Back To The Family Handyman
Del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon
TwitThis
Steps 9 - 16
9. Reinforce the outside corners and edges with
strips of fiberglass tape. Embed the tape with a thin, even topping of thinset
mortar.
Click image to enlarge.
10. Snap chalk
lines for your layout, then precut some of the field tiles to fit. Spread a bed
of thin-set mortar with your 1/4-in. notched trowel and lightly press the tiles
into place.
11. Cut the tiles to fit with a wet-cut tile saw.
Push the tiles gently through the diamond blade; don’t force them.
12. Cut the
webbed backing on the decorative trim tiles and fit them around the front of
the sink. Make sure they sit flat in the mortar.
Click image to enlarge.
13. Clamp straight 2x2s to the front edge of the
face frame to support the weight of the marble edge until the mortar sets. Set
the edge pieces. Then draw layout lines on the backsplash and lay in tile
according to your design.
Electrical Box Cutout
Hold the backsplash tile in position and mark it directly
for height and width to fit around the receptacles. Cut the opening with
multiple passes on your wet saw.
Click image to enlarge.
14. Coat the face of the porous tile and stone with a sealer before grouting to prevent the grout from sticking to the tile surface.
15. Mix the grout to a toothpaste consistency and
push it into the joints with a grout float. Mix enough for 6-ft. square
sections and then wipe each section down as you go.
16. Wipe the
excess grout from the tile with a clean, wrung-out sponge. Several passes are
necessary to clean the grout from the tile. Polish with a cotton towel.
Advertisement 
