The tile installed and ready for grout.
Installation
Having tiled with ceramic tiles, I expected using glass to be very similar. That expectation was met. The reading I did beforehand (This Old House and DIY network were especially useful) suggested special care to avoid scratching the tile’s show surface and to accommodate glass’s translucent characteristic. In practice, I found the glass tile not especially prone to scratching, and the opaque color applied to the back meant my thin set lines didn’t telegraph through the tile, so quickly gave up on knocking them down. The one place I did take special care throughout the project was when cutting tiles–they seemed more prone to chip out than ceramic tiles, so when making cuts, I would cut in from one edge slightly then flip the piece over and finish the cut.
Layout is perhaps the most important aspect of a tiling project, and the kitchen set up made that task easy for this project. I worked in from each exposed edge toward either a corner or bank of cabinets and was able to run 7 full courses of tiles up the wall. The irregular vertical positioning of outlets made for some awkward cuts, but we were still able to install the entire backsplash, grout, and caulk over four days.
Tools and Materials
- 2″ x 4″ glass tile by MSI
- an inexpensive wet saw
- white thinset for glass tiles
- 1000 grit sandpaper to polish sawn edges
- 1/4″ x 3/16″ V-notched trowel
- masking tape
- drop cloth
- grout float
- unsanded grout (bone color) and matching caulk
- 5 gallon bucket for mixing