Subway Tile Wall in the Kitchen

In this post:  Our new subway tile wall in the kitchen plus some tips and tricks we learned along the way!

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So we just finished tackling a project that’s been on my wish list forever…THE SUBWAY TILE WALL in the kitchen!

When we first redid the kitchen (painting the cabinets, installing the stainless steel counters, changing the backsplash in the original part of the kitchen, flooring, light fixtures, faucet, etc.), I really wanted to do a subway tile (to the ceiling) over at the coffee/breakfast bar.

But time and funds definitely got the better of us.

And so the project got put on hold.

But it’s finally finished.

Tips for Tiling A Full Wall with Subway Tile

This isn’t your typical DIY tutorial where I tell you exactly what to buy and how to replicate our project step by step. (There are lots of good ones online.)

This is just some of  things we’ve learned over the years. Sort of like “extra lessons” or tips should you want to try this at home.

Ready?

1. Draw straight vertical lines. If you’re not tiling from wall to wall, you need these lines to guide you in installing your bull nose tile in a nice straight line. Our tiles line up with the edge of our counters on both sides.

2. Start tiling with vertical bullnose tile. This sort of creates a box (with the counter and ceiling) to tile within. The bull nose makes a nice finished edge. (Don’t mind the giant holes – they were for the shelves before.)

3. After you have a “box”, start tiling at the bottom with the subway tile. Make sure you used spacers between the counter top and your bottom row of tiles.

4. Build up in a brick pattern from the bottom.

5. Leave the cutting to last. Use full tiles all the way to the ceiling, leaving room for the tiles that will need to be cut on either end. This just helps the job go faster.

6. Invest in a diamond tipped glass and tile drill bit if you need to drill through the tile.

We were honestly a little nervous about drilling into the tile to hang the floating shelves.

But the shelves were a must!

So Dean bought and used a diamond tipped glass and tile drill bit and he said it drilled through the tile like butter.

Much to the relief of both of us.

There are just a couple more little things I want to do in the kitchen.

But I think it’s pretty right now too!

And I’m thankful for a handy hubby. 🙂

This post is of course sponsored by the lovely Home Depot Canada as part of a series by the #HDBlogSquad.

You HAVE to visit the other #HDBlogSquad bloggers too!

Jennifer  – Rambling Renovators

Brittany – My Daily Randomness

Tim – Design Maze

Shannon & Dean – Home Made Lovely (that would be us!)

Lena – Listen to Lena (not pictured)