Create A Beautiful, Timeless Tile Feature Wall With These Simple Steps

I had been dreaming about creating a large, beautiful tile feature wall for some time, but it always seemed like something I wouldn’t be able to accomplish by myself.

From the grout to the tile saw and tile cutters, it all seemed a little too tough.

But as we began renovating our laundry room, I became determined to try. After all, a gorgeous tile feature wall behind the washer and dry would be so perfect.

So I set out to give it a try! And I followed these simple steps to get me there.

CREATE A BEAUTIFUL, TIMELESS TILE FEATURE WALL WITH THESE SIMPLE STEPS

Let’s kick this off with the materials! What you use here totally matters. When it came to tile, I really wanted a subway tile look, but I wanted that look elevated.

I searched around for a while, but failed to find the perfect tile. That is until I found Bedrosian Tile.

They have a gorgeous white 3″x12″ traditions tile in a matte finish that totally called my name.

I made sure to measure out what kind of square footage I needed (and accounted for a little extra for the tiles I’d need to cut or ones that might break), placed my order, and basically waited by the door until they arrived.

I mean they’re PERFECTION.

MATERIALS & TOOLS

Then I gathered the rest of my materials!

Here’s what you need…

• Tile of your choosing. I chose this White Bedrosian Traditions Tile Size 3″x12″ in a matte finish.
• Simple Mat – Get this for your tile feature wall and thank me later. This was a game-changer.
• Pre-mixed grout. I got this brand in the Natural Gray color.
• Spacers. I used these 1/8 inch spacers.
• Grout float
• Sponge
• Rags
• Level
• Painters tape
• Disposable tarps
• Tile saw. This is the one we have! You could always rent this from your local hardware store.
• Tile cutter
• Caulk

STEP 1: LAY OUT YOUR SIMPLE MAT

Grab your Simple Mat and begin rolling it out and adhering it to your feature wall or backsplash. You can cut this to fit any space with some scissors.

Once you stick it to your wall, make sure you don’t remove the paper until you’re ready to stick your tile to it! It will lose its stickiness if you do.

After your Simple Mat is adhered to your wall, grab your tile and your spacers.

STEP 2: PUT UP YOUR TILE

Grab your tile and spacers and begin at the bottom. You’ll want to lay out the entire bottom row of tile first and move upward.

Using your spacers and level to ensure your tile is even and straight, stick your tile to your simple mat. Press firmly once it’s in the right spot and move on to the next.

Continue to tile in rows moving from the bottom to the top of your feature wall.

Measure and use your tile saw or tile cutter as needed. Make sure to read all instructions that come with both tools to ensure you are being safe and using them properly, and always be sure to wear the right safety gear!

Once you’re finished laying out your tile, you can move on to the next step!

STEP 3: GROUT

Tape up around your tile wall and tarp your floors and counters. This next step will get messy!

Grab a bucket full of warm water, your sponges, your grout, your rags and your float.

Open your grout and use your float to scoop out some grout. Place it on your tile wall and move your float upward at a 45 degree angle.

Work in smaller sections, approximately 4-5 square feet at a time.

Once you have filled your spaces with grout using your float, grab a sponge and dip it in your warm water.

Ring out your sponge until it’s just barely damp! This is important. You don’t want too much water on your sponge. Then gently clean off any excess grout from your tile, rinsing and ringing your sponge in your bucket as you go.

Don’t move on to the next step until your tile is nice and clean from that extra grout! Once it dries, it’s much more difficult to remove.

Repeat this step until your tile is totally grouted, aside from any edges (you can caulk those later if you need to!).

STEP 4: CLEAN & CAULK

Once your grout has had time to dry (about 24 hours), take a slightly damp rag and clean your tile again. This will help to get all the grout haze off.

Then seal any edges with caulk (especially if your tile meets a countertop or anything that will get wet).

STEP 5: STAND BACK AND ADMIRE YOUR HARD WORK!

And that’s it! Honestly, I expected this project to be way more difficult. But it really wasn’t all that bad! And I love the outcome!

Tell me what you think in the comments below!

As for those cabinets you see throughout the pictures, head here for a tutorial on how we made those doors and drawers!