• Active Time: 6-8 hours
• Total Time: 3 days
• Cost: Variable based on supplies you need to purchase and the price of tile. We spent about $200 on our tile, $70 on our wet saw rental, and probably $100 in other supplies. We also already had several of the tile-specific tools already from our previous backsplash.
• Power Tools Needed: Impact driver to mix grout and mortar and wet saw (I rented one)
• Difficulty Level: Beginner (Installing a backsplash is one fo the first projects I did when I started my DIY journey in 2019)
• Help Needed?: You can probably do this project solo, but I’d recommend having a friend at least for Day 1. It’s helpful to have someone cutting tile while you’re installing it, if you’ve never done it before.

One of the projects I’ve been dying to complete since before we moved into our new home was installing the perfect backsplash. We installed a large white subway tile backsplash in our townhome, which turned out beautifully. So, we knew we wanted to save money from the builder and install our own once we moved in to our new construction home. After a few months of agonizing over our tile choice, we finally found the perfect mosaic tile for our backsplash! While the install is a little different than a subway tile, the end results are absolutely beautiful!

Here’s how you can install your own mosaic tile backsplash in your own kitchen.

Disclosure: The links in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no cost to you, I earn a small commission if you click the link and purchase the item. To view our full Affiliate Disclosure, click here.

Supplies Needed

• Tile of your choosing (we love our Villa tile from Floor & Decor). And, make sure you buy more than you need. It’s so easy to return extra tile. The last thing you want to do is be running to the store mid project for more tile and find out it’s the wrong lot number and the color is off. Or, have to buy more mortar because yours dried while you’re running to the store.)
• Grout
• Mortar (You can probably find it cheaper it a hardware store or Floor & Decor)
• Grout float 
• Mortar trowel 
• Tile spacers (There are different sizes of tile spacers. The size determines how much grout is visible–the bigger the size, the bigger the grout lines. The most commonly used size (and the size we used) is 3/16?).
• Wet saw (we rented ours from home depot for the day for $70)
• Tile Nippers (these cut small or rounded holes in your tile)
• Mortar mixer (to attach to your impact driver. If you don’t have one and don’t want to buy one, then buy a lot of painter stirrers and get ready for a solid arm workout. I’m not sure if you will get the right consistency without one, though.)
• Caulk 
• Level and/or laser level
• Measuring tape
• Pencil
• 1? x 4? board, cut to length, if you need a ledger board (more on that in Step 2)
• Grout Sealant if needed
• Impact Driver
• Screwdriver
• Electrical box spacers
• Extra Long Outlet screws
• XL outlet faceplate, if needed
• Large sponges
• 3-4 buckets (you can go 2 if you want to clean the buckets during the project, but we threw out our mortar bucket since the mortar hardened before we remembered to clean it, and we let our grout bucket settle for a day before cleaning it, so we needed an additional 2 to clean the grout on the second day)
• Painter’s tape (We used this to protect our countertops, cabinets, and adjoining painted walls from the grout)
• Trash bags (to protect your counter tops from dropped grout or mortar)
• Disposable Gloves, Face mask, and Eye protection

Day 1

Day 1 in installing your mosaic tile backsplash takes the longest, about 2-3 hours for us. The prep work takes a good bit of time–but it’s crucial to installing your mosaic backsplash the right way. So, let’s dive in!

Step 1: Plan Out Where You’ll Start

Before gluing the tile to the wall, you need to plan out where you’re going to start the tile. This helps so the mosaic pattern doesn’t end up off-center.

Here’s two super easy ways to do that:

1. If you have an obvious landmark where a lot of tile will be visible (for us it was the space between the hood and the stovetop), measure the width of that space and divide by 2. That number is where you should have your tile centered. Mark that space with some painters tape on the countertop.
2. If you don’t have an obvious landmark, measure the width of your backsplash and divide by 2. That number is the mark where you should place the middle of your first tile. Make a reminder mark with some painters tape on the countertop.

Step 2: Prep Your Space

A little bit of preparation will save you a lot of hassle while installing your mosaic tile backsplash.

Protect your Space

Make sure you cover your countertops–I used contractor trash bags–for when you inevitably spill grout or mortar. I also used painter’s tape to protect my newly painted cabinets and walls. But, learn from my mistake, and remove it as soon as you place your tile. Otherwise, you’ll get tape stuck in your mortar and grout like I did, not once, but twice.

That’s right. I wrote a how to install a backsplash post 2 years ago and made this same mistake installing our mosaic tile backsplash a few weeks ago. Sometimes, I’m real smart.

Prep Your Wall

Make sure the wall you are going to apply the tiles to is clean–i.e. this is the time to wash off all the oil splashes and good particles that have accumulated on your drywall.

You can use a sponge with soap and water, or I used our kitchen cleaner. Easy peasy.

Then using your sanding block, sand the wall lightly. It can be any grit you have laying around. Or, if you have to buy one, buy a larger grit. It will do the job faster (remember with sanding, a larger grit is a smaller number. Think 80-120). This will help the mortar stick better when it’s applied.

You’ll also want to draw a level line on the wall to make sure your tile line ends up straight and not angled one way or another. The easiest way to do this is with a chalk line tool and laser level.

I don’t have a chalk line tool, so I used my laser level and regular level to trace the level line directly on the wall. I drew the line, so the bottom of my first piece would sit on top of the line. That way, I had a landmark for the rest of the pieces.

We drew a level line, and found the top of our countertops sloped a little less than half an inch between one corner and the other. We then promptly covered the level line with mortar before realizing we needed to use that to place our tiles.

Ledger Board

If you have an appliance backed up to the wall you’re going to install your backsplash, make sure you pull the appliance out so you can hang your ledger board and reach behind the appliance to tile everything.

What’s a ledger board, you ask? A ledger board is a board you screw into the wall temporarily to provide support for your tiles and mortar as they’re drying.

In our previous install, we had to pull a stove out about a foot and install a ledger board. In this install, we didn’t have an appliance to move, so I skipped this step.

You can read all about how to hang a ledger board here, in Step 3.

Step 3: Mix your Mortar

Ok, now that everything’s ready, it’s time to begin installing your mosaic tile backsplash! (I know you’re saying in your head, “Finally, Lauren!” But all the prep makes things so much easier once you get started).

Take one of your buckets and your mortar and add bunch of it in. This is super messy, so wear your eye covers and a facemask if you have one. And if you have the option, do this outside. The powder will go everywhere. Then start adding water a little at a time as you mix it with your fancy mortar mixer and drill.

In terms of the amount of powder we used, we just eye-balled it and used half the bag. We had way more than we needed in the end, but we didn’t want to mix any more in the middle of the job. I’m sure you can take your time and measure out a quantity if you’d like, but we were impatient, and in the end, the ratio of powder to water doesn’t matter–it’s the consistency.

Peanut Butter Consistency

You will read this over and over on tiling instructions and hear this over and over from your friends at your home store: The mortar should be the consistency of peanut butter when it’s ready to be applied. The goal is that it’s still a little wet, so you can place your tiles on it and move them if needed, but solid enough that it won’t just slide off the walls.

So, you keep adding water a little at a time until you get there. Or, if it’s too wet, add more mortar mix.

If you think it’s ready, put the mortar on your trowel and hold it vertically over your bucket–it shouldn’t fall right off and it will indeed look like peanut butter.

Step 4: Apply Mortar

Once you have your mortar all ready to go, it’s time to put it on the wall and get to tiling!

Using your trowel you want to apply the mortar to your wall in a diagonal way–this provides more surface tension with the wall and helps prevent it from sliding off.

Just like painting, you’ll want to work in smaller sections (I did about 2-3 feet at a time). Mortar dries quick! I’m talking under 30 minutes.

You don’t want to apply mortar to the whole space and have it start to dry before you even start putting your tiles on.

Once you have the mortar on the wall, you need to use the edges of your trowel and score the mortar in a diagonal pattern (or an upside down backwards J), again to provide more surface tension for the tiles to stick to.

Be sure not to cover your level line until you’re ready to place that tile!

Backbuttering the Tile

You’ll read a lot about backbuttering the tile in some posts. This basically just means spreading the mortar directly on the tile, just like you would peanut butter on toast.

This doesn’t really work for mosaic tile, so I wouldn’t recommend it for a mosaic tile backsplash install.

Step 5: Place your Tiles & Spacers

Now’s the biggest moment–placing your mosaic tile backsplash!

Start in your chosen spot and place your tile on the level line. Press the whole mosaic tile into the wall.

Then apply your tile spacers between the edges of your mosaic tiles. You want to press them between the tiles enough to keep the space between the tiles, but not enough to stick to the mortar if you can.

You’re going to apply tile spacers in between every edge of the tile where it’s going to touch another tile and space between your last tile and the counter top. You’ll cover this space with caulk later, so don’t stress if it looks weird.

Why are Spacers so Important?

Spacers are important for two reasons.

1. Spacers help you get your tiles lined up properly, so they all have equal amounts of space between them. This makes your backsplash visually pleasing (look at that fancy phrase I used there). Imagine if you placed your tiles haphazardly, and some tiles had 1/2? gap between them and others had none. It would look super weird.
2. Spacers provide room for a grout line. The grout line isn’t just for pretty contrast. It provides support for the tiles in case the wall or house moves or shifts (not just talking earthquakes here, but dropping something heavy, hammering a nail in the wall can all cause the wall to move).

Uh Oh. . . I Need to Cut a Piece of Tile

No worries! Time to break out the wet saw you rented or purchased! Here’s how to cut a straight line on a mosaic tile with a wet saw (wear your protective eye covers and face mask every time):

1. Mark on the tile where you need to make the cut with a dry erase marker. If your mosaic has super tiny pieces, you’ll find it helpful to place a a line of painters tape on the tile first, then mark the line on the painters tape. This will help keep the tile from splintering when cutting.
2. Line up your marked line with the blade on the wet saw.
3. Turn on the blade and press the tile slowly though the blade, making extra sure to watch your fingers.

Now, take that cut tile back inside and place it where it needs to go on the wall.

If you need to make a right angle cut (like an L shaped around cabinets), I found it easiest to cut the mosaic in two pieces to work with. Then, we made cuts with the wet saw for each piece.

Working Around Outlets

Placing the mosaic tile around your outlets can require more intricate cuts. This is when you want to use your tile nippers (I didn’t use these but they look almost identical to mine).

Place your full size tile all around the outlet, then determine which pieces will need small cuts out of them.

You can just take the tile nippers and “nip” out small pieces of tile until the part you want to remove is gone.

This also takes a little practice (if you cut too big of pieces, the tile can break). But, you bought extra pieces, so it’s ok if it does–just pick up the next one and go from there!

Cutting tile really where having a partner comes in handy for installing a mosaic tile backsplash. As I was applying the mortar and the tiles, Steve would cut the pieces we needed. You don’t need a second person, but things will move a little more seamlessly if you have a friend to help.

Step 6 (Optional): Install Your Schluter & Finish Placing Your Mosaic Tile Backsplash

If you have a free edge at the end of your backsplash, you’ll want to install a schluter.

What’s a schluter? It’s a piece of stainless steel or PVC that you install in the mortar and is meant to provide a clean line at the end of your backsplash.

When you get near the edge of the wall, you’ll place the mortar on the wall just like you have bene. The place the schluter in place on the wall. Make sure it’s level (we used our traditional level to check).

Then install the mosaic tile up to the edge of the schluter. Don’t worry if there’s’ small spots visible around the edges. You’ll grout along this too, and those spots will be covered right up.

Tip: You can precut your schluter in the prep step, so you’re not stopping here for another cut. We used our miter saw to cut it, but you can use the wet saw or a hack saw too.

Step 7: Remove Tile Spacers

About 30 minutes after you place your spacers, make sure you remember to remove them! Their purpose is to support the tile and the grout line while the mortar sets, so once it hardens, you can remove them.

And, you don’t want to wait too long! The spacers will get stuck in the mortar and you’ll have to pry them out. We found that by the time we finished the whole project, it was time to start removing the ones at the start. It’ll take 10 minutes to take them all out.

And, feel free to save them for your next project! We used the same spacers for this project that we did for our subway tile install in our townhome. I just saved them in an old yogurt container.

Step 8: Clean Up & Let Dry

You made it! We’re done with all the hard work for the day.

Don’t forget to remove your painter’s tape if you used it!

Clean off your tools (we did this outside with a hose over some dead grass). Throw away your garbage bags protecting your countertops.

To avoid having to clean up the mortar safely, we just tossed the whole bucket as is. The bucket was only $3, so I almost feel like this is an excellent solution to avoid the mess of cleanup.

But, if you do decide to clean it up, make sure you throw away the mortar in the trash–DO NOT PUT IT DOWN YOUR DRAIN. It’ll harden in your drain pipes and then you’ll need to replace your pipes.

Now, go pour yourself a glass of wine, order some takeout, and relax! You have to let the mortar dry for 24 hours (so you have an excuse not to do anything for the rest of the night). The hardest part is definitely done, and by this time tomorrow, you’ll have a beautiful new backsplash!

Day 2: All About the Grout

And, it’s going to be so much quicker than yesterday. Today you just have to grout and clean up! Ready to dive in? Here we go!

Before starting today: make sure you recover your counters and use painter’s tape to protect any countertops, cabinets, or walls you don’t want to get grout on.

Step 1: Mix your Grout

This is going to go just like yesterday with the mortar, so you’re basically an expert already. Add the grout mix to a bucket and then add water until you get the famous peanut butter consistency. I highly recommend following the mixing instructions on the bag for this, and then adding more water as needed.

We learned the hard way.

We added too much water to start, and once we mixed it, the grout seemed ok. But, after getting halfway through install, the grout was way too wet. So, we had to stop in the middle of applying the grout and drive to the hardware store, hoping they had the same color and type of grout we had gotten at the tile store weeks ago.

We found we used a lot less water for the grout than we did the mortar, but yours may be different. Focus on the consistency instead of actual measurements.

Grout Sealant Additive

We chose to add a grout sealant additive to our grout mix. It was probably overkill with the type of grout we used, but Steve loves to cook, and he can get a little messy. So, we wanted whatever protection we could get for our white grout.

It’s easy to use: you add it in place of water, then add water until you get the right consistency.

Step 2: Apply your Grout

Here’s the part where you really see your backsplash come to life! Using your grout float, you’re going to apply the grout to the tile in the same manner you did the mortar–in a diagonal or upside down/backwards J fashion. (Basically, you don’t want to apply it vertically or horizontally because it will pull the grout out of the grout lines.)

You need to make sure you get grout into every nook and cranny. Our grout float was pretty good, but I did use my fingers (while wearing gloves) for some of the super small spots (pretty sure that’s not the proper way to do it but it worked!).

Don’t worry about getting grout all over the tiles themselves–that’s totally normal (even if it doesn’t look normal). We’ll handle that problem in the next step.

I mean, try not to leave gobs of grout on, but some on the tile is inevitable and fixed in the next step.

And, don’t worry about getting grout between the cabinets and the tile or the tile and the countertops. This is where your caulk will come in handy tomorrow.

Cleaning Tip

Once you’re done applying the grout, it’s time to clean up your grout bucket and your tools while you wait for the grout to dry for an hour or so. Just like with the mortar, DO NOT put the grout down your drain. You will ruin your pipes and spend all the money you saved installing your own backsplash (and then some).

I read a great tip online–let your grout bucket sit for 12-24 hours. The water will settle at the top and the grout at the bottom. Then you can dump your water out and then dump the more solid grout in the trash.

Or, you can do what we did and just trash the $3 bucket here too. I’m all about easy clean up.

And, now’s the time to remove that painter’s tape again. Otherwise, it’ll get stuck in the grout and take FOREVER to remove with a razor.

Step 3: Clean Off the Grout

After you let your grout dry for about an hour, now’s the time to clean off those tiles.

Taking your big sponge and a bucket of warm clean water, wet your sponge and then wring it out a few times. The sponge should be barely damp.

Why? Because if it’s really wet, you’re going to be adding water to the pretty grout you just put up, and it will lose its integrity.

Use the same diagonal motion again to try and wipe the grout off the tile surface.

If you see water drips on the tile, your sponge is too wet! Wring it out more in your bucket and try again.

Once you’ve wiped up some grout, rinse the sponge in a second bucket of clean water. Repeat until you have finished the whole backsplash.

I had to repeat this step twice more, each an hour apart, to get all the grout off the tile. But, it only takes 5 minutes each time, so it wasn’t any real added work.

Step 4: Clean Up & Let Dry

And, that’s it! You’re 95% done with your backsplash. By now, you can see how pretty your backsplash is going to be, and I’m sure you’re just as in love with yours as I am mine!

Clean up all your mess and relax! You need to let the grout dry for at least 24 hours prior to caulking.

Day 3: Final Steps

Day 3 or whatever the next day that you have an hour or so is, is reserved for those finishing touches.

If you had to install a ledger board, go ahead and remove it now. You can patch the holes in your drywall if you’d like. Or, you can just push your appliance back in place, since no one is ever going to see them.

Caulk

When you have 30 minutes in the upcoming days, take the time to caulk your new mosaic tile backsplash to make it look finished. You’ll want to caulk between the cabinets and tile and the countertops and tile. If you’ve never caulked before, it’s super easy. You can use a big can of caulk and a caulk gun, but I find it a lot easier to control the small squeezy tubes like this caulk from DAP, since I have little hands.

How to Caulk

Cut the tip of the caulk container off in a 45 degree angle (this makes it easier to apply). Have a lot of paper towels on hand, and wear a pair of disposable gloves.

I also like to line the area with painter’s tape, because I am not good at making clean caulk lines.

Then, gently squeezing the caulk tube, squeeze a medium sized bead of caulk out along the seam you want to caulk.

Next, using your finger, smooth the bead of caulk so it forms a nice even line connecting the tile and the other surface.

If you applied too much and it’s gloopy, wipe it off with your finger and onto a paper towel. If you applied too little, just add a little more!

Continue on until you’ve caulked every service you need to. If you applied painter’s tape, pull it off to reveal your nice pretty lines. Once you’re done, it needs to dry for 24 hours before getting wet.

Finishing Your Outlets

If you have any outlets or switches in your backsplash (we have 2), you’ll need to put them back on after the backsplash is completely dry. You may run into a few easily fixable issues when you try to do that.

Outlets Not Flush With New Backsplash?

Buy electrical box spacers and extra long screws (you should be able to find them both in the electrical aisle at the hardware store, or you can order them from my links).

To install them, make sure you turn the power off to your outlets first. Then double check that you turned them off with your voltage tester.

Then unscrew your outlet and pull it out of the wall.

Place the spacers on the long screw between the screw hole on your outlet and the outlet box, and tighten the screws.

Now, the outlet should sit flush with your backsplash, and you can reinstall your outlet covers.

Old Outlet Cover Too Small?

And, if your outlet covers are now too small for the hole you have because of the way your tile fell, also easy fix! Buy an XL outlet cover and you’re all set!

The Finished Product

Here’s the finished mosaic tile backsplash in our kitchen. What do you all think?!

We absolutely love how the color and pattern bring a visual interest to the kitchen that was missing with just the white cabinets and countertops before. And, it adds to the coastal feel we’re aiming for with our new home.

Have Questions? Looking for More Kitchen DIY Tips?

Check out our posts on Choosing the Right Backsplash Tile, Installing a Subway Tile Backsplash: Day 1 and Installing Subway Tile Backsplash: Day 2!

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post in the comments below! Or, you can always send a direct message to us at our Contact Us page.

And, you can always find even more ideas if you follow us on our Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook pages!

Last but not least, please review our Disclaimer before completing any project we describe here.