![]() ![]() Honestly I’m not sure if using the tile mat is a time-saver over going with mastic, but I like that you don’t have quite so much mess or concerns about mixing and applying the mastic adhesive correctly. So I spent the morning and afternoon applying the tile mat, and cutting and applying tile. If you apply them while they are still wet they may not adhere properly. One thing they mentioned in the This Old House video that I’ll repeat here because I think it merits repeating is that you need to let your tiles dry before applying them to the time mat because after you use the saw they are going to be wet. Sometimes the mesh tile sheets were a little difficult to work with when cutting because the saw would kick the tile up a little because of the mesh but I managed to make all the cuts that I needed with only a few tiles broken in the process. I made sure to read the directions and follow all the safety precautions and everything went pretty well. I’m not all that intimidated by power tools in general but saws make me a little nervous. My husband used the saw when we tiled our kids’ bathroom but I did not. So this was the part of the process that intimidated me. Speaking of cuts, can we talk about the tile saw for a minute? Using the Tile Saw This step in the application took some time because I had to stop to measure and make cuts. Figuring that all out took some time and then make sure I applied it smoothly without letting it wrinkle. Honestly I envisioned this process going a little more quickly than it did, but I had to cut round outlets, the window sill, etc. It comes in a roll and so you unroll sections then apply to your wall. So once I got my niece settled in with the kids I got to work applying the adhesive tile mat to the wall. Musselbound Tile Mat Review Applying the Mat ![]() I’m sharing my Musselbound Tile Mat Review hoping that it might help you out. There’s not a ton of info out there about it but we saw a similar product used on an episode of This Old House and it had good reviews on the Lowe’s website, so I decided to go for it since it seemed to make things easier and quicker. If you’ve never seen it before, basically think of it as double-sided tape that’s super aggressive. ![]() In an attempt to get it all done in one day I chose to try MusselBound Tile Adhesive Mat in lieu of the mastic adhesive stuff that you’d usually use. Then I picked my niece up, got my supplies from Lowes, and rushed home to get to work while she babysat. As soon as my husband left for work that Tuesday morning I prepped the kitchen. So I scheduled my niece to babysit in secret and also borrowed my father-in-law’s tile saw on the sly. Although, I did pull off my mystery date night last Fall. He’s pretty good at surprising me (I love surprises) but I have a hard time keeping a secret and so it’s rare that I actually surprise him. It also gave me the opportunity to do something fun- to surprise my husband. My kids adore her and I was excited to have the opportunity to get this done without it consuming one of our weekends. Therefore, when my niece let it be known that she was looking to earn some money during her Spring Break I scheduled her to babysit one day so that I could do it. The BacksplashĪt the beginning of this year I determined that this would be the year. And nearly 3 years later it was still sitting in the garage staring at me, begging me to install it. And we bought the tile for the backsplash around that time. I guess I'm mainly worried I'll end up with loose tiles.We did most of the changes to the kitchen within the first 9 months of moving in. In theory it sounds perfect so that I could just work throughout the day as I am able to, but if this is a nightmare waiting to happen I may need to reconsider. I’m considering something like SimpleMat so that I wouldn’t be a slave to dry times. In order to do that, I’d need to work in tiny sections to not risk her needing me at an inopportune moment, and that’s just…not realistic with the prep that goes in to each batch and the fact that I can't just walk away if things aren't where they're supposed to be. I’ve installed tile before with thinset so I know it’s very much a minutes game. I need to figure out how to get it done with her at home with me. I want to install a backsplash in our kitchen, but I am a stay at home mom with an active toddler so finding large chunks of uninterrupted time is impossible. I’m imagining the opinions on this will be polarized but I’m asking anyway. ![]()
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