“It’s like a cable knit sweater on the wall!” I said after we installed the marble herringbone backsplash behind the washer and dryer. That textured, cozy look instantly warmed the laundry room and made the space feel far less like a blank box. We’d already tiled the floor recently, but this project used the marble tile we’d bought a while back specifically for the back wall.
Here’s a preview of the finished room so you can see how it all comes together:
Not bad, right? The room immediately feels more finished, and the whole backsplash only used 13 sheets of tile.
Ignore the unfinished shelf/counter for now — it still needs to be stained, sealed, and installed. The shelf will rest on L-brackets and be completely removable so we can access the plumbing behind the appliances. With the shelf in place, socks won’t slip behind the washer and dryer anymore, and the wood will add warmth and texture to balance the marble.
We built the shelf first so we could mark the tiling height and be sure not to tile where the brackets would go. Hanging the brackets first and tiling around them would have been more work, so this order made sense.
We’ll stain the wood a bit darker — something along the lines of the tone shown in our mood board — and the tile is Hampton Carrara marble. Two aspects of this job were new for us: using marble mosaic sheets for a small herringbone pattern, and using premixed mastic to adhere the tiles directly over painted drywall (we sanded the wall first to roughen it up a bit).
The mastic had a consistency similar to spackle. We applied it with a 3/16″ V-notch trowel, which worked well with the mosaic sheets. Because mastic sets faster than thinset, we only spread enough for two sheets at a time to avoid it drying out before we could place the tiles.
Cutting mosaic sheets can be nerve-racking since damaged tiles are hard to replace when a product is back-ordered. We’d previously struggled with mesh-backed penny tile, but for these marble mosaics the wet saw actually worked great. Placing two scrap pieces on either side of the blade gave the sheet a flat surface as it passed through and produced clean cuts — as long as we fed the tile steadily and kept the blade wet.
Our newer wet saw with a rolling tray and laser guide made the process especially smooth. For most cuts we only needed to trim the top of a sheet so tiles would sit flush against side walls or the cabinet underside.
Applying the tile was a two-person job: I spread the mastic with the flat side of the trowel and combed it with the V-notch, while Sherry pressed each mosaic sheet into place, twisting slightly as recommended to form a good bond. She also kept a close eye on alignment so the herringbone pattern nested properly across sheet seams.
Sometimes the mesh backing or slight spacing inconsistencies on the sheets caused visible seams. We fixed those by nudging sheets together, shifting them slightly up or down, and trimming stray mesh so edges could nest tightly. Staggering sheets vertically also helped disguise horizontal seams: we alternated full and half sheets so an obvious line across the wall didn’t form.
We installed the backsplash in about two hours while Clara napped. The mastic seemed dry enough to grout that night, but we waited until the next morning to be safe. Because the gaps between tiles were larger than 1/8″, we used a sanded white grout. Grouting this wall took more material than the floor because of all the small gaps, so I mixed just enough to do half the wall at a time to prevent the grout from drying out mid-application.
I protected the floor behind the appliances with a scrap board placed where the shelf will sit to catch any drips. After packing grout into the joints, I wiped the tiles with a lightly damp sponge to remove excess and smooth the lines.
Grout haze is normal as the grout dries. With polished marble you shouldn’t use harsh chemical haze removers, so I relied on elbow grease and a microfiber cloth to buff the haze away. It took a few passes, but the marble brightened considerably. Sherry plans to do one more pass to make it extra gleamy.
The slightly ragged edge at the bottom won’t be visible once the stained, sealed shelf and counter are installed, so we weren’t worried about perfection right down to the floor line.
Update: A few readers asked what happens if we replace the washer and dryer in the future. Width is standard so new units should fit, but height can vary slightly, so we may need to remake the removable shelf. We saved extra tile and grout for that possibility.
We’ve started testing stain and sealer combinations on scrap wood for the shelf and counter and hope to have those finished and installed within a few days. We’ll also share details about reinstalling the washer/dryer and hooking up the overflow drain in an upcoming post.
Updated to-do list:
Move washer & dryer and remove cabinetryDemo cased opening, side wall, back wall, part of the floor and the attic stepFrame new walls & doorwaysMove laundry plumbing hook-ups & drainsMove laundry electrical plus other outlets/lightsMove dryer vent & HVAC ductHang drywallAdd insulationMud, tape, and sand all the drywall seamsPrime & paint laundry room and hallway wallsTile & grout new laundry floorHang upper cabinets and install lower cabinetReinstall washer & dryer- Stain, seal, and install the wood counter & shelf
- Rehang the laundry door & add the new glass door to the future bunk room
- Add cabinet fillers, crown molding, baseboard, & door casings
- Install cabinet hardware & soft-close drawer upgrades
- Add a ceiling light fixture & under-cabinet lighting
- Hang art, ironing board, and bring in other laundry room items
- Finishing touches and repairs (fix the drywall in the garage, add the attic step, etc.)
Only a handful of items remain, and having a functioning washer and dryer again makes it feel like we’re on the home stretch. Also, Sherry may or may not be gently admiring the tile as you read this.