Backsplash Installation for IKEA Kitchens

About Backsplash Installation

A backsplash is the last big piece of an IKEA kitchen, and it waits for two things: the countertop, because the tile sits on it, and the wall cabinets, because the top row stops under them. With an IKEA laminate or wood top, that can be the week the cabinets are finished. With quartz or granite, it comes after the fabricator's install, roughly one to two weeks after templating, and after your plumber reconnects the sink. Under-cabinet lighting wires and any outlet moves have to be done before tile as well, because adding them later means cutting tile out.

Most of the work is decided before the first tile goes up. We find the focal point, usually the range or the window over the sink, and center the layout on it, then see where that leaves the cuts at each end of the run and around the window casing. The space between countertop and wall cabinets is typically about 18 inches tall, so course heights matter: a row of thin slivers under the cabinets looks like a mistake. We shift the starting line so the cut rows fall where they are least noticed, and for herringbone or large tile we dry-lay the pattern on the counter first.

The wall behind the tile matters as much as the tile. Sound drywall needs cleaning and a primer where the old paint is glossy. Old plaster is a good base if it is firmly attached; we tap it to find loose patches and either reattach them or cut them out and patch with drywall. Where an old backsplash came off and tore the paper face of the drywall, we seal that area so the adhesive bonds. Behind the range we tile up to the hood or the cabinet above, since that is where grease and steam hit first.

We set ceramic and porcelain tile, glass tile and natural stone. Ceramic subway tile is the forgiving choice and the most common one here. Glass and light marble go into white thinset, because gray mortar shows through glass and can discolor pale stone. Large-format porcelain is heavy and needs a flat wall and leveling clips. A full-height quartz backsplash cut from the countertop slab is a different job: the fabricator templates and installs it, and we make sure the wall and outlets are ready for them.

Outlets and switches are the fiddliest part. Tile adds thickness, so outlet boxes need extenders to bring the device out flush with the finished face, and the cover plates have to sit square on the tile. We cut tight around each box, and your electrician fits the extenders and resets the devices, which keeps the electrical work with a licensed electrician. Where the tile stops at the side of a run or beside a window, we finish the edge with a bullnose piece, a metal edge profile or a factory edge, agreed with you before setting.

Grout and caulk do different jobs. Grout fills the joints between tiles; cement grout needs sealing, so in kitchens we often suggest a premixed or epoxy-based grout that resists stains without it. The joint where the tile meets the countertop, and every inside corner, gets color-matched silicone instead of grout, because those joints move as the house moves and grout there cracks within a season. New England houses swing from dry heated winters to humid summers, and that flexible joint is what lets the countertop and wall move without stressing the tile.

You buy the tile, and we work out the quantity. Order the measured area plus about 10 percent for straight-laid tile and about 15 percent for diagonal or herringbone patterns, all from the same lot so the color matches. Installation is $600–$1,800 for most kitchens. Plain subway tile on a short run sits at the low end; a long L with a window, a tiled wall behind a chimney hood and mosaic or herringbone work sits at the high end.

How It Works