If I decide to DIY tile,

[Carrie12345]

any tips to share?

The utility sink in my laundry room is surrounded only by drywall (well, painted green wall, but still.) While I’m not flopping around saturating the place, it does get some splash action, and I’m getting sick of worrying about it.

I’m not a fan of the upkeep on tile, so I may consider a flat surround, but I’m still entertaining the thought of pretty tile to make a fancy laundry room.

But how frustrated am I at risk of becoming if I take on that job?

[wintermom]

So tile on the wall as opposed to the floor? Or both? I'm far too chicken to try tiling, but I'm sure it is doable. Do you know someone that could provide some assistance so that you go into the project feeling confident and so you have all the best tools on hand to make the job easier?

[Katy]

Yeah, with tile, whenever you’re dealing with the top of something like a tub or sink, there’s a very high chance the top is sloped. So that bottom row will take up most of your time. Ideally you don’t want the thinnest piece to be less than half a tile because tiny trimmed pieces like that are more likely to crack. So you likely need a long level, a pencil, and some math skills to set the row close to the sink. After that, it’s easy. 

When I learned this I think it was on an old episode of PBS’s This Old House. But these days it’s easier to watch a handful of videos on YouTube than to try & figure it out yourself. 

If you want to use a fancy mosaic piece as the backsplash, do a couple rows of regular tile first. Trust me. 

Assuming you seal the grout, it won’t be a cleaning problem. You’re not walking on it. The occasional or even daily splash is unlikely to be wet & dirty enough to require much upkeep. 
 

If your sink area is small enough, you might be able to use a remnant piece of solid stone instead of tile. I’ve seen people use soapstone remnants this way, integrating a shelf at the top of the backsplash. 

[Lady Marmalade]

Tiling is tedious and takes longer than you think, but if you've never done it, a small space like what you're talking about would be an ideal place to start. Plus, it's a utility sink, so if it's not perfect no one but you is ever going to see it.

What kind of tile are you thinking?  You can buy tile sheets to make a project less daunting if there is a pattern that you like. Just make sure to measure a lot. Use a level and make sure you have nice straight lines. Definitely use Tile Spacers in between rows and columns of tile to keep things nice and straight. 

[prairiewindmomma]

My advice? Watch a ton of videos first on tiling. Get really comfortable with your level and measuring stuff. Start tiling in the middle of the wall so that your pattern is symmetrical. Always work outwards.  If you know you have a defined space between cabinet and floor, pick a tile that fits easily or cuts nicely. Dry fit this first so that you know where your cuts are going to need to be. Pick the right trowel size.  Don't scrub grout too early, and be sure you change the water often as you wipe the tiles clean post grouting. 

[Hannah]

In addition to what was said above, make sure your tile adhesive can stick to the paint on the drywall. You may need to do some sanding first.

[katilac]

4 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

any tips to share?

I'd say don't do it, but the laundry room could probably bear a few mistakes. 

Personally, for a utility sink in the laundry room, I'd buy a couple of the big metal backsplash squares and call it a day. You'll be done in 30 minutes and a metal backsplash is very suitable for a laundry room. 

[Clarita]

It's doable, but watching my tile guy do it I wouldn't want to. 

Peal and stick vinyl tiles DH has done a small section by himself and it's no big deal because you peel and stick it and you can redo it along the way. To cut you can just use an exacto knife. Real tile though the tile guy is using a saw thing in my backyard with PPE measuring a whole bunch and spending a day in my small bathroom on his hands and knees. He thinks about the layout and how the edges would be given the tile size and the size of the room, the symmetry of the tiles with relation to the room, etc.

I guess what I'm saying is yes you can DIY, it's tedious, I think cutting is the hardest part, for alignment there are tools to help you with that. However, a tile guy is also worth it, because I do think there is some artistry/skill with laying out the tile, and the tedium. Also you can always choose a tile material that is easy to cut or doesn't need to be cut.

[prairiewindmomma]

If you get the $30 14” cutter from Home Depot, it works fine for small jobs (porcelin or ceramic). Just buy a bit of extra tile because you will get a bad cut or two while you do your learning curve.
 

I’d recommend a wet saw in the future if you discover you love tiling and want to do all kinds of other spaces.

[MEmama]

I'm on team Don't Do It, but if you must have something on the walls the metal sheets are cool. Or there are fancy linoleum sheets now that are really pretty and would be much, much simpler to deal with than tile. There's even stick on wainscoting that I would install before I'd even consider tiling.

BTDT, never ever ever again. 

[Carrie12345]

😆 So… I’ll just keep riding the fence for now, lol!

It IS a small and “no -public” space so, yes, that does make a real advantage for a novice.

If I find tile that speaks to me in the next week or so, I’ll probably try it. If not, I may just do a flat surround!