Peel and Stick Subway Tile Backsplash: how to put it?

The peel and stick subway tile backsplash, originally used in the subway corridors, has largely extended to homes. Practical and aesthetic, it arises and talks in no time while bringing a retro or modern touch! How to choose it? How to pose it effectively? What is the material to privilege? Manual.

Subway tile features

Easy to maintain, peel and stick subway tiles backsplash is suitable for living rooms such as kitchens, bathrooms, and toilets.

Like the peel and stick subway stations, the classic tiles are, most often, white, rectangular, with a size of 7.5 x 15 cm. But it can also be declined in several tones and designs: plain tiles, two-tone or patterned - matte or glossy texture. Depending on the model chosen, the rendering is sometimes sober, sometimes bright, in a contemporary or vintage style. Original, this wall tile, will be suitable to personalize all the rooms of the house.

Usually made of faience, this coating offers an interesting resistance to heat. That's why it is particularly suitable for the kitchen, installing around the hood, hotplates and/or worktop, and as a cover for the kitchen credenza. Waterproof, it is ideal for covering the shower, tub, and sink areas. This type of ceramic material, is easy to clean, with good durability.

How to prepare the surface?

Whole wall, credence or shower walls ... It should be well defined as the place to renovate. Before laying tiles, the walls of the kitchen and/or bathroom must be cleared of their imperfections. The objective is to obtain a clean and smooth wall for better adhesion of the glue at the time of installation.

A short summary of the stages of preparation for your support :

• Protect and cover the room;

• Clean and dust surfaces - Peel off the wallpaper (if there is a tapestry);

• Sand if necessary and blow a sponge;

• Recap and/or fill in holes and cracks and allow the plaster to dry.

This step is important: the installation of small tiles requires perfectly smooth and straight support, without asperities. While with large tiles it is possible to "play" on the thickness of the glue at the time of laying to correct the defects of the wall, this is not possible with tiles of reduced size.

How to lay the peel and stick subway tile backsplash?

This type of coating is (relatively!) Easy to install yourself, the main problem being cutting (clean) tiles. It requires a little technique and the traditional equipment of the tiler with a spirit level, trowel, rubber mallet, ruler and mason square, squeegee, tile glue, serrated spatula, braces, grout and tile for cutting tiles.

The tile adhesive must be meticulously chosen to obtain the most solid coating. Dispersion acrylic glue is the preferred choice for subway tile laying as it does not require preparation. The powder glue, very resistant, will be suitable for outdoor use. As for the two-component adhesive, it is used for the bathroom because of its tightness.

A small summary of the steps to install the peel and stick subway wall tile:

• Check the regularity of the wall.

• Draw laying marks after clearly visualizing how you want to lay your tiles; Use one level to make sure you are perfectly horizontal.

• Prepare the mortar glue powder.

• Cut the tiles if necessary using the tile cutter.

• Glue the tiles and walls with the serrated spatula.

• Affix the tiles ensuring alignment.

• Insert the braces between each tile.

• Make tile joints.

Important information on laying peel and stick subway tiles backsplash

Be careful to respect the alternation of the peel and stick subway tiles backsplash: the middle of a tile of a row must be at the end of the tile of the upper / lower row. Cutting of the tiles at the ends is therefore necessary.

• For peel and stick subway tiles backsplash, the joints are fine: about 2 mm.

• Some additional tips :

• Favor the traditional tile, simple to affix to the rectified tiling requiring more technicality.

• The tile adhesives are a good alternative to save time and do not require glue or joints.

• For the choice of joint color, opt for a contrasting shade of tile for a sophisticated effect.