This is one of two kitchens in an Oakland duplex, the same building where we put vinyl plank floors through both units. Both kitchens got the same backsplash, a soft seafoam glass tile with white grout, but the walls behind them were different. The other kitchen’s walls were cinderblock, a solid, stable base that made the tile work easy. This one was painted drywall, which takes more care. I’m very happy with how both turned out.
Cutting glass tile
Glass tile is less forgiving than ceramic. It’s either scored and snapped, or cut on a wet saw with tape over the cut line to keep the edge from chipping and splintering. Glass also shows what’s behind it, so the setting mortar has to be white and spread evenly. Otherwise, trowel lines and color variations show through the tile.
Setting over drywall
A kitchen backsplash doesn’t need cement backer. It can go straight over drywall, since it isn’t a wet area like a shower. The question is what to set it with. Premixed adhesives are sometimes used on backsplashes, but here the tile went up in polymer-modified mortar, which grips better and suits glass. Anything wet going onto painted drywall has to be handled carefully: enough mortar for a full bond, not so much water that it softens the paper face.
No edge trim, just a clean bevel
The owner didn’t want metal edging on the sides. Instead, the grout was finished at a bevel, angling from the tile’s edge back to the wall. It’s a very clean, minimal look, but it makes the paint line afterward much harder. Painter’s tape doesn’t sit well against grout that angles away from the wall; it lifts, paint bleeds under it, and the line breaks. That edge was cut in by hand, carefully. It’s all about lines here.
Hanging tile behind the stove
Where a backsplash sits on a countertop, the counter supports the bottom row and the install is easy. The seam where tile meets counter gets caulk, not grout, because it’s a change of plane. Behind the stove there’s no counter, because the range has to slide in and out. So edging was installed along the bottom to hang the tile, supporting the courses above it and giving the exposed bottom edge a finished look.
Thinking about a backsplash? See what we install, or send photos for an estimate.
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