Xiris and I (well, mostly him!) tiled the backsplash in our kitchen. It was one of those spur of the moment decisions when we found that Home Depot had a “Special Purchase” of a limited quantity of glass mosaic tiles at a STEAL… and they were EXACTLY the colors we were looking for! It really was fate that these colors were there – they match the paint color I had agonized over choosing because we hadn’t planned on tiling so soon. The colors play beautifully with our stainless steel appliances and the existing flecked Corian counters. We just couldn’t be more excited out this!
I really wanted to share with you all how we got it done so fast. It only took us about 6 combined hours of time to do this from start to finish. Had the kids been out of the way, it would have been faster, but we were taking turns entertaining/catering to them. 
Anyway, we found this great product called The Simple Mat by Custom Building Products. It’s basically a giant permanent sticker that holds the tile on the wall. It’s specially formulated for counters and backsplashes, and will hold all kinds of tile as long as the back of the tile has lots of places for the glue on the mat to grab it. 
The sticker will stick and be permanent on any number of surfaces, and BOY it sure it strong. There are a few places where we had to adjust what we were doing or had a change of plans and it takes the drywall down if you try to pull it off!
We put the Simple Mat up on Saturday night after the kids went to bed. The mat is easy to shape to whatever space you have. It comes in 2ft x 1ft sections, and cuts easily with a pair of (cheap!*) scissors or a utility knife. You don’t have to worry too much about wrinkles or bubbles, because you smooth it all down with a grout float to ensure adhesion and flatten those wrinkles. After you get it all stuck down, you peel off the top plastic and start sticking. The instructions say you have HOURS of playtime, so there is no worry about things drying up on you before you get to each section. One thing I wish we had done was mark level lines on the wall before putting on the mat, as the mat is clear we would have better guides for tile placement. We would gently place each sheet of mosaic, which allowed us to nudge and wiggle it to our exact placement. Once happy with it, all we had to do was press pretty firmly and it was STUCK! No mess, no worries of properly mixed/spread thin set. It was AWESOME.
In the end, we’re very pleased with how this project went. The $20 per box for 10sqft, we think, was well worth the price given the size of the project and having the ability to stop-n-start as needed with the kids. Here is the kitchen at about 11pm, all tiled (minus the few cuts we had to do in the morning). Obviously, the grout still needed done. But CHECK IT OUT! WOOOOOO!!! Xiris spent Saturday morning while I was out at the nutrition doctor installing under-counter lighting. They are so fantastic! Can I tell you how much I love being married to a man who knows how to do this kind of thing? *swoon*
Speaking of grout – the instructions with the mat suggest to use SimpleGrout. It’s also by Custom Building Products and available at Home Depot. It’s a premixed sanded grout that comes in a number of colors. We went with “alabaster” because we felt bright white would be too much. Here I am grouting for the first time ever. It was fun! Hard work, and messy, but SO FUN! Another beauty part of this mat – there is NO WAITING for the thin set/mastic to dry before you can grout. In fact, the instructions suggest that for best results to grout within 24 hours, as the grouting process helps finish the tile adhesion process. AWESOME!
All told, this project cost us roughly $300. That’s for the tile, Simple Mat and premixed grout. The impact is well beyond the $300 price tag, I think. Don’t you? The mat says it’s meant for kitchens, or basically anywhere but floors and constant wet places – and we’re hoping it holds up well. Especially behind that GIANT stove, heat and all. I will post a finished project picture soon, as I still need to do the final buff of the tile to remove the grout haze and put everything back where it all goes.
In the interest of full disclosure, I just want to say that Custom Building products have no idea who we are and did not ask for this review. I am a sharing this with you because we thought it was a super product in terms of ease of use and applicability. It’s my honest opinion.
*Xiris originally tried to cut the mat with my GOOD SCISSORS! You know, the fabric ONLY scissors. We couldn’t find our craft scissors, so he thought these would be second best. I told him - “oh sure go ahead, i guess. they’re not the best scissors anyway, they were only $50 and I’ll just go get a better pair later.” He went out and found his utility knife after gently putting the scissors down. hehehe.