That week I tried to re-tile my kitchen backsplash solo was a disaster

Last spring I decided I could save $400 by doing my own backsplash in the kitchen. I watched like 5 YouTube videos and thought yeah I got this. Day one went fine until I realized my tile cutter was dull and I was chipping every other piece. By Wednesday I had thinset crusted on my jeans and the grout dried way too fast because my kitchen was like 85 degrees. My wife came home and just stared at the crooked row near the outlet and said "babe maybe we call someone." I actually ended up spending $150 just on extra tile to fix my screw ups and a whole weekend ripping out what I did wrong. Has anyone else had a DIY project that ended up costing more than just hiring it out from the start?

2 comments

2 Comments

dianagreen8d ago

Consider how much of that disaster was really about your workspace setup and not the tilework itself. 5 YouTube videos and a dull blade plus a hot kitchen set you up to fail before you even mixed the thinset. A pro would have stopped at your house, looked at the temperature and the tools, and told you Tuesday wasn't happening until you fixed those two things first.

derek998d agoMost Upvoted

Did you try renting a wet saw? That fixed everything for me.