I'm afraid of a wet saw. Doesn't look like a fun job to me! I'll stick with painting.

Remember you'll have all outlet holes and pieces to match and maybe corners. You'll want a laser level too to make sure things are straight. (and set evenly - i.e. all the same level in the mud -sounds easy, but apparently there are professionals who mess that up - like in my 2000 remodel!)

DH and I have done two DIY backsplashes. It is doable with two folks, but I think would be much more difficult with one. With two folks, one can measure, spread thin-set, set the tiles and keep an eye on things to be sure they don't slip and slide or fall off. The other can be outside with the wet saw cutting the tiles.

Our first project was simple 3" x 6" white subway tile along two walls (one inside corner). Something that made it MUCH easier was using lugged tile. This way we didn't have to worry about spacers and keeping the spacing correct.

I think we had five outlets to deal with. Remember that for outlets you'll need to allow for the thickness of the tile so will need spacers between the duplex outlet and the box, or box extenders.

The laser level is an excellent idea. How many square feet of backsplash do you have to do?

There are differing opinions on backerboard. It's used for 'wet' areas. Some people consider the backsplash a wet area, some dont. It's right next to the sink, but usually doesn't get saturated. Decide on how wet you think it'll get and make your decision that way.

I've tiled bathroom walls and a floor alone, using wet saw and the other, score and snap kind. It's definitely not hard by any means, and if you consider yourself crafty, go for it. I'd suggest getting a tiling book from the library, just to give yourself an overview with pictures. Have fun! Tiling is a fun and gratifying project!

I use john bridge as my goto tile forum. You will find answers to pretty much every question. There are a lot of tile pros on that forum.

So far I have done 3 tile projects and my experience everytime is that if you want to do it right and have it loook good to the trained eye it will take time ... probably more time than you think. With proper research, preparation and attention to detail it is doable.

I would tile over two days and then grout the following week if you need to work during the week. I've tiled a backsplash with subway tile myself. If handy it's quite doable by yourself. Just take your time, be sure to lay everything out first to double check you don't have strange corners, etc. I say go for it. I made sure to spread thinset in small areas and then also spread some on the tile itself. A small level is a must but it doesn't need to be a laser level. My tile was in a very old kitchen (110 yrs old) so I just butted the tile up to one another. My tile was very straight though.

Below is a picture of the kitchen I did it for. I never redid the kitchen in the house, just painted the cabinets, added a laminate countertop in the black slate look and did the backsplash. The black white border within, is a floor tile mosaic I cut into 4 strips and laid out in a line.

Here is a link that might be useful:

what kind of tile are you using? if you're using ceramic tile you don't need a wet saw.

1. Is installing it myself a good idea or would I really be better off having a contractor do it?

Over at John BRidge's website, I have a signature line that accompanies every post I send in:

"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're probably right."

It's all a matter of self confidence. This is about as basic a tile installation as it gets.

2. Do I need to apply backer board or anything to the backsplash area prior to glueing on the tiles?

No, you can go right over the sheetrock.

3. Anyone have a favorite website with DIY instructions?

I WOULD say ask me right here, but I've been so busy lately I can't promise to be all that reliable for advice, so I'll agree with what previous posters have told you and recommend you head over to John Bridge's site (tell em I sent ya!) :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: John Bridge's Tile Advice Forum

Thanks for your thoughts, everyone. Bill V, I love that quote! And after giving it more thought and doing a bit more research, I'm certain that I can do this. It's probably about 35 square feet or so, and the trickiest part, I think, will be the one corner where two walls meet. Other than that, it should be pretty straight-forward. (I already have a laser level, chalk line-maker, and other helpful tools). cpartist, thanks for the reminder about going slow, and finishing the project over two weekends if I need to. I'm gonna do it!

Whoop whoop! :)

Go forit, dudette! :-)