1x1 tile installation

Please consult our care and maintenance guide for more information. Our experts provide step-by-step installation instructions and helpful tips. Consider adding texture with beveled subway tile for a new take on classic style. Mosaic tile packs a tremendous visual punch that breathes life back into any outdated kitchen. Selecting Wall Tile.

Tile is an excellent addition to your shower walls, backsplashes, or even standing alone as a statement wall. Wall tile adds depth, character, and dimension to your space, not to mention protecting the surface.

Wall tile is virtually worry-free, especially when compared to other options like paint and wallpaper. Let us help you find the perfect tile for all the walls in your space. Pro Tip: Prepare your surface properly before placing wall tile. This ensures success and avoids future problems, such as moisture behind your tile or cracking due to an uneven surface. Browse all wall tile. What is the Best Wall Tile? Wall tile is available in porcelain, ceramic, glass, stone, and more. As a vertical surface, foot traffic and slip resistance are not concerns, which means you can choose from almost any material, size, shape, or texture.

So "the best" wall tile is subjective. Many argue ceramic is the best wall tile. It is water, stain, heat, and scratch resistant and can easily withstand the demands of the kitchen backsplash, bathroom backsplash, or shower. Ceramic tile is the most cost efficient, is easy to cut, and comes in a plethora of eye-popping colors and textures. Waterproof and extremely durable, porcelain is also an excellent choice - especially for walls that require extra protection, such as high traffic areas or outdoor applications.

Luxurious natural stone is the best choice for return on investment as stone offers the largest increase in resale value. Backsplash Wall TIle The kitchen and bathroom backsplash is as much a statement of style as it is a protection for the wall. Ceramic , porcelain , and natural stone wall tiles offer an endless variety of beautiful mosaic backsplash options. Natural stone , quartz , and extra-large format porcelain provide slab options for a contemporary seamless backsplash.

Glass and metal mosaics are chic and eye-catching. Glass, ceramic, and porcelain are easy to clean and can be installed in less than a day. Natural stone mosaics cost more and require a little more care than other materials, but with regular sealing and a little extra effort, a natural stone backsplash can last a lifetime.

While all materials offer luxurious style, natural stone is mined so each one is completely unique. Coupled with its propensity to increase resale value, natural stone backsplashes are rising in popularity. Shower Wall TIle Because the shower is always wet, plans for the shower wall should garner some special attention. For these reasons, and so many more, tile is the best choice for the shower wall.

We recommend ceramic and porcelain for the shower wall, as they are the most water-resistant, durable, and easy to clean. Natural stone for the shower is growing in demand and is an exquisite choice, but it does require sealing before use, resealing annually, and cleaners designed for natural stone.

Shower wall tile requires proper moisture barriers or backer board to ensure the installation stays watertight. Visit our installation guide to learn more about shower tile installation. Use cement board screws to secure the panels to the studs, with the rough side of the panels facing out. Cover the seams between cement board panels with 2-inch wide fiberglass cement board tape, then cover the tape with a thin layer of thin-set adhesive, applied with a taping knife. If installing tiles over plywood or drywall, use a latex adhesive in lieu of thin-set, mortar-based adhesive.

A good installation with mosaic tile requires a well-planned layout to ensure that grout seams run perfectly square. Draw intersecting perpendicular layout lines that bisect the surface top to bottom and left to right. Most pros begin installation at the very center of the surface, first installing all full sheets of tile, then doing whatever cutting is necessary at the borders and around obstacles. Beginning at the center where the layout lines cross, use a notched trowel to apply a layer of thin-set adhesive to one of the layout quadrants, working in sections about 2 to 3 feet square.

Make sure not to over-apply the adhesive; you should be able to see the cement board at the bottom of the grooves. Apply the first tile sheet into the corner of the first quadrant, carefully adjusting it with your hands to ensure that it is perfectly square with the layout lines. Press firmly to embed the tile in the thin-set. Hold for several seconds, and watch for any sliding as you release hand pressure on the tile. Your tile and the thin-set product will specify what size of a notched trowel to use.

Some trowels use V-shaped notches, while others have square notches. Install adjoining mosaic sheets in the first quadrant in the same manner, using tile spacers to ensure that gaps between sheets are exactly the same as the gaps between tiles within the sheets. With mosaic sheets, the small tiles are staggered so the sheets interlock. Be careful to ensure that the grout seams remain uniform throughout the tile field. Mosaic sheets do not behave in quite the same way as single large tiles; they can ripple or form waves on the surface.

To prevent this, after every few sheets are installed, "set" the tiles by using a small piece of plywood about 8 inches square and a rubber mallet to tap down the mosaic sheet into the thin-set. This flattens the tile area, giving it a nice smooth surface.

Pay particular attention to the seams between sheets, to make sure there is no lippage where one row of tiles is higher than its neighboring row or slippage where gaps between sheets are wider than the grout gaps within the sheets.

As you approach the edges of the tile area, you will likely need to cut tile sheets down to size. In some cases, simply cutting the fiberglass mesh will create a partial sheet exactly the right size for your needs, but in other situations, you may need to trim the individual edge tiles to fit precisely. Avoid this when you can; you may be able to use cove tiles or other accents, or baseboard moldings, to cover the gaps at the edge of a layout.

To cut the sheets down to size, simply cut the mesh backing along the grout seams using a sharp utility knife. Install the cut sheets of tile in the same fashion as the full sheets. Where individual tiles within the sheet need to be cut, you have several options. Sheets of tile can be fed through a tile wet saw in the same manner as used with full-size ceramic tiles.

This is by far the easiest way to cut tiles, and it is the best strategy for very large tile installations where lots of cutting is needed. Wet saws are available for rental at home improvement centers and tool leasing outlets.

Simple wet saws are relatively inexpensive and are a good investment if you do regular tile work. Another option is a simple hand tool known as a tile nipper, which looks like a pair of modified pliers and can be used to "nibble" each individual tile square within the sheet. Or, you can use a rail cutter or snap tile cutter, as it is sometimes called to score an entire row of tiles. The tool's pivot lever can then be used to snap each individual tile within the sheet, one at a time.

With one quadrant of the tile job done, repeat the preceding steps to complete the other three quadrants, one at a time. Quick Installation Overview:. Need access to pipes, duct work or wiring above your ceiling?

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