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Home Β» DIY

updated: Feb 4, 2021 by Kristi 26 Comments

Subway Tile Backsplash

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Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

I haven't shared a kitchen update in a few weeks but I'm going to make it up to you today...our subway tile backsplash is up and grouted and looking pretty fabulous (if I do say so myself).

Kitchen Reno Update: Subway Tile Backsplash window wall | www.chatfieldcourt.comThis project, like our granite countertops, has been a long time coming. We bought our tile from Floor & Decor back in August and it's been sitting in the dining room waiting for its turn on the kitchen reno to-do list. Shopping and picking out our tile was the easy part. Putting it up, not so much.

*This is a sponsored post by Floor & Decor but all opinions are 100% my own.

Kitchen Reno Update: Subway Tile Backsplash tile shopping| www.chatfieldcourt.comWe tiled the whole window wall, from the countertops to the ceiling, and it was a slow process. Because it's a large space, with two windows, we had to cut a lot of tiles and there were issues getting the tile straight with the uneven ceiling, but it all worked out in the end. Here is the backsplash in its ugly stage.

Kitchen Reno Update: Subway Tile Backsplash wall before tile| www.chatfieldcourt.comBefore we even started tiling, we painted the walls with a bonding primer, recommended by the helpful people at Floor & Decor. We took this extra step because there is plaster on our walls, that has a few small cracks, and we wanted an extra layer between the tile and the plaster. It has a thick, gritty consistency so it will "grip" the mortar and tile.

Kitchen Reno Update: Subway Tile Backsplash bonding primer | www.chatfieldcourt.comOnce the primer was on and dry, it was time to lay out the tile so we could figure out where to start. After a whole lot of arguing discussion and measuring, we were finally ready to start tiling.

picture of outside of house and windows
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Kitchen Reno Update: Subway Tile Backsplash tiling the wall | www.chatfieldcourt.comIt took 2 weekends to tile the window wall and another weekend to tile the stove wall, which was a much easier job. The following weekend, we started the grouting process.

Kitchen Reno Update: Subway Tile Backsplash tile going up | www.chatfieldcourt.comWe were going to try a premixed grout but decided to go with a unsanded grout, in powder form. Early on in this process I decided that I wanted to use a colored grout and, because we have a small kitchen and the tile would cover a large portion of one wall, I didn't want to have large grout lines and risk it looking too busy. To keep the grout lines minimal we didn't use plastic spacers, each tile had little nubs on them that acted as our spacers, so we had just enough room to add grout.

Kitchen Reno Update: Subway Tile Backsplash mixing the grout | www.chatfieldcourt.comThe decision to go with the powder grout turned out to be a good one for us. It was very easy to mix with water and the price of one bag, enough to grout both walls, was so much cheaper than the premixed. The unsanded grout was also very easy to "push" into our tile spaces because we were able to control the consistency of the mixture.

Kitchen Reno Update: Subway Tile Backsplash grouting the tile | www.chatfieldcourt.comThe color I chose for the grout was a warm gray. When it went up we were a little nervous because it looked so dark, but as it dried it lightened up to a pretty warm gray. Exactly what I was hoping for.

Kitchen Reno Update: Subway Tile Backsplash warm gray grout | www.chatfieldcourt.comI'm really happy with the results and I'm even happier that this project is done. A few more big ones on the list, lighting and building cabinet doors, and we'll be in great shape. My goal is to be done by Christmas but that might be wishful thinking on my part. Fingers crossed.

Kitchen Reno Update: Subway Tile Backsplash and warm gray grout on window wall| www.chatfieldcourt.com

Kitchen backsplash

Kitchen Reno Update: Subway Tile Backsplash and warm gray grout kitchen sinkl| www.chatfieldcourt.com

Have you tackled any projects lately that you're glad to be done with?

Kitchen Reno Update: Subway Tile Backsplash with warm gray grout| www.chatfieldcourt.com

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Yolanda says

    August 09, 2019 at 1:01 pm

    Curious why you started with a row of cut tile. Did you do that so you would have full tiles under the window? Did I miss it? I do love the look of the whole wall, as it looks bright and light!

    Reply
    • Kristi says

      August 11, 2019 at 10:58 pm

      Great question, Yolanda! There were a few reasons why we did it the way we did. One reason was because we wanted whole tile under the window and because, if we would have started with a full tile on the bottom, there would only have been a tiny sliver on top. We just split the difference to make it look even. Hope that makes sense.

      We loved how the wall turned out too. It made such a statement in our small galley kitchen.

      Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  2. Holly Milton says

    January 24, 2017 at 1:54 pm

    What is the actual name of the grout color for your subway tile and brand? I love how it doesn't stand out too much.

    Reply
    • Kristi says

      January 24, 2017 at 11:54 pm

      Hi Holly. The actual color was Warm Gray. I loved that there was a bit of a contrast to the white tile. Here is the link from the Floor and Decor website. Hope this helps. https://www.flooranddecor.com/mapei-installation-materials/mapei-93-warm-gray-keracolor-sanded-grout-100035898.html#start=51

      Reply
  3. Kate says

    August 29, 2016 at 9:35 pm

    Hi Kristi, This is my first visit to your blog, and have really enjoyed reading about your beautiful kitchen renovation. I have looked and looked and cannot find where the size of the subway tiles were mentioned. We are going to re-do our backsplash in a few more weeks, and are trying to settle on a size. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kristi says

      September 01, 2016 at 12:19 am

      Hi Kate and welcome to Chatfield Court! So glad you found me. I'm sorry that I didn't list the size of the subway tiles. They are just your standard tiles, 3x6, and I got them from Floor & Decor. Hope that helps and if I can answer any other questions you might have, please don't hesitate to ask.

      Thanks so much for stopping in and best of luck with your backsplash redo. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  4. kbhousebythesea says

    November 23, 2015 at 7:51 am

    Your backsplash looks great! I love the look of backsplash tile going all the way up to the ceiling. Definitely a big job, but well worth it, I'd say!

    Reply
    • Kristi says

      November 24, 2015 at 3:17 am

      Thanks so much! It was a huge job but we love how it turned out.

      Thanks for stopping in. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  5. dkhalcomb2 says

    November 17, 2015 at 10:12 pm

    Oh Kristi, I love the finished tile. You can come do mine if you like. LOL
    I have two big projects waiting to be done while it is cool out. My louvered closet doors ( wash and paint) and my Front door (Wash, sand and paint} This Spring I will start stripping wall paper, ugh! I have two small bathrooms and the kitchen. I wish I could affor to tile the kitchen, maybe in a year. Your kitchen looks fabulous so far. Debbie

    Reply
    • Kristi says

      November 18, 2015 at 3:58 am

      Thanks Debbie! We love how it turned out but I think we're done tiling for a while. πŸ˜‰ It was a lot tougher than we thought it would be.

      I don't envy you having to remove wallpaper. Not a fun job but I'm sure your rooms will look great when you're done.

      Thanks for stopping in and I hope the rest of your week is good.

      Reply
  6. Nancy says

    November 17, 2015 at 8:45 am

    Dennis did all the tile work in our new cottage and studio, so we understand the work involved. Your subway tile looks great. I love the gray grout you chose. Very classy, Kristi. xo

    Reply
    • Kristi says

      November 18, 2015 at 11:19 pm

      As I recall, Dennis did a whole lot more tiling than we did. He's a superstar.

      I love the subway tile. It's something that I've always wanted in one of our houses. Hopefully I'll get to enjoy it for a bit before we up and move. πŸ˜‰ Thanks for your kind words my friend.

      Reply
  7. Jessica [Havok] says

    November 17, 2015 at 12:02 am

    It's beautiful! So bright! (and probably much easier to clean than painted walls - I'm not sure how splatters end up all over my kitchen, but they do, and the only things I've found to clean it up ends up eating at the paint. xD ). I've loved the look of the subway tiles, but always wondered why people went to so much effort for a bathroom that you won't really get to enjoy...but in a kitchen, it makes so much more sense! πŸ˜€

    Reply
    • Kristi says

      November 17, 2015 at 12:45 am

      Thanks Jessica, we love how it turned out. We had spots all over our flat painted walls too and it drove me crazy. That's true about putting subway tile in a bathroom and not being able to enjoy it but, I have to say, I want it in my bathroom now too. πŸ˜‰

      Reply
  8. MaryJean says

    November 16, 2015 at 8:40 pm

    Ooow! I like it, so shiny! My son is a landscaper and he said if he could put shiny stuff in the mulch he would make a fortune! We do like shiny stuff! ;))

    Reply
    • Kristi says

      November 17, 2015 at 12:42 am

      It is definitely shiny, and shiny is always good (I think πŸ˜‰ ). It will be nice to be able to wipe it after my messy husband cooks. The walls were painted with a flat paint before and we could never clean the spots off, and there were a lot of spots.

      Reply
  9. Kim says

    November 16, 2015 at 7:53 pm

    My hubby is a tile genius, so I know exactly how much work this is. You guys did a fabulous job, it looks amazing. Subway tiles are my favorite, classic.

    Reply
    • Kristi says

      November 17, 2015 at 12:39 am

      Thanks so much Kim! We could have used your genius hubby for the window wall, man it was a bugger, but we are happy with the way it all turned out. I've always wanted subway tile and now I have it. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  10. brendakula says

    November 16, 2015 at 5:56 pm

    You guys have been busy! It looks fantastic!
    Brenda

    Reply
    • Kristi says

      November 17, 2015 at 12:36 am

      Thanks Brenda! I'm so happy with the way it tuned out, and that it's done. πŸ˜‰

      Reply
  11. Vel says

    November 16, 2015 at 2:07 pm

    Looks clean and fresh! You can never go wrong with subway tile!

    Reply
    • Kristi says

      November 17, 2015 at 12:35 am

      Thanks Vel. I've moved into houses that had fruit or some funky design on a backsplash before so I knew that I wanted something timeless this time.

      Reply
  12. Brenda, Florida says

    November 16, 2015 at 8:10 am

    Oh, it looks wonderful! Congrats on a good job!

    Reply
    • Kristi says

      November 17, 2015 at 12:31 am

      Thanks so much Brenda! We are really happy with the results.

      Reply
  13. Kim says

    November 16, 2015 at 6:40 am

    That looks so good. Not fun doing it, but so worth the work!

    Reply
    • Kristi says

      November 16, 2015 at 6:57 am

      Thanks Kim! It was hard work, and no fun, but I love the results.

      Reply

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Kristi here…lover and doer of all things home, including DIY and home decor. I’m the voice behind Chatfield Court where I share easy, budget-friendly DIY projects, crafts and decorating tips in the hopes of inspiring others that they can do it too.

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