Last year we undertook the addition of tumbled stone tiles to the back wall of our wet bar. The space was a simple 7′x7′ square area with no outlet plugs to worry about for tile cutouts. The total cost of this project, including all materials and even purchasing a basic wet saw, was just over $300 after finding a great deal on some 2″x4″ brick tiles we loved. We spent about 20 total labor hours on this (two of us each putting in 10 hours) and feel confident we could do it again much quicker a second time around. The additional value brought to the home is estimated at around $1000, so this is certainly a DIY project that will help your property appraisal value.
Some valuable tips we learned along the way:
- start at the bottom and center of the wall, working your way out from center and up to the ceiling
- buy more tiles than you will use (at least 10% more – you can always return all unused supplies)
- measure each tile twice and you’ll only have to cut once using a rotary wet saw (this is really messy!)
- ensure you have plenty of tile adhesive and grout mix (we almost ran out of both and it’s an extra stress you don’t need, as time is of the essence working with tiles)
- use tile spacers if you buy individual tiles or opt for the tile sections that come on mesh backing, ready for you to trim as required (but you’ll still need that wet saw!)
- allow tiles to set overnight, then grout within 24 hours and apply a tile sealer if desired (we did and it really polishes up the look of the tumbled stone)
I don’t consider ourselves to be the handiest people on the planet (though we have learned a great deal through homeownership) so if we can do it nicely, so can you!
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