The quickest and easiest way to install tile (no mortar needed!).
The tile project I'm sharing today is one of my favorites I've ever done — first of all because it was SO easy, thanks to this awesome product, and because it is beautiful!
I fell hard for a square, slightly shimmery tile called Zellige. Turns out it was very trendy a few years ago…as usual I'm way behind on the trends. (And I'm fine with that.)
It has a wavy texture that makes it look handmade…and usually it is! The real stuff is VERY expensive, but I really wanted to use it for the small backsplash in our laundry/mud room:
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You can install in a straight stacked look like this for a more modern look, or in a brick pattern for a more traditional look.
The thing is, authentic Zellige tile is handmade from clay and has an imperfect look that I don't always love. Also, it's usually installed very close with small grout lines (which adds to the imperfect look).
I've always preferred the more uniform versions I've seen, with a bit of contrast with the grout.
I did some research and found this ceramic version pictured above that still has the handmade look, but is very affordable! Plus each tile is uniform and the same size, but still has the pretty details that I loved about the real stuff.
It went into my cart! I was even more pleased in person — they were so lovely!
I had a couple hiccups in this tile process along the way because I didn't order enough at first. I had to wait on backorders and then the second shipment was much shinier than the first. I was able to pick and choose out of the boxes to find some that matched better.
You'll probably be able to avoid this by buying all you need at once so they are from the same lot number.
But overall the install process was a breeze! I used a non-mortar install product that makes the tile installation SUPER quick and mess-free.
Before you start tiling, figure out the middle of the area you'll be working on. Since ours was the backsplash, I marked the middle and centered a tile on that:
I then lined up the tiles each direction to make sure I wasn't going to have any tiny slivers at the ends.
When I was sure of my layout, I pulled out the item that made the process go so quickly. It's a tile setting mat that you use instead of mortar:
