Decided to tile my own backsplash and ended up with a crooked mess halfway through

I was in my kitchen last Saturday trying to save some cash by doing the tile myself. Got about 4 rows in before I noticed the grout lines were drifting to the right by almost a quarter inch. Had to pull half the tiles off and start over with spacers. Cost me an extra $30 in wasted adhesive and a whole afternoon. Has anyone else had a DIY project turn into a bigger headache than you planned?

2 comments

2 Comments

felix1556d ago

For layout stuff I always snap a chalk line first, then work from the center out instead of starting at the edge. Keeps everything square even if the walls are off.

olivers286d ago

Start from the edge and work in, that way you know your reference line is tied to an actual wall and not an imaginary center point that shifts when you measure. Center layouts just hide crooked walls instead of fixing them.