6 Hours to a Tin Tile Backsplash

By Megan Johnson

Welcome to DIY Diary. Each entry covers a new home improvement project. Here, DIY enthusiast Courtney Hans puts a vintage spin on a lackluster kitchen.

Looking to dip her toes back into DIY work with an aesthetic project that would inject some light into her corner kitchen, Courtney Hans installed a tin tile backsplash. The yoga teacher and manager of a customer success team had purchased her south Austin bungalow over 16 years ago, and has completely transformed the home since. Yet she still found the kitchen to be the darkest room in the house, even after she painted the kitchen's dark green walls a lavender-white hue. As life got busy, Hans had taken a step back from tackling serious DIY projects. But the dark kitchen kept nagging. The answer to the gloomy space? "Reflective surfaces," Hans says. "I’m trying to make it brighter, brighter, brighter."

Hans dug into backsplash research, cruising everything from tin tile manufacturer websites to the YouTube channels of avid DIY’ers. "I was trying to figure out what I would need," says Hans, who discovered she had two options for methods to install Fasade brushed nickel backsplash panels on the kitchen wall. She could either use glue or double-sided tape to adhere the tin tile sheets to the drywall. Hans settled on the latter, choosing Fasade double-sided tape. "Everything I read about it said it's pretty easy to fix if you don't like the results," Hans says. "I was like, alright, I’m going to make this as simple for myself as I can."

Before she could install any tiles to the kitchen wall, Hans had to adequately prepare the space. Cleveland-based interior designer Ashleigh Clark of Ashleigh Clark Interiors, who has installed hundreds of tin tile backsplashes over the years, says it's vital to start with a clean, safe space. Since Hans was cutting metal around electrical outlets, she unplugged all of the appliances and turned off the breakers. Clark recommends using a washcloth dipped into a solution of white vinegar and water to cut down on wall grease—this is a kitchen, after all. A clean surface will ensure the double-sided tape will actually stick, and hold.

To tile your backsplash, you’ll need:

Tools of the trade: You’ll need more than tin tile and double-sided tape.

To install under cabinet lighting, you’ll need:

Check that the electricity is off before you start the project.

DIY’er Courtney Hans preps the walls with a wipe down.

The most annoying part of prep was clearing the countertop. Since Hans recently painted the kitchen wall, cleaning was easy. She used Blueland multi-surface cleaner and a rag to freshen up the surface. To remove the two outlet covers, a flathead screwdriver did the task.

Covering the underside of the cabinets will further enhance the brushed nickel backsplash sheen.

Since the goal was to add more light to the otherwise gloomy kitchen, Hans knew that under-cabinet lighting would make the space brighter. To further enhance the light illumination, she painted the raw pressboard underneath the cabinetry in Behr Swiss Coffee paint, a creamy white. Use old newspapers to protect the countertop from paint drips.

The adage measure twice, cut once, comes into play.

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Before Hans could adhere any tin tiles to the wall, she needed to perform what Clark calls a "dry lay." This is the process of mapping out the tiles from the inside corner of the wall where the backsplash would start, and determining the exact length and width of the tile that will fit. "When you do the dry lay, account for the edging," Clark advises. "Once you apply the panels to your wall, take your choice of edging and attach that over the top of the end of the tile." Mark the measurements on your tile with a marker. A T square helps keep the line straight. Hans laid out the tin tile sheets along the countertop to ensure she would have enough panels to cover the desired space on the wall. Luckily she had bought extra.

Double-check that the "dry lay" not only actually transfer seamlessly onto the wall, but match up with anything existing in your kitchen. "You don't want the pattern to be off," Clark says. "If you have any focal points, whether it's your range, or your sink, you’re going to want a centered tile on there, because that's what your eye is going to be drawn to."

Because the tin panels were larger than the space between the countertop and the cabinets, Hans had to account for the excess, marking the area that would need to be trimmed. This is also the time to locate the exact location and measurements of your outlets, so you can then cut and trim the tin tiles to fit.

Hans marks the extra area on the tin tile, allowing it to fit between the countertop and cabinet.

"I realized, okay, I’m going to have to cut down every single one of these tin tiles about an inch," Hans laments. "I’m not going to get a freebie." Clark's number one piece of advice: Wear work gloves. "You can cut yourself very quickly," she warns. Using the tin snips, she trimmed about an inch off the top of the tin tiles so they would fit perfectly right under the cabinetry.

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Keep your fingers safe: Don't skip the work gloves.

The outlet opening proved tricky, but nothing a Leatherman tool couldn't handle.

Cutting the tin around the two outlets proved to be a bit more challenging. "My snips really didn't have a very sharp edge. The point is kind of rounded," says Hans, who ultimately grabbed a Leatherman tool that she had on hand. To cut the space around the outlets, she lined the tiles up against the wall, and marked the outlet location. She used the Leatherman tool to puncture a small hole from the front side of the tin tile to the back that she could wheedle the tin snips into. At this point, she cut at an angle toward each of the corners, pulling back the triangles before cutting them off.

"That part is very finicky," says Hans, who felt she didn't have sharp enough tin snips.

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Alternatively, to make the process easier for future DIY’ers, Clark suggests drilling a hole in the center of the outlet [once you find and outline the correct measurement]. "You can start the tin snip from the center of the outlet, and make cuts from end to end," she says.

Cover the raw sides of the tin tile with edge trim.

Hans used the double-sided tape to attach the edge trim under the tin tiles to create a cohesive line where it meets the countertop. Since the edging pieces are heavier, Clark recommends using a thicker product, like Liquid Nails construction adhesive, to attach them to the wall. Clark also advises installing the tin tiles first, followed by the edging, rather than doing them together.

In contrast to her original plan, Hans chose to not use any edging in the corner where the tiles met the wall. "When I added the corner edging, I noticed the bottom of that edging didn't have a really elegant way of matching the bottom piece of the edging," she explained. While she knew it would be hidden in her kitchen behind appliances, she wanted it to look cleaner, and chose to go without the edging in the corner. "I jettisoned that piece. It looks crisper that way," she continued.

Hans gently pushes the tin tile panel against the drywall.

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One you do the dry lay, and you have the tiles cut to fit, it's time to lay the double-sided tape on each panel. Place the bottom of the panel on the countertop, and put it in the corner where the countertop and wall meet. Lay it onto the wall so you’re covering all the visible drywall— no gaps between countertop and tile. Overlap each tile about a 1/16 of an inch, moving left to right, Clark advises. Hans cut off pieces of the double-sided tape and adhered them to the bottom edging piece and each tin tiles. Pressed against the wall gently. One by one, she added the adhesive, and went left-to-right, pushing the panels and edging against the wall.

After attaching the tin tiles and edging, Hans secured the chargeable, magnetic lighting strips under the cabinetry. "You can just tap them to turn them on, or leave them on, and they react to motion," she says.

The only tool you’ll need to replace outlet covers is a flathead screwdriver.

Once all the tiles are laid into place, install the outlet covers with a flathead screwdriver. Before you put the outlet covers in place, check that the tin tile does not touch any electrical wiring. Hans chose outlet covers that were the same brushed nickel shade as the tin tiles. If they don't match, Clark recommends painting so they don't stand out, then installing. "[Outlet covers] should sit over the top of the tile so there's no gaps," she says.

With her project complete in less than six hours, she was still full of energy by the end of the day. "I taught a yoga class, and still went to a concert in the evening," Hans says.

Everything is illuminated, with a tin tile backsplash, that is.

Ultimately, the finished tin tile backsplash adds a genuine sense of depth to the kitchen. "Somehow, it makes it feel like the ceiling is taller," she says. "I love the way it looks." Hans estimates the project cost her about $250 total. "I think if I hired someone it would have been like $800," she says. While there are a few tiny mistakes Hans might spot, they aren't prominent enough for anyone else to notice.