From the first moment I saw my new kitchen, I knew the outdated white and black ceramic tiles on the backsplash were going to have to go. I'm sure they were all the rage in their day, but considering that I hadn't even been born then, I don't feel the least bit guilty about letting them go.
After picking the most beautiful glass mosaic tiles for my new backsplash, I did my research online and then took a few classes on tiling and kitchen remodeling at Home Depot. I found my hammer and I bought a new chisel. I was ready to get started. I knew there was a slight chance that I'd do some damage to the plaster, particularly when I first started removing the tiles. That's okay. I've spackled before, and I actually enjoy it. So I was prepared. Or so I thought.
Imagine my utter horror after my first hour or so of banging on my wall and removing some sort of homemade "patch" when I uncovered this:
My surprise at finding that metal boxey-thing there just above the backsplash wasn't too bad. But what was bad, was realizing that the reason the tiles weren't "popping off" as I'd been told they would, was because they had been adhered to the wall in 1-1/2 inches of concrete! Yes, that's right, I did say concrete. Don't believe me? Take a look at this.
The original backsplash is gone now, concrete mortar and all. It was time-consuming, but "MG" (my guy) was kind enough to bang the sh** out of the walls for a few hours on Saturday night. Not a very romantic date, I know, but it made my life so much easier.
My handyman (not to be confused with my man who's handy) then came in and removed the wire mesh that held the concrete in place between the studs, repaired the plaster around the edges, and installed Hardieboard on the backsplash. Now I'm ready to install my beautiful new tiles. Once I finish scraping and re-painting the cabinets, that is. That's a post for another day.
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