We’re nearly finished with both kitchens in the duplex, and one major milestone is now complete: the backsplashes are tiled. Since this is a two-unit house, we had two kitchens to tile, which felt like a big job going into it. We managed to finish both backsplashes over a long weekend, and it’s a huge relief to have that off the list. Below I’ll show how they turned out and share eight practical steps to set yourself up for a faster, smoother tile installation.
We still have a few finishing touches to complete—shelves on the tiled walls and a wipeable beadboard-style treatment behind the stove—so the rooms aren’t completely done yet. That didn’t stop Sherry from adding a few accessories to make everything feel more finished. She’s in charge of morale around here.
Here’s a quick before-and-after: this was the space after cabinet installation but before the backsplash went up. The cabinets were installed first and then we moved on to the tile.
And here’s the same view now with the backsplash installed:
Tiling from counter to ceiling brings a bold punch of color and pattern to each kitchen and is even visible from the front door, giving the whole downstairs a more cohesive and lively look.
Both tile styles are durable porcelain designed to mimic cement tile without the maintenance issues. Each tile runs about 9″ x 9″, and the cost worked out to roughly the same for each kitchen—an investment that felt worth it for such a big visual impact.
We tiled, grouted, and photographed both kitchens in about two and a half days. The key lesson from the project was clear: prep and planning are essential to a successful tile job. Taking the time to measure, mock up, and plan pattern placement pays off in a cleaner, more professional result.
8 Things To Do Before You Start Tiling
These steps are especially important when working with medium-to-large tiles or tiles with a printed pattern. Small tiles like mosaics or penny tiles are less prone to problems with narrow slivers, but larger tiles make planning crucial to avoid awkward cuts that draw attention to uneven walls or ceilings.
1. Find Your Maximum and Minimum Measurements
Measure precisely—down to 1/8″ or 1/16″ if possible. Walls and ceilings often slope, so measure multiple points to identify the highest and lowest spots. For example, one side of our chimney wall was about 1/2″ shorter than the opposite corner. Check for bows by placing a long level along the wall to see if it makes full contact or gaps at any points. Minor bows can be concealed with grout or caulk, but larger deviations will affect how many whole tiles you can fit.
2. Lay Out and Measure Your Tile
Physically lay a row of tiles with spacers on the floor to confirm actual dimensions. Factory sizing can vary—our nominal 9″ tiles measured closer to 8.75″—and spacers add width that affects layout. Laying tiles out helps you avoid ending with an awkward narrow sliver at one end of the wall and lets you experiment with centering the pattern.
In our case, instead of seven full tiles that left an inch to spare, we used six full tiles and two slightly larger than half tiles at the top and bottom. This balanced the pattern and hid the ceiling slope visually.
3. Plan for Outlets and Obstacles
Account for outlets, switch plates, pot-filler locations, and any other obstacles. Starting with a half-tile on the bottom row can make outlet cuts simpler because cutting along an edge is much easier than drilling a hole smack in the middle of a tile. This small planning move saved us time and improved the look around the outlets.
4. Plan Your Pattern Side-to-Side
Measure across the wall, check for bows, and mock up your first row in place if possible. Centering the pattern on key features—like a window or sink—helps the whole design feel intentional. If one wall edge has a chimney or other asymmetry, offsetting cuts on the opposite side can still achieve visual balance.
5. Double-Check That It’s Level
If you’ll use the countertop as your reference for the first row, confirm the counter is level. Even if it’s slightly off, using it as the visual baseline often makes the finished installation look correct to the eye. For spans without counters—behind a stove or across a doorway—draw a level reference line on the wall and be sure your first row follows it closely.
6. Cut Your First Row
Cutting the entire first row before you start adhering tiles saves time and keeps dimensions consistent. If your wet saw has a fence or guide, lock it in and make repeated cuts to the same height. You may still refine cuts later around outlets or trim, but pre-cutting the first row speeds up installation and reduces on-the-wall fumbling while adhesive is open.
7. Protect Your Work Area
Cover counters and adjacent floors with protective paper that resists moisture to prevent adhesive or grout from seeping through. Run painter’s tape along the counter edge first so the protective paper can be aligned precisely without fuss. If small pieces of tape get under tile edges, remove as much as you can; leftover bits are often concealed by caulk later.
8. Trim Moldings That Interfere
Trim window sills or other moldings slightly so tile can slide behind them for a clean edge. Using a rotary tool or similar makes this fast and avoids awkward notches cut into tile. If you prefer not to trim woodwork, you can cut tile to fit, but trimming often yields a neater final look and speeds installation.
All of these prep steps may seem like they slow you down at the start, but they make the actual tiling much quicker and the finished result much cleaner. When we skipped planning in the past, we sometimes ended up with awkward slivers that made the installation look less professional—things you may be the only one to notice, but that still nag at you.
Thankfully, these backsplashes turned out well. Despite pattern challenges and a few tricky spots around a window, we’re very happy with how both kitchens came together.
Next up: the beadboard-style wall behind the stove, floating shelves, and finishing touches inside the cabinets. Once those are done we can call these kitchens finished—pun intended.
*Note: this post originally included links to additional tiling projects and grout recommendations for reference.*