Emeryville Backsplash, December, 2018

This Emeryville kitchen was getting a new backsplash, and the first step was taking out the old one. The existing backsplash was tile, which had to be demolished. Removing old tile from drywall almost always takes some of the wall’s paper face with it, so once the tile was off, the wall was patched and smoothed back to a flat, sound surface before anything new went up.

No backer needed

You don’t need cement backer board for a kitchen backsplash. Backer is for areas that regularly get wet, like showers, tub surrounds and floors. A backsplash sees splashes, not standing water, and sound, flat drywall is a perfectly good base.

Glass mosaic

The client selected a glass mosaic tile. Glass is beautiful behind a counter because it picks up light and adds depth, but it’s less forgiving than ceramic. It’s translucent, so the setting mortar has to be white and spread evenly, or trowel lines and color shifts show through. The individual glass pieces are cut with tile nippers, and full sheets are trimmed on a wet saw, with tape over the cut line to keep the glass from chipping.

Why patterned mosaic takes more tile

The standard allowance is to order about 15% more tile than the measured area, to cover cuts and breakage. With a mosaic whose pattern isn’t regular on all sides, that overage can go as high as 30%.

The reason is the edges. A mesh sheet of irregular mosaic may have a distinct top, bottom and sides. If a run needs the “bottom” edge of a sheet, say along the countertop, cutting it off can leave much of the rest of that sheet unusable, because its remaining edges don’t match what’s needed anywhere else.

Compare that with a plain square or rectangular tile. Once one side is cut, the leftover piece can still be used elsewhere: two ways for a rectangle, four ways for a square. Almost nothing goes to waste.

The practical lesson: if you’re choosing an irregular mosaic, budget for the extra material up front, and keep the leftover sheets in case a tile ever needs replacing.

Finishing

The mosaic was set sheet by sheet with the joints between sheets kept invisible, then grouted. Where the backsplash meets the countertop, the joint was caulked rather than grouted. It’s a change of plane, and it needs to be able to flex.

Thinking about a backsplash? See what we install, or send photos for an estimate.