Top positive review
4.0 out of 5 starsLooks Great, Takes Work!
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2019
Overall I am very pleased with how this tile worked out. The finished looks is great and adds so much character and depth to our kitchen. I opted to go all the way up one wall and across the top of the cabinets for a more custom look. The install was a process over several days / weekends / ordering more boxes, and here are some tips I highly recommend!
1. Calculate the total square footage you will need DON"T GUESS! I guess and had to order a second time to get enough to finish, the second order of tiles were a slightly different color!! and they seemed like an old batch! Thankfully that was for above the cabinets and less noticeable.
2. Use a level to mark in LIGHT pencil, the level lines to make sure your tile comes out straight.
3. Use a guillotine paper cutter to make straight cuts in the tile, and GO SLOW. (Saved me a TON of time)
4. Remove the "overlay here" tabs on every tile. Even the newer version of these tiles need to have them removed.
5. Lastly and what I found to be the best install method: I formally worked as a graphics installer on walls / vehicles / signs etc. and here is the advice I can give from that experience. Use blue painters tape to sick the tile to the wall before removing the backing. Get it in the perfect place and tape a "hinge" halfway up the tile from one side to the other. Lift the bottom half of the tile up and remove that half of the backing, cutting it away with tape. Apply the bottom half of the tile to the wall starting at the tape and working your way out. Remove the tape, and repeat application process to the top half. If you need further help with that method, google "hinge method of applying vinyl"
Overall it looks great, takes some time to install, can be finicky when making things line up, grey "grout" can flake off if you are not careful, imperfections in wall can be seen through tile so make sure your walls are clean and white/tan like mine, do not apply to fresh paint or dirty / greasy walls. Also, consider getting a hard foam or rubber roller to roll over applied tiles to make sure they are pressed on good. I will update my review if things change.
