When I bought an 1890s Victorian a decade ago, I knew I was stepping into DIY territory. Leaky U pipes, toilets that wouldn’t stop running, doorbells that stopped ringing. All of these small repairs became my problems to solve. Not to do so could lead to financial ruination and a diminished real estate investment.
Or, I could wait until I accrued enough small jobs to hire someone to right the wrongs. But where are all those handy people on a Saturday?
Perhaps their scarceness is what led me to finally earn my DIY badge in that house. The old leaky faucet in the 1940s-era kitchen finally annoyed me enough that I decided to replace it myself. Have you noticed how much space there is (or isn’t) under a sink? Now imagine your whole body under there.
It took a full day, but what a sense of accomplishment.
When I moved from that house and into a condo last year, I took with me and my downsized life’s treasures this recently discovered DIY confidence.
Though there wasn’t a whole lot that required my limited handyman prowess, I quickly noticed a wall of nakedness between the kitchen’s granite countertop and the maple cupboards. So when the boss asked what DIY class I’d like to take, I thought: Maybe I could learn how to tile a backsplash.
I found a free class, “Tiling the Kitchen Backsplash,” offered at The Home Depot on my choice of a Sunday afternoon in June. Perfect. It was no risk since we would be learning on a practice board at the store. If the project didn’t work out, at least I wouldn’t have to live with it.
The class required no special skills. I already had most of the tools and safety equipment recommended; although, for this class, Home Depot provided all the tools and tiles.
The hourlong class was taught by the affable Henry Lamarre, department supervisor and flooring specialist at the Home Depot at 4555 S. Western Ave. The class consisted of me, three Home Depot associates and a few customers who watched from the fringes.
How tile is installed
The first thing we learned is the need to prepare the wall surface before tiling. “The tile job is only as good as the wall on which it is installed,” Lamarre explained. For a kitchen wall, he recommended using backer board. This is a thin sheet of waterproof, mildew-resistant board that is attached to the wall with adhesive and drywall screws.
Skipping this step could lead to tiles falling off the wall. That would be my luck.
Next, we chose the tiles we wanted to use and created a pattern. There are so many tiles, so many colors, so many patterns. But since this is DIY, what to choose also depended on how much work would be involved in installing it.
Porcelain and ceramic tiles need grout sealer.
Marble and natural stone must be sealed before grout is applied because both are porous and will absorb the colorants in the grout.
Quarry tile, which is an unglazed clay tile, must be cleaned before beginning the project and sealed at the end of the installation.
The ceramic route
Lamarre set up a board onto which the class would install tile. I chose ceramic tile, which is kiln fired and, as a result, subject to slight variations in size. Therefore, it’s important to purchase enough tiles from the same dye lot; tiles from the same dye lot will be within 1/16 inch of each other, Lamarre said.
To determine the number of tiles needed, Lamarre instructed, we measured the length and width of the area to cover and multiplied the numbers to determine the square footage. Tiles typically come in 4-inch and 6-inch squares but larger sizes are also available.
Listello tiles are another product that can be used for edging the project. These are small tiles that come with webbing attached. They’re available in different lengths and widths, for example 10 inches long by 2 inches wide; the strip is simply pushed into the mortar. I figure this will make the project much easier.
Class tip: Buy 10 percent more than you’ll need, Lamarre said. That way you’re covered if you mess up a tile. (And remember that dye-lot rule.)
Who’s got a calculator?
Fortunately for us, Lamarre did the math. For our class project, we needed two rows of 4-inch tiles plus two strips of Listello. We would need to cut only one row of tiles to fill. To determine the number of tiles needed, we measured the height and width of the space we would be tiling plus a small gap for grout (1/4 inch or less). I decided to put this filler strip in the middle of the design. I picked three colors, which also are in the Listello strips I’ve picked.
Then it was time to cut tile. Ah, anxiety. Lamarre pulled out the tile cutter and demonstrated how it works. It was my turn to score and tap. The tile snapped. Yeah. This was fun. I successfully scored and snapped a couple of tiles. “Well done,” Lamarre said, “a lot of people have trouble with that.”
We were almost ready to begin tiling. But first, Lamarre said to lay a bead of silicone caulk at the junction (“joint”) of the countertop/backsplash. The first strip of tiles would be set
against that. This provided a flexible joint, which is best when joining a horizontal and vertical surface. If this wasn’t done, the joint eventually would crack from the weight of the tiles. And if it cracked, it would become a way for moisture to get behind the tile.
Lamarre opened a tub of premixed ceramic adhesive — Acrylpro, a nice doughy material. He showed us how to apply it with a notched trowel.
Class tip: Very important to apply a nice even coat with uniform grooves keeping the trowel at a 45-degree angle to the board.
Let’s grout
I had a bit of trouble with that angle because I was trying too hard. So I turned the trowel over to the next student and with his help, we soon were ready to set tiles. After each tile was placed in the adhesive, we pushed spacers in above it to keep a uniform distance between it and the next tile.
When all the tiles were up, it was time for grouting. Normally, you have to wait 48 hours for the adhesive to set before applying the grout, but, with only one hour together, our class couldn’t wait. So we started slopping on the goo.
This part of tiling is fun, like playing with mud. Remembering the 45-degree angle to get the proper grooves was the hardest part.
Class tip: We used using a stain-proof grout that doesn’t need a sealer. It’s available in a limited number of colors. You can get grout in a wider range of colors to coordinate or contrast with your tile but those require a sealer.
To apply the grout, you get a good-size lump of grout on the tool, called a rubber grout float. Push the grout, which is the consistency of pudding, into the space between the tiles, working across the tiles until all gaps are filled.
Once the grout was firm (in a matter of minutes), it was time to remove the excess. Yikes, a deadline: The pressure was on.
We cleaned off the grout with a special grout sponge and water. (You can’t use a household sponge, Lamarre said, because those have detergent in them.) He showed us how to soak the sponge in water, ring it out and then wipe, in a diagonal motion so we didn’t dig out the grout we just put in. Then, we flipped the sponge, made another pass, rinsed the sponge in clean water.
Sounded easy, but I worried about digging out too much grout. I flipped, wiped and rinsed until my arm got tired and then passed the sponge to the next person.
Lamarre explained that we needed to get the tile as clean as possible. But any haze that formed afterward could be buffed out with a clean dry cloth. In four to seven days, the grout would be dried.
Whew, I did it. Two hours later, I realized I could tile. To prove it, I picked up some glass tiles, a board, adhesive and grout and created the practice backsplash shown on the Home&Garden cover. Not bad for a beginner. Looks like condo kitchen, here I come.
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CLASS NOTES
CLASS: “Tiling the Kitchen Backsplash”
LOCATION: The Home Depot, 4555 S. Western Ave.
DURATION: About 90 minutes
COST: Free.
WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS CLASS: Anyone who has never tiled before.
WHO SHOULD NOT TAKE THIS CLASS: Children under 18 may need adult supervision.
TAKE A CLASS: Home Depot offers its popular tiling clinics every year. The next clinics will be offered early next year.
(Note: Lowe’s stores will offer free 60-minute clinics on installing ceramic floor tiles every Saturday in November. See www.lowes.com or call 800-445-6937 for information.)
CONTACT: See www.homedepotclinics.com for clinics on a variety of home-improvement topics.
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Diaries of our DIY daredevils
Here are other installments in our Diary of a DIY Daredevil series you can read in the coming months:
Next
Nov. 19: With visions of winterberries aswirl in her head, staff writer Barbara Mahany takes to the holiday workshop in an attempt to master the evergreen wreath. The Chicago Botanic Garden will be there to hold her hand, supply glue and whisper affirmations.
Other upcoming stories
– The Chicago Bauhaus Academy teaches Tribune tech reporter Eric Gwinn centuries-old techniques that shape wood into elegantly simple furniture.
– Will a girl who loved jigsaw puzzles be as mesmerized with mosaics when she’s grown up? Home&Garden editor Elaine Matsushita is about to find out.
– A pottery class dropout, assistant Home&Garden editor Tran Ha retakes her seat at the potter’s wheel.
Previous stories
– Reporter Karen Klages recounts her days of blood, sweat and stained glass. (See June 25 Home&Garden.)
– Garden reporter Beth Botts heads to the Chicago Botanic Garden to learn how to transform peat moss, sand and cement into a planter that echoes the rough-hewn stone watering troughs from European farms. The result? It looks like something a very inexperienced stone carver might have made to water a pygmy goat, and it’s too shallow for most plants, but it’s a brave start. (See July 23 Home&Garden.)
– Reporter Mary Daniels seeks out international teapot guru Fong Choo to learn how to make a pot — but comes home with a cup. (See Aug. 27 Home&Garden)
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mcdavid@tribune.com
(For previous Diary of a DIY Daredevil stories, see chicagotribune.com/DIY.)
