Tile on kitchen wall

[offthemark]

Yet another kitchen remodel question...

We want to install tile between the countertop and upper cabinets in our kitchen. I have two questions.

1) I assume I can just put the mortar on the drywall. Correct?

2) How do I deal with the existing wall outlets? Once I lay the tile, they're going to be 1/2" lower/deep than the tiles? Do I have to take out the junction boxes and move them forward?

As always, thank for the help.

[mikel]

HD and lowes have plastic spacers for the electrical box blue yellow and red

easy peasey...

I have just put em on the dry wall.

...mikel

[greencat]

You can mortar on the drywall. When I did my kitchen I used caulk for the grout line between the counter and backsplash.

They make box extenders to cover the gap between the old outlet and the tile.

[atgcpaul]

Rather than mortar, you might want to use tile mastic. I think I bought a 10
lb premixed tub at HD and I was able to do my whole kitchen backsplash. I
think it was 40 sqft. I like mastic for the walls because it is much stickier
than standard mortar and you don't have to mix it up. Mortar by the bag
may be a little cheaper but not having to mix up a new batch all the time
is so worth it. For mastic on walls, you generally use a trowel with pointed
teeth, not the square notches you'd use for bigger tiles on floors.

Paul

[ctxman]

Mastic

I agree that you should use the mastic in the bucket instead of thinset. I did my kitchen walls last year and the first wall I used thinset because I already had it. I ran out and bought the mastic stuff and it worked so much easier. No sag problems to worry about cause the tile really sticks to it. It costs more but you don't need a whole lot for kitchen walls so I'd definately recommend it.

John

[RayintheUK]

1) I assume I can just put the mortar on the drywall. Correct?

Has the drywall been painted or otherwise sealed? If not, I'd slap on a coat of PVA first, otherwise it'll suck the moisture right out of either thinset or tile mastic. Ready-mixed tile mastic is definitely the way to go - it stinks a bit, but that soon fades and it's much easier to use.

Run a bead of silicone between the countertop and the wall all the way round before tiling as extra insurance against water creep. Give the tiles a slight twist as they go up to ensure a good initial grab.

Have a "dry" layout first to see if you can get a tile edge to line up with one side of the wall outlet - makes for easier cutting in. I prefer one of those tiling saws that looks like a small coping saw, with a tubular blade. They're great for weird-shaped cuts and for cutting out rectangles off one side - much better than nibbling.

Leave the tiling for at least 24 hours before grouting and try to get the grouting done all in one go. Don't forget to use a waterproof grout, preferably a mould-resistant one - you can get that ready-mixed too. Do a final polish of the tiles with scrunched-up newspaper for a really good shine.

Ray.

[JimD]

I agree with the other comments - mastic and OK over regular drywall - but will add one clarifying comment. You want to use silicone grout in the corners of the drywall (if there are any) and at the counter to the backsplash joint and you can use it at the top where the tile meets the cabinet. You want caulk any place that pieces may move relative to each other. Grout is easier to put in and fine on flat surfaces. It is cement so it is extremely unresistant to movement - a gap will open. You also have to have unsanded grout for the little joints between common wall tiles. You can use floor tiles on walls but not vice versa. Wall tiles are softer and much easier to cut, however. A round rod saw takes forever to do anything on a floor tile but works well for wall tile - you may need one for the outlet openings.

Jim

[DaveStL]

Make sure you make solid corners, just like w/ drywall. Otherwise the grout joints in the corners will be huge and will tend to crack. If you have a pattern it takes a little work to minimize your tile usage, and you will use a little extra to get a perfect pattern match.

Dave

[mpauly]

If you are looking for a forum nearly as informative as this one, but tile specific, jump on over to John Bridge's forum.

http://johnbridge.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1

Super helpfull and nice. Though they are kind of pro mud and thinset, tending to frown on the use of any mastic. Also fairly pro Shluter products as well.

[offthemark]

As always, loads of help folks. Thanks for the input. Now if you could just get my wife to decide on the tiles.

[JimD]

I put my tile on the diagonal. More cuts but makes simple tile look a little more special.

Jim