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davidmangold

Need help with kitchen backsplash on outside corner

11 years ago

I've just installed a backsplash in my kitchen and wasn't prepared for how to deal with the outside corner. Does anyone have any advice of how to properly finish this corner? Bullnose tiles are not available for this type of subway tile. I'm also unsure of how to finish the ending edge along the brick wall. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!


Comments (38)

  • 11 years ago

    It is almost impossible to add any trim pieces in once the tile is in place. Another issue is that the tiles at the corner are not the same distance apart. Easiest might be to add a wood molding piece at this point, a corner shape and a straight piece over by the brick, painted white, once you have the tile grouted.

  • 11 years ago

    If necessary I can pull the tiles along the corner and cut new pieces to make room for a trim piece.

  • PRO
    11 years ago

    Look into Schluter products. I'm not sure if they have an angle trim but it's a nice way to terminate tile without bullnose tile. I would avoid a wood piece as it looks like you have done a nice job and wood will make it look amateur. Otherwise pull the corner tiles and miter them then do a nice clean grout joint. The outside corner looks like it's not 90 degrees? The Schluter is perfect for the brick intersection but you would need to pull those also as it goes on first. Again, you can always apply trim to the outside but it will look like a band aid on an otherwise nice job.

    http://www.schluter.com/139.aspx


  • 11 years ago
    If you are willing to pop them off I would do so and get yourself an outside corner trim that appeals to you. There are rounded corner trims as well as squared ones. You may end up having to pull off both corners depending on how close you cut the tiles to the corner. Start with removing one side. Fit the trim and see how it looks against the other edge.
  • PRO
    11 years ago

    Schluter has an outside corner piece that comes in white. Probably a special order but should come in pretty quickly. We used one on a shower soffit - but much larger than what you will want. I would not use a strip of any kind at the brick wall. I would grout the area since the brick is so uneven.

  • 11 years ago

    CCM you are correct that the outside corner is not 90 degrees. It sounds like the Schluter may be a good solution for the brick ending. For the outside corner it sounds like I can either pull the corner tiles and miter them, or pull the corners and make room for a trim piece? I'm okay with doing some extra work here for the best final product.

  • 11 years ago

    Deborah, would the Schluter outside corner work if it is not 90 degrees?

  • 11 years ago

    CCM has the right answer for your dilemma. Good luck & otherwise nice job.

  • 11 years ago

    I'm not seeing a Schluter outside corner for 135 degrees in white. So is the best option to pull and miter cut the outside corner tiles?

  • PRO
    11 years ago

    I don't know what angles Schluter provides. It would be on the website so I guess 135 is not an option. Could you take the Schluter Jolly strip and install it on one side of the corner and bump the other side into it?

  • 11 years ago
    Given that you used full tiles already at the corners, your tiles won't be long enough for you to recut them with a mitre on the ends. Hopefully you can find a trim piece that you can make work.
  • 11 years ago
    The Schluter deco- de is for outside 135 degree corners. You have stainless appliances so I would use the stainless edge trim. It is only a thin visible line.
  • 11 years ago

    It looks like the smallest size the Schluter deco-de comes in is 8mm, but my tiles are 6mm thick.

  • 11 years ago
    I suspect you could still make it work by recessing it slightly or a bit of extra thin set as you set the tiles
  • 11 years ago

    Should I be flipping the tiles to place the finished edge out and cut edge inward?

  • 11 years ago
    Put the cut edge against the trim
  • PRO
    11 years ago

    -If you went to a stone fabricator they could mill a piece of stone to fit the
    angle if you are not satisfied with the metal corner.

  • PRO
    11 years ago

    I would have skipped the grout joint spacers. Most wall tiles can be butted side by side because they have very small bumpers on the side of the tile giving a clean 1/16" grout joint. Including a couple photos so you know what I'm talking about..
    I would pull all the tiles on the corner and re-cut for a better grout joint.


  • PRO
    11 years ago
    135° stainless steel corner edge
  • 11 years ago
    @cinar. He can't recut the corner tiles to make the joints smaller as you are suggesting. Every other row is already a full tile so that is not an option. The outside corner trim is the way to go.
  • PRO
    11 years ago

    Any sheet metal shop can cut a piece of stainless and bend it to the exact angle you need. Then just stick it on with adhesive caulk.

  • 11 years ago

    If you are using white grout it shouldn't look that bad. Just fill in the gaps. Not sure about the corner pieces; it seems like it could draw you attention to it.

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Schluter trim.

  • PRO
    11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    @Kivi, yes you can. There are ways to fool the eye and have the uncut tiles appear to have smaller grout joints on the corner but the cut tiles need to be addressed. Nothing is impossible when you know what you're doing.

  • 11 years ago

    I have never seen a tile stretcher. Perhaps you have some ocean front property in Arizona you are also trying to unload?

  • PRO
    11 years ago

    No reason to be a smart aleck. There are ways to get around not having a god awful metal trim on the corner, you have to be optimistic. I have only been in business for the past 40 yrs, without an open mind I would have never made it thus far. If there's a will, there's a way. You don't have to pull all the tile to fix such a small problem.

  • PRO
    11 years ago

    Looks fantastic, you did a great job!

  • PRO
    11 years ago

    Great look. I would not try to do anything where the tile meets the brick other than grout as normal and let it fill in. It will only be noticeable to you and even then, only for a short period of time.

  • 11 years ago

    perfect! good work (on both spots).

  • 11 years ago

    Yep. Good job!

  • PRO
    11 years ago

    Too late, the Schluter trim has to be installed underneath the tile, it has a lip to do so.

  • PRO
    11 years ago

    Like others might have mentioned, there is a large selection of outside corner edge moldings available which come in many colors, made out of diffrent materials and they make perfect edge.

    At this point it will be very hard to slip one in, maybe a plastic one, if you cheat a little and cut the flange off and glue just the face of it on "it might work" and if it does it will look much better compared to just using grout which could crack, etc down the road.

    Talk to you tile guy and see which corner molding can be used and the one which can be modified.

    Best of luck.

  • 11 years ago

    this work was completed in may if you had read up a couple posts.

  • PRO
    11 years ago

    Thanks! Didn't pay attention.

  • 5 years ago

    Any after pictures?

  • 4 years ago

    Yeah, how did this turn out post-grout? I’ll be hitting my outside corner tomorrow but do not want to use Schluter trim :/

  • PRO
    4 years ago

    Best way is to miter those tile joints if you don't want to use a Schluter edge or have access to bullnose.