Tiling a backsplash is equal parts nerve-wracking and thrilling. We dove into this project a few days ago and it took longer than we expected — nearly three hours just to work out how to cut the tiles, set up our workspace, and mix the thinset before we even began. By the end of the day, though (after Clara was in bed), we had this much finished:
It’s a great start. I keep finding myself admiring the progress and feeling oddly proud. There’s a lot to cover about the process, but for now we’ll focus on our preferred cutting method and what we learned while getting to this point — we still have the rest of this wall and the entire oven wall to tile up to the ceiling.
Our first attempt used tile nippers from the hardware store, which seemed promising in the store when we tried a sample sheet. At home, however, cutting individual penny tiles in half with the nippers left many cracked and uneven pieces still attached to the mesh backing — not a great result.
Next we tried a wet saw. John usually loves using a wet saw, but this material didn’t respond well. The water caused the mesh that holds the penny tiles together to weaken and separate, so the method didn’t work for these sheets. Other people report success with a wet saw, so it likely depends on the tile manufacturer and the mesh they use.
We returned to the nippers and refined our technique. After trial and error, we settled on a reliable approach for our tiles (note that results may vary with different penny tiles and thicknesses):
For those who can’t watch the video, here are the main takeaways:
- Apply a strip of painter’s tape along the cut line. The tape helps mark the line and appears to reduce cracking while snipping.
- Center the nippers on the tile. If the nippers are too close to an edge, the tile is more likely to shatter.
- Squeeze gently at first, as if flexing your hand, then increase the pressure gradually until the piece breaks. This motion seems to score or prep the tile for a cleaner break.
- The technique isn’t flawless, but it produced a much higher success rate than our earlier attempts.
- If a tile shatters, pull it off the mesh and replace it with an intact one. We did a lot of this “back-filling.” Once the thinset is applied, you can press replacement tiles into the open spots. Pay attention to spacing so the tiles align properly, and step back occasionally to check the overall look.
- Thinset remains workable for about 30 minutes, giving you a good window to adjust alignment or spacing before it begins to set.
- For the section shown, it took about two hours of actual tile setting after the initial three hours of preparation, cutting tests, and workspace setup.
That’s our progress so far. Next time we’ll share more about working with thinset, including step-by-step photos of spreading it and fitting tiles in a staggered pattern to minimize seams. We wanted to be confident in our cutting method before documenting that part, so we paused to refine our approach. We’ll continue sharing photos and videos as the project moves forward in real time — not a quick TV-style turnaround — and we’re excited to tackle the big tile wall over the stove. Fingers crossed it’s not too intimidating.
Psst — we documented another tiling project at our previous house’s bathroom; that experience taught us a lot and was a helpful reference for this job.