

All together this tile job took us roughly two weekends to finish, mostly because we worked on it here and there throughout the weekend instead of just hitting it full force.

Things definitely aren’t going at the pace I’d like as far as this kitchen is concerned and it seems as if life is working against us most days but we will get it all finished eventually and I am okay with that.

DIY Subway Tile Backsplash Materials + Tools

• White Subway Tile (Calculate Square Footage by multiplying length x width to give you the total sq ft of tile needed, then add 10% for backup)
• Mastic (Glue)
• Mapei Warm Gray Grout  
• Mapei Warm Gray Caulk
• Notched Trowel
• Grout Float
• Tile Edging 
• Sponge x2
• Cheesecloth 
• Tile Saw 

 

Choosing Grout Lines

Grout lines can really affect the overall look of not only the tile but your entire space, be it on the floor or backsplash so putting thought into the size grout line you will use before you start the job is super important. We ended up deciding on a 1/16th grout line which is pretty much the smallest grout line there is. There are several reasons we chose this option such as

A.) Since we planned to install the tile all the way to the ceiling I wanted to keep the grout lines small to ensure the wall didn’t look too busy.

B.) After having tile countertops and tile backsplash with giant grout lines I pretty much never want to see a huge grout line ever again in my life… So small it is for us! I mean smaller lines have to be easier to keep clean right?

C.) Another huge plus was the fact that by choosing 1/16th lines our tile had built-in spacers so when you butt a piece of tile up to another piece it automatically creates a 1/16th gap which kept us from having to use tile spacers.

Insider Tip: Now one thing I learned while researching small grout lines is that when you’re using a product such as handmade tile that has a lot of variation in the tile from piece to piece that small grout lines will actually make the difference in size more noticeable! So keep this in mind and research recommended grout lines for the specific tile you are using.

 

 

 

Choosing Tile Size

Choosing the right tile size is every bit as important as the grout lines, no matter what look and feel you are going for the tile size is going to make a huge impact so take your time and try to go over several factors before landing on a particular size such as the examples below.

Large tiles 12-18″ can make a room feel larger. If you have a medium-large size room they can expand the space and make the room feel larger.

Larger tiles can lengthen a room and fewer grout lines can make a space feel more open and clean.

Smaller tiles are great for small spaces that larger tiles otherwise won’t fit in and can create a more uniform look vs using large tiles in a very small space.

Small tiles also add more detail/busyness so keep that in mind as well.

Personally, I think when doing a counter to ceiling tile job its best to go with larger vs smaller because depending on the look of the tile it could end up being so busy that it overpowers the space.

Truth is there are a million different size tiles out there and tons of “rules” for what to use where but as long as you keep the tile, grout lines (how many and what size) and grout color in mind you should be able to make a choice that will work best for your situation.  

 

Reasons we went with a classic white 3×6 subway tile:

For us I kind of always knew we would go with subway tile in our kitchen for a few reasons, number one being affordability. We pretty much paid top dollar for our home and in our small culdesac-ish neighborhood.

The homes are all very nice but most of them have dated finishes. Most of the families that live in our neighborhood are older and have lived here since the homes were built. We have just recently started seeing more of the older couples sale their homes and younger families move in but due to that, we wanted to make sure that we didn’t spend a ton on the kitchen since we likely won’t ever get our money back on expensive finishes.

The second reason we chose subway tile is just the fact that we both love the look. There are so many options when it comes to the layout that subway tile can really work for everyone. It is a classic look that we won’t tire of any time soon and its a good thing because I don’t plan on renovating this kitchen again! 🙂

 

Installing A DIY Subway Tile Backsplash

Before you begin, if there are any areas such as range hood, corners, edges etc. that look like they could be problem areas go ahead and grab some tile and try to create some kind of plan or map out what you’ll end up with in those areas. You want to ensure that you don’t have any tiny slivers of tile anywhere.

You’ll also be alternating between starting a row with a full piece of tile then starting the next row with a half piece which will create the offset so add up how many half-pieces you’ll need and precut them. Considering I had never laid tile before I expected this project to be a little bit difficult due to my learning curve but with Waynes help it was a whole lot easier than I expected.

 

Prep Walls: Before you begin you will want to fix any problem areas on the drywall, your tile needs to lay nice and smooth so if there are any uneven or low areas on the drywall now is the perfect time to fix them. If you skip this step and don’t fix the majorly uneven areas of the drywall before laying the tile you will 100% have issues once you start to lay the tile.

It will cause the tile not to lay down right and you will be able to visually see that once the job is finished so do yourself a favor and repair them before you begin. You can also use this time to lay down a drop cloth or contractor paper to ensure your countertops + floors are protected because things are about to get messy… Also, this is the perfect time to remove any outlet covers that will get in your way later.

 

 

Figure out your Ends + Border: When laying tile it is important to think about where your tile will end. If you are going to end up with cut tiles visible on the edge of the wall you are tiling then it is important to decide how you’ll deal with those before you get started. If the tile end butts up in a corner there is no need to do anything but if it’s exposed you will need to consider your options. There are several different options available for this type of thing such as bullnose tile pieces, grout and even tile edging which is what we ended up going with.

Basically, if you have no wall to terminate into (the cut edges butt up against each other in corners) then you’ll need to consider what you’ll use to cover those unsightly cuts otherwise your tile install won’t look clean once the grout is in place.

 

 

The subway tile that we went with does not have matching bullnose pieces available. Plus we personally don’t like the look of bullnose so instead of ending up with a giant clump of grout on the entire edge we went with tile edging like this that you simply screw to the wall before you begin tiling and when you’re finished tiling the edges will be completely covered.

To Space Or Not To Space: The size of your grout lines and type of tile you use will determine if you will need spacers or not. Our tile came premade with small notches on the edges (barely visible) that automatically created a 1/16th grout line when they butt up next to each other which is the exact size grout line we wanted. So instead of using spacers which would’ve no doubt taken more time we just butted the tiles up to each other and had a perfect 1/16th grout line to fill thanks to the notches. If your tiles do not have notches or you are going with larger grout lines then you will definitely need to use spacers between each tile.

 

 

Level Starting Point: Before you begin you’ll want to create a straight line to start off of. If the starting point is nice and level it will be easier to keep the rest of your rows level. To do this we used a piece of tile edging but you could use a wooden board or anything long enough that you can level. We then used our laser level to ensure the piece was level all the way across. Once this was in place we just made sure to stand back and check every now and then to make sure everything still looked good.

We also started our first row one row above the bottom so basically left the row near the countertop bare and began with the row above it. Once we were finished we went back in and measured for that bottom row then added the tile.

 

 

Apply Mortar/ thin-set to the wall: Before laying the tiles down you will want to trowel mortar onto the wall, then using the notched end of your trowel run the trowel down through the mortar which will create notches/grooves in the mortar. This will help the tile to stick to the wall. There will be some areas where this isn’t practical or you’re unable to fit the trowel into a tight space so when those areas pop up you’ll simply butter the back of each tile with mortar then run the notched side of the trowel down it to create notches onto the back of each tile vs the wall itself.

 

 

 

Tile Pattern: The basic concept we went with was we started one row at the bottom ensuring the entire row was level all the way across, we then used the trowel to prep small sections of the wall with glue/mortar and then laid each tile ensuring that they were all evenly placed and looked as uniform as possible. I know it will be tempting but be sure to work in small sections so things don’t get away from you.

We made sure that all of the glue/mortar was cleaned off of the wall and the tile edges from doing the first row to keep the second row from being unlevel. Keep in mind just the slightest amount of glue being stuck on the tiles can cause the tile that you put on top of it to be spaced further than it should be. To prevent this be sure to clean off the tile edges before starting the next row.

For the second row, we started with a half piece of tile. This ensures that the tile is properly offset and the grout lines line up. We performed the same steps as above the only difference being we began the row using a half piece of tile. Creating an offset pattern. 

The entire project will require that you alternate between starting a row with a full piece of tile then switching to a half piece of tile on the next row.  It’s pretty simple really, you just have to remember to clean off the top of the tile and alternate. If something happens and you mess up don’t worry, you can stick a small pry bar or screwdriver behind that piece of tile and the wall then pry very gently to get it out, just make sure you periodically step back and take a look at your work to make sure everything looks right and all of your lines look good. 

 

 

Cutting Tiles: When you reach corners or areas where you need to go around outlets you may need to cut tiles so they will fit. When laying cut tile in areas where it will be exposed be sure to point the cut side to the border when you lay the tile so that cut edge won’t be visible inside your row. For example, on outlets, you will want to make sure the cut side goes toward the inside which will make sure it’s covered by an outlet cover.

 

 

 

Cutting Around Outlets: When you reach outlets it can seem a little scary but there is a little trick to cutting tile around outlets without needing a  crazy saw. You’ll simply measure, cut the tile accordingly and notch out the area that you want gone. You can then spin your tile around and make tiny teeth like cuts all along the inside (middle) of the notch you just made which will make the tile pieces inside the notch fall off and you can clean up the edges gently with the saw blade. This essentially cuts the middle portion of the tile out so you don’t need a high tech saw to get it out.  Young house love has a great example here if you need further explanation. (Scroll all the way to the last few paragraphs to the part labeled toilet holes. We used the exact same principle to get the same result when cutting our outlet tiles.)

 

 

 

Range Hoods: Like I mentioned above tiling around the range hood ended up being a huge pain in the ass and if we had it to do over again we would have installed the hood AFTER the subway tile but considering this is our first time doing a major reno and we are dog tired most days I am not that concerned about it. Yes, installing the hood after tiling would require that we drill into the fresh tile in order to install the hood but in the end, the tile would’ve been much easier to install without the hood being there plus the final look would have turned out much cleaner.

 

 

Once we finished up the main areas we had two rows left, one at the top and one at the bottom that required the tile to be cut into smaller pieces so we measured, cut a small amount off, then measured and cut again when necessary to get the right size. Depending on the straightness of your trim and countertop these cuts may not be the same so take your time and measure each spot if necessary.

 

 

 

 

When you’re completely finished laying the tile you have to allow the mastic/ mortar/glue to sit overnight or however long recommended on the instructions, be sure to check your brand for a wait time before grouting the tile.

You can check out our insanely affordable sconces here     (they even come in a pack of 3)

Grout Color + Color Matched Caulk

Now that we’ve finished laying the tile we need to grout it in.

I went back and forth on the grout color but ultimately I knew that I wanted the grout to blend in with the tile vs standing out to avoid creating a super busy wall in our kitchen… So when we chose our grout color helping the grout lines to blend in was my objective. Now when I say blend in I don’t mean completely, I just wanted to make sure that the grout lines were not the star of the show.

When searching for the type of look I wanted I landed on a few inspiration photos that were the exact look I was going for and both photos used either a bone-colored grout or warm gray.

So after lots of searching, we landed on warm gray grout by Maipei which is the perfect warm taupe gray color and after seeing the dried color in photos I knew that it was the one!

The grout does look darker when it’s wet but dries to the perfect warm gray hue so don’t panic if it seems super dark.  Honestly, I couldn’t be happier with the color, I love that it doesn’t scream at you when you walk into the kitchen… So instead of thinking grout, you’re thinking tile! (read ahead to see if you’ll need sanded or unsanded grout depending on the size of your grout lines)

Once you have your grout color picked out you will also want to grab a tube of color matching caulk to use on any areas where the tile meets the countertop, the cabinets or the walls.

Sanded Vs Unsanded Grout

Before buying grout you’ll need to know which type to get. Unsanded grout is used for joints (grout lines) that are less than 1/8th of an inch wide.

If you went with large grout lines (bigger than 1/8″) you’ll need to use sanded grout to increase stability and hold your tile together per the professionals. Sanded grout is not nearly as easy to work with as opposed to non-sanded because it literally has pieces of sand inside vs the smooth butter-like non-sanded grout.

We attempted to use premixed grout on our tile job but once we got it home we realized that although it wasn’t labeled sanded grout it had tiny pieces of acrylic inside which gave it a sandlike consistency, we immediately took it back and went with the much cheaper bag that we had to mix ourselves. The mixing definitely made up for the headache that we saved ourselves trying to keep the premixed version on the wall!

Once we had the grout bag at home we simply followed the instructions and mixed it in a clean bucket and began grouting the tile. Unsanded grout is so smooth and goes on so well that when we finally started grouting the tile I was happy we went with smaller grout lines so we could use unsanded grout. Plus the appearance is so much cleaner vs the sanded version.

 

(Unsanded 10 lbs bag of Mapei Warm Gray Grout)

Grouting Your DIY Subway Tile Backsplash

 

 

 

When grouting tile it is so much easier to have two people, this stuff sets up pretty fast and the longer it dries the harder it is to get off the tile so try to wait until you have two people before you begin, one person to grout and one person to clean up. You’ll need two clean buckets of water and a sponge.

Person #1: Working in small sections makes it easier because the grout doesn’t dry up on you while you’re trying to work it in so do a small section then move on to another small section.

Scoop out the grout with the float and smoosh it into the grout lines, using pressure and a back and forth, up and down motion. You’re trying to get the grout in every seam. The process is easy but can be tiring on the arms. When you have the grout inside the seams take your float and run it across the area at a sharp angle to take off any excess grout.

 

Person #2: Once the grout has set for about 10 minutes take a barely wet sponge (be sure to wring out excess water because you don’t want to dilute the grout you just want to clean it up. Using too much water on the sponge can create a huge mess and ruin your grout job so wring that sponge out good and make sure there are no water drips running down the tile) Take your sponge and make a swipe across the tile. You are trying to accomplish two things, one clean up the excess grout on the tile and two smooth out the grout lines.

You’ll want to make a swipe then turn the sponge over and make another swipe then its time to rinse your sponge. Repeat these steps until the tile is pretty clean then after the grout has set a little while longer you can go back over it with bucket #2 of clean water which will get it even cleaner and remove more of the haze that may be left on the tile.

 

Removing Haze 

Once the grout has had at least 24 hours to set up you may notice some haze begin to appear on the tiles. To remove this you’ll simply take some cheesecloth and buff the tiles. This may require some elbow grease so be careful around your grout lines, you don’t want to mess up any that haven’t fully cured.

Once you’ve finished grouting and cleaning the tiles you’ll want to take your color matching caulk and use it on any area where the tile meets the countertop, the cabinets or the walls.  For this, we like to tape off the area leaving behind a small gap for the caulk. Then squeeze a small thin line of caulk along that seam. Then using a cup of warm water to dip your finger in, take your wet finger and smooth the caulk line. Once you have it smoothed pull the tape. Do not leave the tape on until the caulk dries.

Sealing Grout

Depending on the type of grout you used you may or may not need to seal your grout. Do some research to find a sealer that works best for your tile/grout and read the entire process before you begin using a sealer(most of the time you have to wait so many days before sealing). I would also recommend testing a small inconspicuous area if you’re unsure how it will work with your particular tile.

You could even use an extra piece of tile if you are using specialty tile and aren’t sure how it will react to the sealer. We will be sealing ours soon but just haven’t gotten around to it yet. As soon as we do I’ll update this post with any tips and tricks we learn along the way.

This sealer is recommended for nonporous surfaces and grout

This impregnator sealer is great for porus surfaces such as marble, 

Overall this project was one of the cheapest most impactful things we’ve done in our home and I love how it turned out! Our kitchen isn’t coming along anywhere close to as fast as I wanted it to but slowly we are wrapping things up. We still have several projects to finish before we can call it complete but thank you for hanging in there with us throughout this process. Right now I am hoping to get things finished up before Thanksgiving, which is going to take a lot of work on our part (maybe even a miracle) but I have faith we can get it done… Fingers crossed 🙂

 

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