MrsRivera
2 under 2...whew!!
Member since 2/07 9876 total posts
Name:
Beth
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Re: Who has done their own tiling/backsplash?
We did our backsplash--I can definitely give you some pointers.
The tiles went up with absolutely no problem, and it looked absolutely STUNNING. We used small tiles as well, they came on a mesh backing so that they were approximately 12"x12". Sooooooo awesome.
Then, we grouted. 
You said that you're using glass tile, so you should be ok. We used natural tumbled stone, and nobody at Home Depot told us that we needed to seal the tiles before grouting, so that the grout wouldn't stick to the face of the tile. We also researched this ad nauseum on the web, and never saw anything about sealing the tiles first.
DH also didn't understand that when you grout, you have to grout and then wipe the grout off the face of the tiles as you go. He grouted the whole backsplash and then let it sit overnight, thinking he'd get the excess off the next day. Yeah.....
We wound up with a concrete backsplash--the grout had hardened and wouldn't come off.
My FIL, God bless him, he came down from NY to help us do damage control. He spent literally 28 HOURS with a grinding wheel, getting the grout off the tiles.
It all came off, but the tile looks nowhere NEAR as good as it once did. So, we learned a costly mistake--and when we have the extra money, we'll be ripping it out and doing it allllllll over again.
I hope I'm not scaring you!  As long as you are using smooth-faced glass tile, you will not need to seal first. And as long as you grout a small section (maybe 12x12, as I said before) and then wipe the grout off with a damp grout sponge, you will be fine and it'll look amazing.
All in all, if you do it right, it's a quick, easy, and relatively inexpensive upgrade!
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GoldenRod
10 years on LIF!
Member since 11/06 26792 total posts
Name:
Shawn
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Re: Who has done their own tiling/backsplash?
Glass tile needs to be treated a little differently than regular tile. Since you can see through it, you can't use a notched trowel to put up the thin-set. If you do, you'll see the ridges through the tile.
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Erica
LIF Adult
Member since 5/05 11767 total posts
Name:
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Re: Who has done their own tiling/backsplash?
I have done backsplashes twice and they are by far the easiest tiling job (I did 1000 sq feet of floor tile - including a "carpet" - and a shower stall - which I will never do again!)
Our current kitchen has glass bizzaza tiles. I love them. like goldenrod said, you have to be careful with the thinset. I actually used clear liquid nails and it worked GREAT! A little drop every tile and then slap it up and grout.
You do need to wipe the grout often, like PP mentioned. and when you think you've wiped it all, wipe again. A cheesecloth can help the next day to get any remaining dried grout.
We mixed our own thinset and grout for our floors and shower, but for the backsplash I used premade grout - so much easier and since you only need a little that and a rubber trowel will get you finished easily.
let me know if I can answer any questions.
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(I'll post pictures when it's all done) and decided to do glass tile as the backsplash. Is it really that easy to do? I'm going to use the small tiles. 
