DIY Tile Kitchen Backsplash -- Worth the Savings?

Question

We are building a new home and are considering doing the travertine backsplash ourselves. I did get an estimate from the guy who did our tile floors, but the bid came back for $690 labor and $180 for materials.

Is this a simple DIY project or should I just hire the sub? I don't have a lot of time and would only be about to work on it in the evenings for 5-6 hours at a time until finished.

Can someone with no tiling experience (but has the help of people that have done tile) get this done and be happy they did it? I've painted the whole house successfully but decided that a painter would have been worth the cost. I don't want to try and undertake this and wish I hadn't -- any advice?

Answer 1

If its not going to break you I would hire it done. Try a simpler tile project before taking on this one

Answer 2

i strongly recommend hiring the tile guy.  a travertine backsplash isn't for beginners.  his labor seems a little pricey to me, but i don't know what part of the country you are from either.  you can always ask the tile guy if he can come down about $100, see what he says.  you never know.  if not, buy the materials yourself; that's how you'll save the money.  buy your marble, as well as the thinset and grout.  if you cut the tile guy's price back by the materials, you'll save a ton.  buy ultraflex I from lowes (in a white, preferably) or versabond from home depot (in white as well).  do not use mastic!  it won't stick to marble.  you won't need more than one 50 lb. bag, and one box of unsanded thinset (you might need a second, but buy one at a time).  insist on at least 1/4" square notch of thinset, and small grout joints, with marble no more than 1/16."  if his price doesn't include sealing the grout and tile (as high as he is, it ought to.  try to insist he do it, but don't accept if he says that would raise the price.) in that case, seal it yourself, using tile lab grout sealer from home depot (in the yellow bottle, not the green.)  pour some in a bucket when the job is complete, wipe it on the tile and grout joints using a sponge, then take an old tshirt or towel and buff the liquid back off the tiles.  the sealer won't hurt the tile, so don't worry about that.  make sure it gets in the grout joint (you'll see it turn a darker wet color).  good luck!

ps.  one other thing to keep in mind.  if you buy a square travertine (12x12 or such) and have it cut down to your desired size of 8x10 or 8x12, it does take a lot of time to cut the tiles.  this might be what your tile guy figured when he estimated.  you might try to find the tiles in your specified size and see if his price would change due to less work in cutting the tiles.

Answer 3

By the time you purchase the special tools and your time invested, you might as well pay the pro

Answer 4

You don't need to pay for the re-education when it sounds to me like the lessons been learned.  You have seen and know the difference between the "professional" tradesmans work and the nightly or weekend warriors.  Painting is sometimes forgiving, tile especially a Travertine backsplash isn't going to offer you that same grace.  You'll just have to make the decision on whether or not your going to be willing to look at imperfections in such a daily feature and be able to accept and live with them.

I suggest you pay the sub to do it if your happy with his work. . . I'm sure you'll be glad that you did.

Mike Lonergan

TradesProfessional, Inc.

http://www.tradesprofessional.com

Answer 5

we did this then realised you can get splashbacks which are made of wood with a surface to match ur kitchen benches