How to Save Tile Backsplash

9 years ago

I've been hacked! Can you please help me come up with a reasonable way to help me save my backsplash?

(I'd appreciate if you will please refrain from criticizing my contractor choice or dwelling on the obvious. I've already beat myself up enough.)

So, after he hacked my granite install (that really is better stated as ruined and I'll leave that for another thread), while he was "trying" to fix it , two of the 6"X8" tiles in my backsplash must have been in his way so he cut them out, drywall and all! After turning down his offer for another "great deal" on a new backsplash, I asked him how he planned on fixing it. He told me he would add a piece of wood behind it so he could reaffix the tile properly. That sounded reasonable but what did I find? The two tiles were held up with only a small bead of caulk on the outer perimeter and a dab of liquid nails on the stud.

So...... creative folks.......how can I fix this? My plan is to glue a piece of wood along the backside of the drywall on the opposite corner of the hole to have something to fasten some new drywall to. Do you have a better idea?

Thanks in advance!

Comments (5)

speaktodeek
9 years ago
You can cut wide (like 6 inches wide) strips of drywall, glue them to the INSIDE surface of the existing drywall so they overlap into the hole a couple inches at least. Do this around the perimeter of the hole. If part of your perimeter is a stud, then clean off the stud down to the stud surface and you don't need an inside drywall strip there. Let that set/dry. Now you cut a drywall patch the size of the hole and glue that down to the flanges of the drywall strips. This gives you a patch. Now you clean your tile and re-apply to the new drywall patched surface.

Here is an example picture. It's a little confusing because on the bottom of the hole there is also a layer of formica on the wall - ignore that. You can see the inside strip of drywall being clamped to the inside of the hole.

This post was edited by beautybutdebtfree on Fri, Nov 7, 14 at 13:40
caliamara
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for the reply. I thought I was following you but I don't think I completely understand your directions. Are you suggesting that tile ultimately be set over a double layer of drywall? Also, how do I glue it around the perimeter?

Thanks again
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caliamara
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for the reply. I thought I was following you but I don't think I completely understand your directions. Are you suggesting that tile ultimately be set over a double layer of drywall? Also, how do I glue it around the perimeter?

Thanks again
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
9 years ago
caliamara:

Use a hot melt glue gun to secure 2" wide blocking around the opening perimeter. One inch to adhere to the back of the drywall and one inch into the opening. Any larger and you may encounter rocking from the previous uneven application of adhesive.

Using tiny bits of hot melt, secure shims in the grout lines that are proud of the tile. When you hot melt the tile back in place, the shims will guide you to perfect positioning. After holding the tile in place for half a minute, pull the shims. The tile is secured and the grout lines are perfect.
speaktodeek
9 years ago
I use carpenter's glue (for drywall to drywall). I don't like hot melt for such things as if you have any delay it sets up and is dimensional. Carpenter's glue with clamps will squeeze perfectly flat. So you can use wider strips if you want. Just make sure your clamps will fit over the width of your strip as shown above. Hot glue you don't need to clamp but you may not get a flat plane, either, if it sets up too fast before you squeeze the planes together.

You end up with a drywall patch in the same plane as the wall drywall, and some strips glued to the backs of that plane around the perimeter of the hole. So yes you in places have two layers of drywall, where the strips are. But the second layer is actually inside the wall drywall layer.

When you go to set the tile onto the new drywall, you can use hot glue or adhesive caulk (white lightning 3006) or amazing goop or more mastic, unless you have a very large, very heavy tile, which you don't appear to have. In that case you'd want to use tile set product. Use spacers until whatever adhesive is hardened and set. Again, I don't like to use hot glue here because if it starts to set up before you have placed the tile fully, you get a proud tile - you have to be very fast to work with hot melt.