We’re nearing the finish line on both duplex kitchens, and today we’re excited to share a major to-do we recently crossed off: installing both kitchen backsplashes. Because this is a two-unit house, we tackled two kitchens at once, which made the job feel a bit daunting — but we completed both backsplashes over a recent three-day weekend. It’s a huge relief to have them done, so below I’ll show how they turned out and share eight practical steps to set yourself up for a faster, more successful tile project.
There are still a few finishing touches to complete — like adding shelves on the tiled walls and a wipeable beadboard treatment for the stove wall — but Sherry already staged a few accessories to make the kitchens feel more finished. She’s in charge of morale.
Here’s a quick before-and-not-quite-after: this was the room after we installed the cabinets but before starting the backsplash. The transformation is subtle at first, but the tile makes a big difference.
And here it is now:
The floor-to-ceiling tile creates the visual impact we wanted, bringing strong color and pattern into each kitchen. You can even see the pattern from the front door, which helps tie the entire downstairs space together.
Both tile styles are porcelain options that mimic cement tile — they give the look without the ongoing maintenance and staining risk of real cement tiles. Each style measures about 9 x 9 inches and cost $7.99 per square foot, which put the tile cost just under $400 per kitchen. It’s not our cheapest backsplash ever, but for a large, bold statement it felt like a great value.
We tiled, grouted, and photographed both backsplashes in about 2.5 days. That speed reinforced a point we already knew: prep and planning make a tile job much easier and yield a far better result. Before you start spreading mastic or firing up the wet saw, take an hour to do the groundwork below — it will save time and headaches.
8 Things To Do Before You Start Tiling
Many of these tips apply especially to medium or large tiles and patterned tiles. Small mosaics behave differently and won’t have the same sliver-cut issues. For larger tiles, avoiding tiny strips or uneven cuts is crucial — small slivers are hard to cut cleanly and can make a pattern look off, highlighting walls that aren’t perfectly straight.
1. Find Your Maximum and Minimum Measurements
Measure precisely, down to 1/8 or even 1/16 of an inch, before cutting. Walls and ceilings can slope, and those variations matter. Measure multiple points across the area to identify the highest and lowest distances. In our kitchen, one side of the chimney was half an inch shorter than the opposite corner. Check for bows by holding a long level against the wall — if the level doesn’t contact the wall along its entire length, you have a bow that may affect your layout.
2. Lay Out and Measure Your Tile
Don’t trust only the box dimensions. Lay out tiles with spacers on the floor to confirm actual tile size and spacing. Our nominal 9 x 9 tiles measured closer to 8.75 inches, and spacers changed the math. Laying tiles out showed us that seven tiles wouldn’t cleanly fill the wall and would have created an awkward sliver at one end. Instead, we adjusted the plan to use six full tiles plus two slightly larger-than-half tiles at top and bottom. That centered the pattern and disguised the ceiling slope.
3. Plan for Outlets and Other Obstacles
Identify outlets, switchplates, pot fillers, and other obstacles and incorporate them into your layout. We prefer horizontal outlets close to the counter because they’re easier to hide. Starting with a half-tile on the bottom row kept outlet cuts along an edge rather than smack in the middle of a tile, which simplified cutting and gave a cleaner result.
4. Plan Your Pattern Side-to-Side
Plan both vertical and horizontal placement so the pattern reads centered where you want it (for example, centered on the sink and window). Measure carefully and consider laying out the first row in place. It’s often better to shave a little off a tile to avoid tiny slivers at edges — a slightly smaller cut reads cleaner than a thin sliver that draws attention to uneven walls.
5. Double-Check That Surface References Are Level
If you plan to use the countertop or cabinet bottoms as a reference, verify they’re level. Even if not perfectly level, using a consistent reference is important because those lines will be what the eye compares to the tile. For spans with no continuous counter (behind a stove or across a doorway), snap a level line on the wall to guide the first row and check frequently as you work.
6. Cut Your First Row Ahead of Time
Cutting the first row all at once with a tile saw guide saves time and reduces stress while adhesive is drying. With a solid guide you can make consistent cuts for tiles that all need the same height. You’ll still make a few additional cuts for outlets or corners, but having the bulk of the row pre-cut makes installation much faster and neater.
7. Protect Your Work Area
Cover countertops and floors with protective paper that includes a moisture barrier to prevent adhesive or grout from soaking through. Run painter’s tape along the back edge of the counter first so the paper sits precisely where you want it. If small bits of tape get trapped under tile, remove as much as possible; remaining bits can usually be covered with caulk later.
8. Trim Moldings That Interfere
Trim or notch window sills and other moldings so tile can slide neatly behind them rather than you having to cut awkward notches in tile. Using a compact rotary tool or similar makes this quick and gives a cleaner finish. If you don’t have the tool or prefer not to, cutting tile around moldings is an option, but trimming the molding is often faster and looks better.
All of these prep steps can feel like they slow you down at first, but they make the actual tiling process smoother and the final result more professional. I’ve learned the hard way that skipping planning sometimes forces ugly solutions later. With careful measuring, layout, and prep, even a patterned tile installation with tricky spots like windows can look intentional and polished.
We still have a few final tasks — the beadboard treatment at the stove, floating shelves, and filling the cabinets with plates and cookware — but these backsplashes are ready to be enjoyed. The pattern and color transformed both kitchens and we’re really pleased with the outcome.
Recommended reading: What Makes Some Floor Tiles Easier to Install Than Others; The Only Grout We’ll Ever Use; Installing a Subway Tile Backsplash for $200; How to Paint a Bathroom Floor to Look Like Cement Tile; Adding a Marble Herringbone Backsplash to Our Laundry Room.
*This post contains affiliate links*