So I wasn’t entirely certain about my backsplash during this whole process – I had a really strong vision about a lot of things (red, moving everything to the other side of the kitchen, the half wall…), but for the backsplash, my first and only thought was “white subway tile.” And then I second-guessed myself for several weeks, while all the other pieces were happening – is it too trendy? It is, right now, but it’s also so neutral it’s hard to claim it’s not classic. And I knew I didn’t want to commit any major color to tile – it’s so very permanent. So despite not having any other ideas, I wasn’t certain about the tile. But the image of my kitchen in my head has always had white subway tile – so I gave in to the obvious solution, and today went out and bought nearly $100 worth of tile (for those of you who like budgets and numbers – stay tuned for an eventual “costs” post, to be made once all the details are done/paid for!).

Today was an odd day, really – I woke up with no motivation whatsoever, which is pretty normal for me, but usually breakfast makes it better – today, not so much. I just wanted to hang out and watch tv. But I also really couldn’t pass up an entire free day, when I could get started on tiling.

So I did nothing all morning, and then just after noon called HD to find out about renting a tile saw – I’ve got a good number of corners and weird pieces to cut. They said I could rent a saw for 4 hours for $31, which seemed doable. So I did all of my prep work – moved all my food and stuff off the counters, covered the counters in cardboard (which I have tons of from the IKEA boxes), took off all the outlet- and switch-plates, and headed out to get my supplies.

First I went to Lowe’s and bought the actual tile (300 pieces of regular subway tile, 30 bullnose pieces for the exposed edges). I also got all my tile supplies – thinset, grout, grout sealer, spacers, a trowel, a grout float, a sponge, and a pair of tile nippers. Then I went to the HD tool rental place, where it turned out that their little tile saw didn’t have the right pieces for cutting corners. Which was the whole reason I wanted a tile saw. But then I got a bright idea, and went to the Dremel section, where lo and behold, there was a tile cutting bit. So instead of renting a tile saw, I bought a new bit for my Dremel.

And then I came home to start tiling. I’m doing the subway tile in a staggered pattern, so the first thing I had to do was cut 3 of the tiles in half to make it possible to start rows off by a half-tile. Then I tiled the least visible section – the corner to the right of the fridge. It was also a manageable size to take on, not knowing how long tiling really takes – I’ve done mosaics before, but they’re an entirely different process. I did a good bit of running downstairs to cut tiles to fit around the outlets, and to meet up with the cabinets. Then I started on the opposite wall – I’m saving the sink wall for last, since I have to start from the middle for it. I’d pulled the oven out and installed a temporary ledger board behind it – just in case I someday have a different oven, I don’t want to have to retile that wall. I also laid cardboard over the gap, so I didn’t drop thinset on the floor. Which is why, when Dante leapt up on the counter and then ran across it, she got dumped hilariously to the floor. Maybe now she’ll believe me that counters aren’t for cats.

Anyway, I got about a third of the way across that wall before I ran out of energy, and decided to call it a day – and for a day where I didn’t really feel like doing anything, I’m pretty happy with what I accomplished! Here’s what my backsplashes look like right now – the spacers are still in, and, as always, tile looks weird until it’s grouted.