We did it: we tiled the entire back wall of our kitchen, creating a counter-to-ceiling backsplash in what we now call Project Crazy. It was ambitious, a little messy, and totally worth it.
We still have a few finishing touches to complete: grouting, installing a large industrial range hood, and mounting chunky floating shelves. The shelves will be fastened directly through the tile using a special drill bit, so we’re planning that installation carefully. Once the crown molding is reinstalled around the room, the top seam where the tile meets the ceiling will look clean and finished.
There’s an electrical box near the range hood location that provides power for the hood. We tiled a few inches behind the duct but didn’t remove anything that would be hidden by the hood itself. That area won’t be visible once the hood is installed.
When the floating shelves go up along the oven wall, they’ll be 12″ deep. That means the space on either side of the window will be 14″, which should restore a balanced, symmetrical look to the kitchen—something we’re very excited about.
Tiling the entire wall took us roughly 14 hours in total. We worked in 2–3 hour blocks during evenings and weekends, which makes this a realistic weekend project for anyone with a typical day job. A portion of that time was spent figuring out how to cut the penny tile; we documented our cutting process separately for reference.
Before installing tile, we prepped the space, mixed and spread thinset, and learned how to place penny tile sheets evenly. If you’re preparing for this kind of job, those steps are important to avoid frustration later in the process.
To minimize visible seams, we installed the penny tile in a staggered pattern. Staggering each mesh-backed sheet breaks up the seams so your eye doesn’t follow one long line across the wall. Because the tiles are mounted on mesh, it’s fairly easy to nudge each sheet left, right, or up and down in the thinset until the pattern looks balanced.
We were careful to backfill and adjust tiles as we worked, sliding sheets slightly after pressing them into the thinset to achieve a smooth, continuous appearance. That extra attention to detail made a big difference in the final look.
The long stretch of wall actually worked to our advantage: we used many full sheets of tile, which reduced the number of cuts required. We progressed steadily over the course of three days of short sessions. To stay organized, we separated full tiles, half tiles, and partial tiles into small dishes so we could quickly grab the pieces we needed for edges and tight spots.
For application, John spread thinset in manageable batches—enough for four to six tiles at a time so the mortar wouldn’t skin over. He used a 3/16″ notched trowel to create small ridges that help the thinset bond with the tile. We alternated between a putty knife and trowel depending on the step.
We worked from the bottom left corner and built up in a staggered, staircase pattern. This method helped keep everything level and interlocked as we progressed, reducing the chance of tiles shifting out of alignment. When we reached the final corner, we pulled the oven out to give ourselves better access and to avoid getting thinset on appliances.
At the edge where one wall meets the next, tiles wrap around and continue onto the adjoining wall. The result isn’t perfectly seamless yet, but once we caulk and grout those transitions we expect it to look polished and intentional.
For the narrow exposed edges beside the window, we tested thin glass tiles but found they competed with the penny tile’s finish. Instead we’ll use thin craft wood trim pieces as simple, unobtrusive borders. Those trims aren’t permanently installed yet—we’ll remove and paint them white with the rest of the trim after grouting to avoid getting paint on the grout lines.
A note on color: the wall color in person is a soft avocado shade that can read differently depending on lighting and screens. We plan to update the lighting, add open shelving, and style the shelves and countertops with colorful accents to pull everything together.
Next up is grouting. We selected a soft creamy-gray grout slightly lighter than the tile to create subtle contrast. We’re giving our arms a short rest before tackling the grout float, and we’ll document the grouting progress in the next few days.
After grouting, remaining tasks include installing new lighting, reinstalling crown molding, adding a decorative treatment and baseboard to the back of the peninsula, laying cork flooring, installing the dishwasher, and applying shoe molding. We’ll continue sharing updates as we complete each step.
How was your weekend? Are you off today for MLK Day?
Psst: there’s a playful Clara vs. Santa wrestling moment on Young House Life if you want a quick laugh.