I did consider doing DIY tiling in my new build.

I decided against because of time and work limitations, but your time and work limitations might well vary. I certainly wouldn't do "wet work" tiling without experience with "wet work" tiling! (Here I consider anything that ends up in your shower or the tile above your tub, for starters.)

IF you do decide to try -- practice on stuff that doesn't matter.

Tiling a backsplash in the kitchen is relatively easy but you have to make a lot of cuts and usually requires trim pieces which can be pretty expensive...a wet saw is the way to cut also.

If you are going to tile the inside of the shower walls then that is a whole different ball game. There is a BUNCH of prep work that needs to be done or you will have a big mess in a short time.

Whenever someone asks if something is easy, I always answer, "It depends, especially upon the person doing the job." After building an entire house, including a LOT of things I've never done before, I found almost all of it to be technically easy, although much of it was physically demanding. That being said, I'm a tool maker by trade, and extremely exacting job, and I have much better than average mechanical skills and a good eye for making things right. There's no way to assess whether or not you have the mechanical aptitude without actually doing it. Some people are really gifted in that area, some just never get it.

When I try something new, I do a lot of research- on-line, books, you-tube, etc., until I fully understand the entire process, and have convinced myself that I can do it. If you're still timid, buy some really cheap tile and test your skills on a scrap piece. After it all sets up, you can even test it to make sure the tiles are properly bonded. I think you'll find out pretty quickly whether the project is something you can handle.

I've done a lot of tile in our new house, and even though I haven't done much tile in the past, I find it fairly easy and enjoyable. I use a very cheap wet saw (about $50). It's not very loud or scary, but of course, it can still hurt you. As summersatthelake said, prep is VERY important, and becomes especially critical in areas such as showers. There's a LOT of work in building a good shower before you tile. The tile is just a decorative covering over an already-waterproof structure.

The layout of the tile can be important, too. I measure and calculate a lot, and sometimes even draw the space to scale (in Sketch-Up) so I don't end up with a big tile on one end, and a sliver on the other. You can also lay the tiles out on a horizontal surface to work it all out before you put them on the wall. They make inexpensive tile spacers that you can use to keep the grout lines even as you place the tiles. You need to make sure the tiles stay put until the adhesive sets up.

We have done floor, wall and backsplash tile more than once. More than once = it's not so bad! I would do it again and in fact will be doing our kitchen backsplash this fall.

Note: we moved in a year ago so if you are doing it yourself you can let that go until you are in if you are in a time crunch with other things. It won't hurt anything being bare painted wall while you get settled.

artemis "practice on things that don't matter". You can get some really cheap tile and if you are really nervous go for the practice. Make sure you mix the prep and grout according to the directions. Get familiar with the trowel.

Grout: I have never attempted epoxy grout - everything I read was that it's more difficult and I didn't ever want to introduce something 'tricky' like that when the tile is already down and risk a job gone wrong and getting the bad grout job out - oh I don't even want to have to go there. I think the grouting can be the crux of a tile job. I tend to wipe too much after and it can wash out the grout as even with a really wrung out sponge you are introducing more water which also changes the concentration and can leave uneven grout coloring. Really study up as Mushcreek said and thanks to youtube there are a lot of videos on it too.

Noise: We have a wet saw and I used ear muffs when I was cutting - they are inexpensive and it was an easy solution to the noise. Easily solved.

I am sure pro's don't do this but we dry fit all floors so we can see how it lays out and get our cuts going. Not so easy to do with wall tile and we have never done a shower or shower surround but we did do above our master shower. They make large format tile mortar so if you are using large tile (larger than 12x12) make sure you use that. Use the spacers, figure them in and do some math so you can get it really close on paper to how it's going to lay out. You should be able to get consistent grout lines if you use the spacers and your tile is very uniform.

Be patient with yourself and take your time. Do not plan to install on a day where you are trying to fit it in along with x, y and z.

Good luck!

High expectations and no skills equals a big disappointment every day that you look at that job. If you had already done tile work,owned a wetsaw, and were already moved in, you could take your time and learn from your mistakes. Under a time crunch, first time doing any of this means pay the pro.

I should add that our very first tile job was a basement bathroom. Perfect place to give it a whirl.

I would not do an eye level backsplash in a main area like the kitchen for a very first give it a go. It's too visible and my expectations would be like yours so I get that and I would kick myself every time I walked in that room if it didn't turn out like I hoped.

In our new build I screwed up some of the floor tile that is offset brick. DH and I divided and conquered. He was doing the half bath dry fit and I was doing the office nook. Both spaces are off the back hall and it's all tiled. I have no idea what I was thinking (one wrong measurement and bam) but I went from 1/2 offset to 1/3 offset in my area. Now that it has furniture in it you can't really see it (okay so you can but it's not obvious) so I'm over it but at the time......majorly upset with myself. If it were a backsplash - I can easily say I'd still be torqued about it.

The wet saw is not so bad. Get the $20 ear protectors...you should have a pair around regardless.

My first diy job was in a basement. So yes, there is somewhat a learning curve.

To me the kitchen splash sounds like the easier place to start. White/white being somewhat more forgiving.

FYI the pros who did the tile on our new build weren't very good. Period. I could have done the same or in most cases better.

Like has been said. Practice. Measure, do the cuts, lay it out. Then the setting is the least of it.

PS I hate the new epoxy grout. Also, be careful of any latex admixtures. In one floor job I did I used too much water washing off and the latex floated to the top of the grout lines. Big mess, near impossible to fix.

I've done one backsplash, one tub surround, and one stall shower.

The problem with showers is not the tiling, if you pick an easy to handle one, it's the waterproofing and surface prep. My bath remodel guy spent three days on prep (squaring up the studs, applying the backer board, taping and sealing and applying some bright pink stuff) ... the tiling took about 5 hours spread over a few days because you have to let the thinset set up after a few layers.

Plan your backsplash to minimize the need for trim pieces. By going wall to wall behind the range with a plain running bond I only had a few cuts around the plugs. Under the window started with a FULL tile at the end of that run with the cut tile tucked into the corner behind the mixer.

I made smaller than usual adhesive and grout spreaders from plastic drywall blades

May I suggest that if you plan to use a white subway tile, think about using an off-white 'grayish' grout, lest your tile blend in with and disappear when a white grout is applied. This is what we used:

The subway tile is jeffrey court 3x6 from Home Depot, along with the prism grout in snow white, also at HD.

With some practice, you can do tile work! Like the others, I probably would not choose such a visible area for your first project. Heck, maybe it's worth practicing on some plywood to get comfortable.

DIY tile is very rewarding with some practice!

Tiling a shower for my first time right now. My opinion on tiling is about the same as drywall. Its not hard to do it yourself, but for a professional quality job it will take 4 times longer for me to do it than hiring a professional. If you used a miter saw, you will be fine with a tile saw- it works the same as a table saw on a smaller scale. I think you will do just fine, if you have the time and patience that a tiling job requires.

I'm still undecided. If only the contractors would call me back, guess they aren't hurting for business right now.

The shower is just a tub surround. The bathtub is already in place with all the plumbing. My builder knew I wanted to tile after closing so instead of the usual fiberglass one piece thing he just did a bathtub with some sort of cement board instead of drywall. It's been painted over though so it looks like normal drywall. Right now I have a temporary 12 inch piece of plastic where the tub meets the wall so that it would pass inspection.

The kitchen backsplash shouldn't be too bad. I only have one edge where I would need a finish or bullnose piece. I just want a simple running bond pattern with the standard white subway.

How square are the walls? Check that as that will make perfect grout lines tough. Backsplash looks straight forward. Do you have time at your disposal so you don't have to rush?

I like your fridge! Very cool.

Ninja: I do like the gray grout + white tile, especially with marble counters and I plan to do that in the bath. My kitchen though will have cream cabinets eventually (plus my white appliances) so I think I should stick with white grout.

Inspiration

"My builder knew I wanted to tile after closing so instead of the usual
fiberglass one piece thing he just did a bathtub with some sort of
cement board instead of drywall. It's been painted over though so it
looks like normal drywall."

Will the paint interfere with the waterproofing compound or the tile adhesive?

What did he seal the corners and nails with?

I didn't read all of this so forgive me if this has already been said. While I have done tile many times. Some badly and some so good that even the tile guys are amazed, (my back still hasn't forgiven me for tiling the whole basement). Subway tile is by far the easiest tile I have ever done. It is one of the few types of tile that I find incredibly forgiving. If you are going to use one of the US ceramic subway tiles from Home Depot the tiles have spacers in them, I mean they are hard to mess up. You really don't need a wet saw I have one and I never get it out on a subway tile job, I just use a tile cutter and a tile sanding stone, for complicated cuts use an angle grinder (cheapie Harbor Freight model works - be safe with it - patience and confidence).

While not advising you to do it on your own. I am saying that it is a really good DIY project.

I would not do it yourself if you have never tiled anything, have a deadline and expect perfect results.

That said, most "professional" tile jobs that I see are fairly sloppy. It's rare to see a good tile job.