Updated Kitchen Back Splash With Peel and Stick Tiles

5 Materials
$150
8 Hours
Medium

You can update your kitchen back splash in a weekend with peel and stick glass aspect tiles. Its easy and there is no mess with no grouting involved.

This what what our kitchen looked like before we started our kitchen renovation.

We demoed the old tile using a hammer drill and was left with uneven walls covered in old thin set.

We had to make the walls smooth before we could start the installation. The peel and stick tiles need a smooth and even surface to adhere to. We installed panels of Masonite directly onto to old wall, using drywall screws.

The hardest part for me was getting a level line all the way around to start laying the bottom row of tile. Once you get the bottom row finished, the rest goes pretty quickly. I went with a simple subway design, cutting the end tiles in half to avoid waste as much as possible. I used a wet saw to cut the tiles and that worked great, but you can also use a glass tile scoring tool. Make sure you place a piece of painter's tape over your tile before cutting to reduce the chance of breakage.

The peel and stick tiles have adhesive on the back so you can just peel off the backer and stick it up. Since the tile will be around heat and water in the kitchen, I went an extra step and placed a dab of Loctite in each of the 4 corners before placing them on the wall.

The best way to install them to get a close fit is to go in at an angle, then pressing it tightly to the tile next to it. I also checked level periodically...just to make sure I was good.

Once the tile was complete, I caulked the bottom edge where it meets the counter top.

We still need to finish building the new cabinet doors, but the kitchen already looks so much lighter and brighter with the glass tile and paint.

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  • Nobea Palmer Nobea Palmer on Jun 19, 2019

    I would love to do my backsplash, I have seen this way and they peel and stick sheets that you can use. However, my house is an older home SOLID brick, and the concrete/plaster walls so they are not smooth walls, they are the rough/bumpy walls. Do you think this would work?? OR do you have any recommendation Thanks


  • Kristi Kristi on Jun 28, 2019

    Unfortunately while this method may be an easy putting up process, taking them ‘off’ the wall is near to impossible and can damage your drywall in the process. And the fact that they are glass makes it downright dangerous to work with. I bought a house with this type of tile and am trying to get them off my wall without throwing shards of glass all over my house or completely ruin my drywall. Anyone have any good suggestions for removal? It feels like cement holding them to the wall and in fact I think that would have been easier to deal with. HELP!!!!

  • Robin Laskowsky- Bush Robin Laskowsky- Bush on Sep 29, 2019

    Would you put trim along side the tile that stops at an open wall

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