Subway tiles have gained quite a following in the commercial arena of backsplashing and as a flooring material, in general. This has made them a primary choice to be implemented for efficient and stylish designs in the kitchen
2. Introduction
Over the period of years, subway tiles have gained quite a following in the
commercial arena of backsplashing and as a flooring material, in general.
This has made them a primary choice to be implemented for efficient and
stylish designs in the kitchen. However, what are these subway tiles and
how can they be implemented in a backsplash? This is what this article
aims to discuss.
3. Subway Tile Backsplashing
Be it a kitchen backsplash or a shower stall renovation, subway
tiles have always been a popular choice for the backsplash
material. However, subway tiles were not originally meant to be
used in the kitchen, or in any other area of the home for that
matter.
4. Subway Tile Backsplashing
They originated to be used in subway, hence the
name subway tiles. The popularity of the tiles is primarily due
to its versatility. These tiles can be paired and used in almost
all forms of kitchen styles, be it the traditional kitchen or the
modern ones.
5. Subway Tile Backsplashing
Along with this, they are available in all forms of sizes, be it small
or medium-sized. Another factor which makes these tiles
desirable is the plethora of choices in terms of materials, colours,
and textures.
6. Creating The Dream Kitchen
When people purchase a home for themselves, one part where
they lay a lot of stress upon in terms of development is the
kitchen. They upgrade the kitchen with the help of a new stove
and dishwasher and finish tasks, which are comparatively easier.
7. Creating The Dream Kitchen
This leaves them with the task of backsplashing. Backsplashing
often becomes a necessary course of action for a lot of
homeowners. This is because countertops often consist of just a
single piece of laminate which is cut and attached to the first few
inches of the wall above the countertop.
8. Creating The Dream Kitchen
Due to this, it becomes impertinent for people to work on a
backsplash. Backsplashing is often conceived to be a very difficult
task when in reality it serves as one of the easiest DIY tasks. The
task can be performed in a few steps.
9. The Steps Involved
Step 1
•The first step in performing a backsplash is to
remove the previous backsplash. In order to do this,
you have to make use of a utility knife and remove
the seal holding the backsplash in place. There may
be some parts in which you may have to remove
screws holding the backsplash in place with the
countertop
10. The Steps Involved
Step 2
• The removal process of the earlier process takes a few
hours to remove. After having done this, the wall needs
to be prepared for the new subway tiles to be installed.
Usually, peel-and-stick tiles are used for backsplashing
as they have a strong adhesive which allows them to
stick without falling off easily. If you prefer, you can
also make use of a standard adhesive and make use of
other backsplash tiles.
11. The Steps Involved
Step 3
• After removing the existing backsplash, more often than not you
may find that there are some areas are not in good shape. There
may be multiple reasons for this, however, all these can be
rectified to become the best version of the wall itself. After
removing the previous backsplash, the wall is often found to be
rough. This can be smoothened by making use of a fine
sandpaper. Post this, the walls should be cleaned so that the
adhesive on the tiles do not have any problems sticking to the
walls.
12. The Steps Involved
Step 4
• The next step involves preparing the tiles to be applied to the
wall. The tiles are usually manufactured using a default format
because of which they often need some designing changes so
that they can be stuck to the wall. A jig saw is usually preferred
for such cases. Some homeowners, however, may prefer using a
utility knife for quicker and more accurate applications. You can
achieve more accurate applications by using the utility knife to
cut the tile a few tiles and then lightly hitting the cut portion
with a hammer.
13. The Steps Involved
Step 5
• Installing the tiles are the relatively easy part of the process. The
tiles can be easily placed in open areas without any hassle. Most
areas such as areas without any outlets or light switches can be
easily covered with tiles. It is the areas with the outlets that pose a
certain problem. Though, this problems too is easily solvable. All
that you need to do is cut the piece around the outline of the
outlets and the light switches. To make the tiles fit around the
areas of the outlets and light switches, the utility knife will usually
suffice. However, in some cases, using the jigsaw is mandatory.
14. The Steps Involved
Step 6
• After having set up the tiles, all that remains to be done is for
the final trim pieces to be added. This can be done by using
matching peel-and-trim pieces for the edges and these pieces
can easily pull the project together. Various companies also
provide outlet covers which can be used to cover the outlets
and switches to match the color of the backsplash. As an added
advantage, these light switches are really easy to install and can
be done within no time. This is all that it takes for
backsplashing to be done. It is as easy as that.
15. One Common Problem
There is one common problem which is encountered by a lot of people
on their first do it yourself project. This happens when the tile pieces
are not lined up correctly and hence are needed to be removed to be
aligned correctly. Usually, in these cases, the tiles need to be removed
and put back up after drawing a line along the bottom to make sure
that they went up together and straight. To prevent such an error from
happening, you should always try to work on the straight line first
16. Conclusion
The great part of performing backsplashing on your own is the
freedom that you get to tackle the project. You can comfortably
remove your old backsplash and install new ones with peel-and-stick
tiles. The process is quick too. Apart from the part of drying and
cleaning, the entire project takes a maximum of twenty-four hours.