Big news update!
My movers moved up the moving day to TODAY. So, I’ll be scurrying around like crazy getting at least my furniture and boxes moved in today. I’ll be spending the night in my new room tonight. 🙂 Can you believe the day has finally arrived? I can’t!
I’m back with a complete how-to on how we added the tile backsplash ourselves, using a new product that I had recently heard about, Bondera. I got a contact from Bondera and wrote to them, telling them about my upcoming tile project and asked them if they might send me enough of their product for my project. And they did! I was so happy to get this in and try in out. Bondera is a tilemat that is sticky on both sides.
I received 5 boxes, which covers 10 s.f. per box and we had just enough for this project. I was so excited to try it out and I’m happy to say, it worked out great. Thanks to Bondera for supplying this great product! It worked out very well and we really enjoyed using it. Much less mess than using thinset, although thinset is cheaper. Bondera is around $34 a roll, so not cheap. You have to weigh out mess vs. spending more money. I would definitely use it again.
Per Bondera’s website, this will NOT work on floor tile, so just be aware of that!
The roll looks like this out of the box. It’s thin, but flexible when working with it.
We measured our space under the counters and begin putting up the Bondera tilemat. The good thing is you can cut individual pieces to fill in if needed, like a puzzle.
I used my scissors to cut the tilemat and that worked out great. The front side is all grids, so it’s easy to cut a straight line.
The backside has a clear film that pulls off for applying to the walls.
Grids again, front side.
The directions said to pull down the film from the backside and place the piece on the wall, pressing the top into place and then pulling the film off to the bottom and that definitely worked well. This stuff is VERY sticky and will stick to your fingers, to itself and to the wall, so you do have to be a bit careful when handling it.
The tilemat sticks to the wall and the front film is still in place until you get ready to place the tiles on top. Then, the top film comes off. We cut and measured until all our space was filled with Bondera.
Like this.
And this.
And this. Bondera is all ready and in place.
We started here in the middle of this countertop for our rows. Since the countertop is level already it’s not hard to keep your rows straight. The tiles have a built in spacer on the sides and we just placed them right next to each other, no need for spacers. I wanted a thin grout line anyway.
These tiles are 3×6” and so you need several 3” tiles cut and ready to go to add to the ends of rows, like this. It was dad’s smart idea to start next to this end cabinet and place the 3” tiles here on this wall for best visual. One you start placing the tiles, it goes really fast, except around the outlets and switches. That’s the part that took the longest, cutting around those.
Dad has a wetsaw that he’s had for years, so we got it out and set up in the backyard. It will sling water, so we wanted a wide open space to work in and luckily we had a good day for it.
Getting the tile saw set up.
Dad cut most of the tiles and I set most of them. He measured and cut around the outlets and we placed them as we got to them.
We started right here on this big wall and began going in both directions, placing tiles and moving as fast as we could.
Adding tiles, row by row. Then we got to the outlets and had to cut out around them.
We had several on that big wall and cut them as we got to them, filling in all the gaps and kept moving. The tiles stuck to the Bondera mat really, really well. No problem with them slipping at all.
Here are our 3” tiles cut and ready to go.
The only problem spot we had was under this window sill, where I had repaired the plaster and filled it in with sheetrock mud and tape. Apparently, it should have dried a lot longer because the Bondera didn’t adhere to this area. It peeled right off.
I was so bummed when we got to this and I realized that it wasn’t sticking, so I cut it off with a utility knife and left this top part open. I did go back and add more Bondera on here and after pulling off some of the plaster that wasn’t totally set the 2nd time, it seemed to be sticking for the most part.
Here’s the After shot, all grouted, so we did make it work and I may have had to get out the Liquid Nails for a couple of pieces. I’m sure a professional would shake his head, but we made it work and hopefully it will hold up just fine. That area will not get a lot of wear and tear, I don’t think. My sink is so deep that water will not even splash out of it.
Back to the tiling process. It’s really not hard, just takes time and patience to make all those cuts around the outlets and fill in all the gaps. You will have to cut some small slivers of tiles at time on the ends of the row, but for the most part, we made those work out as well. I tried to disguise them as best I could and didn’t take a pic to show you, but we did have some small fill in pieces.
Tile going in, one row at a time. After we got all the tiles set up and all those gaps filled in, it was time to grout. YAY! I will tell you that I had visions of walking in the next day to grout and seeing fallen tiles everywhere, but happily that did NOT happen.
I got the grout bag from Lowes, Mapei Keracolor in Silver and the Grout Admix came from Floor and Décor. It’s a liquid that is mixed with the powder grout and seals the grout instantly, so that it doesn’t ever have to be sealed again. That sold me! The Grout Admix was $25 at Floor and Décor. The bag of grout is about $12. The Bondera directions said to grout within 8 hours, but we didn’t make it in 8 hours. We got all the tile set in one day and then came back the next morning and grouted. I’m not sure what the 8 hours thing is all about.
Grout all mixed and ready to go. The consistency is about like cake batter. Thick, but not too thick. I forgot to take a pic of the grout float I used to spread the grout, but it’s a square rubbery thing with a handle that spreads the grout around. I actually used my index finger a whole lot too, to get it into the crevices.
Get yourself a couple of pans of clean water and at least 2 sponges, because you will go through a lot of dirty water, grouting, wiping and rinsing out the sponges all along the way. I started at the top of this big wall and worked my way down.
I didn’t get a lot of pics of this step and dad took this pic of me in action, but I did one section at a time and then wiped, rinsed, wiped some more until most of the grout was off the tiles. You don’t want to get too far ahead of yourself, because the grout does start drying pretty fast once it goes up. You have plenty of time to wipe, but it will begin to set up on the tile face. I wanted thin grout lines, so I made sure to wipe my sponge over each grout line, taking out any bulky build up of grout. Thin, thin, that’s what I wanted.
Here’s a progress pic of the grout on the tiles. Keep wiping until you get it all off and mostly clean. Then at the end of the process, I went back with a clean rag and wiped down all the tile one last time, until it was sparkling and shiny. And you end up using your fingers a LOT to get it into the crevices.
Here’s the after on the big wall. It will be getting 2 beautiful rustic shelves soon. Can’t wait to see those go up. We marked ahead of time where the studs are in this wall so we can get those brackets in studs.
Sink wall AFTER. Just a bit more tweaking in here and I’ll be done completely. I was so, so happy to get this tile project behind us. What a milestone!
You can see at the end of those rows on the right, a small sliver of tile that we had to put in there. I used a white caulk on those, so they wouldn’t stand out as much and need to go back and add a bit more white to them. Not bad at all.
So, would you attempt your own backsplash after this? It was a full 3 day project, but well worth it to me. Here’s what I spent on this project:
Subway tile from Floor and Décor (Interceramic, in Bone): $88
Grout: $12
Admix: $25
Bondera: No charge, but these cost around $34 a roll. That’s the only drawback, they are a bit pricey compared to buying a bag of thinset for tiling.
Total I spent: $125 with free labor and a wetsaw
Not bad at all! A lot of bang for the buck.
Hope @ Fairhope Supply Co. says
I can’t believe you did this yourself! I’m so impressed and it looks terrific!
Getting excited about the big move in day!
Cynthia says
I love watching your dad work and your whole family being involved. I love subway tile it is so classic and never goes out of style.
Isn’t the big move day around the corner?
Cynthia
tricia says
So excited for you! Welcome home!!
Christopher says
WOW! What a great job, totally gorgeous! I am so happy for you, and a little bit jealous too! Love your blog, fairly new reader, but totally hooked.
Gina says
I saw this product on This Old House awhile back but didn’t get the name of it. My son-in-law wants to tile their kitchen so I will direct him to your tutorial!! And I’m so happy for your move in date today!! 🙂
Debbie R says
Rhoda ~ The subway tile looks FANTASTIC!! My hubby and I have tiled a small bathroom and a kitchen floor and used thin set. It IS messy and clean up isn’t fun. I can’t wait to try the Bondera on our next tile project. What a great product, thank you for sharing with us.
Enjoy your move in today!
p.s. I love the pictures with the wood level. Reminds me of my childhood watching my dad and grandpa working on projects. Sweet memories 🙂
Karen says
I have loved watching the transformation from day one! Such an inspiration! The house looks amazing….love seeing your sweet mamma and daddy helping all the way. Hope your moving day goes smooth…..can’t wait to see the house decorated!
Christy says
Congratulations, what a hard earned journey! You all need a vacay for sure! I can’t wait to see all of the awesome decorating!
Pam says
Rhoda,
I have been following your house transformation since you started. You and your Mom and Dad are amazing! The first thing I do in the morning is check your blog to see what exciting progress has been made on your new house. I am so excited that you are moving in today! I cant wait to see how you put each room together and add your special touches. Congratulations!!!
Janet Cole says
Clean, elegant and stunning! I am so thrilled to learn about the Bondera product – calling my mom right now to tell her about it as she has been dreading a backsplash project after getting gorgeous new granite countertops….always wondered why there wasn’t a product like this!
carole says
Rhoda.well girl I know you are over the moon today..the kitchen is beautiful .You have chosen a kitchen almost like the one I have chosen for my kitchen . The granit the cabinets the tile and so it is kinda exciting to see what it is all going to look like when we get finished . I for sure am going to use this product you used. I have done it the traditional way and it is messy. This looks so easy.I am so very happy for you Rhoda . You have had a season of suffering with all that you have had to endure the last year or so , now you can rejoice and began to enjoy the fruits of you and your sweet parents labor.Happy day to you !!!
Suzy @ Worthing Court says
The backsplash looks wonderful, Rhoda! I’ll have to remember this product if I ever get up the nerve to try tiling on my own.
Dawn says
Wow! It looks so nice and clean! I love it! You guys did a great job!
Gina says
Oh, Rhoda!
The sweetest of dreams for you tonight in your own home!!!
Kathleen says
The tile looks great. I’ve tiled several walls and used a product similar to Bondura but it was much cheaper and I loved it! We got it at Lowe’s I love a full wall of tile and yours looks fabulous. Great job. Have fun moving!
beth says
Great tutorial on this Tile job! Very Professional! Ya’ll are pros now in everything it takes to renovate a house! It truly takes a village! Good luck moving today and enjoy your own bed in your new master bedroom tonight! It’s all yours! Thinking of you today! It’s all sunshine and rainbows in your neck of the woods. O Happy Day! Praises! I think I hear Angels singing!
Bobbie H. says
The tile job looks great! Very impressive!! I know you (and your parents) are beyond thrilled that your moving day is finally here! Enjoy your new home.
Barbara says
This is such an amazing project! Looks terrific! I also love seeing your dad’s old, experienced hands hard at work!
Joen says
Wow look great! I would love to give this a try. I’m going to check with a few friends to see if they own a wet saw and are will to help me cut.
Rhoda says
To answer a few of your questions, this is from the Bondera website. It’s made for walls and backsplash, but NOT floors. You can use it in wet areas of a shower though, so I thought that was great.
From Bondera:
Bondera makes it easy for anyone to add the beauty and durability of tile to kitchen walls, backsplashes and countertops; bathroom walls and countertops; tub and shower surrounds; and other horizontal or vertical interior spaces. Bondera is perfect for tile repairs, decorative columns, niches and detail areas, metal surfaces, mosaics and more.
Note: Bondera is NOT recommended to use on floors, ceilings, fireplaces and exterior applications.