We used glass mosaic tile, which I think is really fun. It's surely more work than bigger tiles, but I think it looks really cool.
Here's what we did:
1. Planned to use TileMat, a double-sided tape invented to stick tile backsplashes onto walls. I loved the idea of it -- no mortar! But it just came out on the market this year, and the reviews I read mostly said things like, "my tiles fell off!" So we talked to guy in the Home Depot tile aisle. He does tiling as a second job, and he does not approve of the TileMat. But he got us set up with Quick Set mortar (premixed) and all the tools and stuff we needed for tiling. We got our tile sheets (I think they're 11-inch squares), the Quick Set mortar, a mortar tool with small grooves for the mosaic tile (smaller tiles need smaller grooves), grey grout powder that must be mixed with water, a grout float, a grout paddle for attaching to a drill and using for mixing, grout sealer, appropriately sized spacers, and a pack of giant sponges.
- 1. Jason had already picked off the old tiles using mostly a screwdriver to get under the edge and a hammer to knock them loose. We also had a tiny crowbar, but I don't think it actually came in handy much. In our kitchen, they mostly didn't use too much mortar on their mismatched beige tiles.
2. Jason used a power sander to flatten out the wall where there were lumps of mortar and, inexplicably, caulk. Where needed, he filled out a few minor divots with spackle.
3. We spread a thin coat of mortar on the wall and then scraped across the wall with the grooved mortar-scraping tool. After much fussing with difficult-to-reach corners, we discovered too late that you can (oh so obviously) apply the mortar to the back of the tile sheet if you can't reach the wall easily.
4. Now, it's a tiny bit tricky putting up the tile sheet because it's a little bit heavy and the tiles want to slump down and squish together at the bottom. So you have to align it at the bottom and then kind of stretch it upwards as you stick it to the wall. It's not super difficult, but if you want your rows to line up, you have to pay attention to the tendency to slump.
5. It starts looking pretty damn cool as soon as you get the first sheet put up, which encourages you to keep bending over in uncomfortable positions to stick up more and more tiles!
6. We got a call from Jason's brother saying he could help us RIGHT NOW with his huge truck to move our furniture from the townhouse to the new house, so we said: Okay, then.
And since he is a badass moving instigator, we now live in our new house and have a sort-of living room and everything.
And Francis the Cat has been an excellent mover once again. He was telling me ALL ABOUT IT on the drive from the old place to the new place, but once he arrived, he checked everything out and settled right in. He has already carried his toy robot all over the place, sat on all the counters, kept us company while cleaning and tiling and resting, and thrown up a few times. He's a good mover.
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