Tile Tile Tiley Tile 2

I finished tiling the backsplash.

Beer is an essential tiling tool.

Beer is an essential tiling tool.

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As I previously posted, I generally followed online tutorials for tiling kitchen backsplashes like this one. I started this tile project by tiling the middle of the wall where no tiles needed to be cut, which rendered me overconfident. Based on how far I was able to get with whole tiles, I had this brilliant idea that (a) there would not be all that much cutting to be done, and (b) what cutting there was could be done with tools we already had.

tile shop tile sawSo wrong on both counts! But I found a tile saw on Craigslist, and that made all the difference. A tile saw looks like a small table saw, but the blade has no teeth and runs through a water pan to keep it cool, reducing breakage and dust. The blade really just grinds through the tile rather than cutting it. Our cheapie used saw made cutting straight edges and notches much easier and faster than scoring or using a tile nipper.

If I needed to make a cut with the saw, I would hold up a whole tile and just mark where the cut needed to be. The saw is not super-precise (see: grinding, above), so I’d try to err on the big side. If I had too much tile left, I could cut again or use tile nippers or a whetstone to take off the last bit. I used a Sharpie to mark tiles because marker just wiped off the glazed surface; otherwise, use a pencil.

I found another good use for the Sharpie: tracking which cut tile went where. I had the tile saw out in the garage, so I would mark up a stack of tiles and cut them in one trip out there. I started coming back from the garage and finding I couldn’t plug the pieces into the puzzle as easily as I expected. So I started numbering the tiles and their spots on the wall as I marked them for cutting.

tile numbers on wallMy pathetic memory might be a cause for worry, but this technique was a real time saver!

tiles on wall

When cutting tile to fit around electrical outlets, make sure to leave the tabs on the switches and receptacles clear. Those might need repair or replacement at some point, so trapping them under tile isn’t advisable. In a perfect world, you would also leave the edges of the electrical box clear, as in this next picture. (That didn’t happen on every box I did.)

Yellow arrows show the tabs and the red arrow shows the edge of the box.

Yellow arrows show the tabs and the red arrow shows the edge of the box.

The outermost tabs on a US switch or receptacle are scored and can be broken off if they aren’t being used. In a couple of instances, I turned off the circuit and then used needlenose pliers to snap off unused tabs rather than recut a piece of tile. 

Left tab snapped off to avoid tile.

Left tab snapped off to avoid tile; right one still intact. The switch is secured through the upper middle hole, so these tabs are extras.

Do not remove a screw to snap off a tab — loose outlets are an electrical fire risk, even under a wall plate. So don’t do that.

I was planning to put the tile saw, the nippers, and the leftover tile adhesive on Craigslist as a package deal for the next local backsplash hero, but we decided we’re not quite done yet. There’s a little piece of wall between the window and the window seat that is constantly scuffed when we set groceries and boxes there, so I’m going to tile that, too. But not today! This weekend saw enough tiling for anyone — my hands and neck are aching!

Other than expanding the tile area, next up is choosing grout and wall plates…

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