kitchen backsplash issue- please help!

[espo21]

Thanks Davy I'll show that pic to the wife and see what she thinks.

Dan- I did think about maybe shifting to centering below the window as a solution but with the way the house is laid out (open floor plan), the window is more in the back away from everything. you obviously can't see that from the pic I posted but the main area is definitely up where the hood is.

Thanks guys, as always I appreciate the help

[ss3964spd]

Marc, what I trying to convey was if you centered the layout on the hood would doing so then throw it off at the window, so which is more important visually? As I now read centering on the hood is the priority.

Mine is an L shape, and I needed it centered on the hood and the window, so the inside corner had to be whatever it was going to be. A decorative thing hides the corner.

[cx]

Originally Posted by Dan

A decorative thing hides the corner.

No, no, no, Dan. A decorative thing creates a feature in the corner. Always the preferred solution.

[espo21]

Thanks Dan I appreciate the additional explanation.
BTW I love that countertop with the matching pencil- looks real sharp!!

[espo21]

Hey everyone- I was wondering how long everyone leaves in spacers on a wall using thinset. I’ve heard everything from 20min to the next day.
Thanks!

[cx]

Short answer is until they're no longer needed, Marc. Is this for your kitchen backsplash?

[espo21]

Hi CX yes it is. I have a few spacers I left in overnight which proved very difficult to get out the following day.
I was going to add the question to my existing backsplash thread but since it’s just a general question I wasn’t sure how that should be handled.
Thanks

[Snets]

Next day is probably best, not necessarily required. They will be past the point of "no longer required" as CX referred to for sure

I have found that taking a little extra time to clean out that joint making sure your spacers are not buried in mortar will save you some time removing them. But when you do have one stuck, just keep wiggling it the same direction as the grout joint to avoid any issues, it will come out.

I'd avoid trying to pull them straight out if stuck, going with the wiggle in the grout line direction instead.

I've never been not able to get a spacer out but did have a homeowner pull a subway tile off of Kerdi Board by yanking a horseshoe spacer straight out. I ask clients to leave spacers alone now.

[jadnashua]

Most thinsets will have cured enough in a few hours past the normal pot life listed to safely remove them, but overnight usually isn't a big deal. On a floor, you may not need them at all after you've got your spacing done well.

[cx]

I don't like to leave spacers in longer than necessary, 'specially in something as small as a backsplash. When possible, I like to remove them as soon as the tiles will support themselves so's to clean mortar from the joints and tile edges. Much easier when the mortar has taken a set, but is still fresh. Obviously, others do theirs differently.

My opinion; worth price charged.

[espo21]

Awesome, thanks so much for all the info guys

[espo21]

Hi everyone, quick question if I may on this never ending backsplash project. the tiles I got are ceramic - supposed to look like hand-made type with some slight color variation. while installing these, I intentionally opened all 3 boxes (confirmed same lot #'s) and have been pulling random from each box. despite my efforts, I still wound up with some blotches of color. unfortunately you can only see the variation (unless drastic) under certain lighting conditions, and when they're on the wall, not dry fit on the counter.

in this pic you can see the line down the left side of the hood (please disregard all the blue tape) going from light to dark. I still have some spots left (going up to the bottom of the hood as well the other end of the counter) and I'll dry lay them and really focus on the color. I actually dry laid all of these as well and on the counter they looked fine. all pretty much identical with the occasional darker one. change the lighting and move them to the wall.... not so much. on the other end of the counter (not shown) I actually popped a few tiles off but I'd like to avoid doing that any more if possible. especially since the tiles shown were laid a few days ago. (although I will if I have to)

so to my question - is this something that won't be as noticeable once grouted? I'll be using frost color which kind just blends with the tile.

any ideas?
thanks!!

[cx]

As is frequently the case, I can't really see the problem in your photos, Marc.

As for the grout making a tile color deviation better or worse, that may depend upon the color of the grout. Don't know what effect yours might have.

Has the situation improved since you posted the photo? I'm thinking the moisture in the tiles is causing only a temporary shade difference and might go away as the thinset mortar and tiles dry. A couple days may not be enough, but a couple more days will make the tiles more difficult to remove without damage to the backing material. I'd be inclined to wait.

My opinion; worth price charged.

[espo21]

Thanks CX. I know it’s a little difficult to see in the photo. I’ve attached another picture. In the middle of the red circle, you can kind of see a line going down the middle where the tiles on the left side of the circle are slightly darker than those on the right. Outside the circle on both sides there’s a decent random mix. It’s really just that line inside the circle down thru the 1st 5 rows (which is all I’ve done to this point) that stands out to me.

I’m hoping between grout, as well as making sure the rest of the tile up to the hood has no pattern is enough to pull your eyes away from that line.

As for the thinset drying, this entire section was done on the same day about 4 days ago and looks the same now as it did then. As I now look closer at unused tiles there is definitely a color variation thats much more pronounced than I originally thought.

I’m now literally checking every tile one by one to make sure I get a good mix with no pattern / blotches of color. I know the right way to do this is just to randomly pull from each box and you should be fine but with some bad luck, you could also wind up with what I got lol.

Is there a better way to approach tiles with subtle shade variation like this?

[cx]

Originally Posted by Marc

I’m hoping between grout, as well as making sure the rest of the tile up to the hood has no pattern is enough to pull your eyes away from that line.

Well, Marc, it may well pull my eyes away from it, but ain't nothin' short of a kitchen fire gonna pull your eyes away from it now!

Do those tiles say they meet the requirements of ANSI A137.1? If so, what is the Aesthetic Class designation?

I'm sure some younger folks can see your "problem" in the photos, but my antique eyes are quite happy with your layout.