nancy3•21d ago

Debate: Should I tile my backsplash myself or hire a pro?

I'm redoing my kitchen in my 1950s bungalow in Portland and hit a wall with the backsplash. On one hand, DIYing it saves me about $600 on labor for a 30-square-foot area, and I've watched enough YouTube videos to feel confident with a tile saw. But on the other hand, I messed up the layout on my last bathroom project and ended up with crooked grout lines that still bug me a year later. A pro quoted me $1,200 for materials and install, which seems steep for a simple subway tile pattern. I'm leaning toward doing it myself with a $50 tile leveling system, but I'm worried about the corners around my outlets. Has anyone else had to choose between saving cash and getting perfect results on a tile job?

2 comments

2 Comments

ivancoleman21d ago

Learned that lesson the hard way when I tried to save cash tiling my bathroom floor and ended up with a line that looks like a drunk snake crawling across the room. A leveling system saved my butt on the second attempt though.

betty_shah21d ago

Ugh, I feel your pain so much... my first tile job in my laundry room still has that one crooked line where I got distracted and now I see it every single time I wash my jeans. For a small space like 30 square feet, I'd say go for it yourself with that leveling system, just be super anal about the layout before you even mix the thinset. Those outlet corners are annoying but you can get little square spacers that help, or even cut the tiles slightly oversized and use a grinder to shave them down later. Honestly, the worst that happens is you spend a weekend frustrated and then still have to call a pro, but saved $600 is real money I could use for a nice new faucet or something.