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Question re mosaic tile; how to treat at edges

15 years ago

I am planning on getting a msoaic tile backsplash that is 3 inches by 3 inches. At the ends of the backsplash. where the tile ends and my painted drywall wall begins, should there be a "bullnose" type of vertical tile piece installed (e.g. 3 inches by 13 inches)? Or with the 3 x 3 size mosaic tile, would it look better to just carry the small tiles all the way to the edge? Then there is no bullnose, if I understand correctly, just the final line of tile. Does that look OK? Any other places trim pieces make sense to use that I'm not aware of? I am not doing anything special behind the stovetop. I do have a tile ledge over my sink. Thanks!

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Comments (8)

bill_vincent
15 years ago
Two questions:

Is this ceramic or stone mosaic?

Do you have a pic or a link to your tile?
beware
Original Author
15 years ago
Hi - you may recall an earlier post in which I thought 6 x 6 was my choice. I found a better tile and it comes in 3 x 3, then next size up is 13 x 13, so 3 x 3 is preferable. I've had a tough time finding a tile that is a good complement to my new quartz counters. It's Daltile Canaletto in Bianco color. It's porcelain tile. From what I've found on photo galleries on the web, it seems that it's common for mosaic tile of this size to NOT have a trim piece at the edges. Any thoughts/comments are appreciated!
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If not, you can always take pieces to a stone shop and have them bullnose them for you.
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I left the edges of my glass tiles exposed in both by master bathroom and the kitchen backsplash in my old house.The first time I did it I was worried it would look weird. But it looks great! Glass tiles don't have an "unfinished" edge like glazed ones do. Just grout that edge carefully, and run a bead of caulk along it, cleaning it up well so that all it does is fill in any grout lines that might be gapping in from the edges. One other thing.... Is it possible for you to remove the hood and tile up behind it? If not, make sure that you caulk the HECK out of the top edge where it meets the hood. I didn't pay close enough attention to that edge in my old house, and over the years, grease (from the air going up the hood) dripped down behind the tiles. Since they were translucent, you could see the stain, and it was impossible to clean.
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I have a white/gray stone tile and it's thicker than a typical subway tile. Tonight at Home Depot I put a Schluter brushed metal tile edge against it and was surprisingly pleased with the result. Even though it's a vintage (1920's) style kitchen, it works with some of the modern elements like the stainless steel fridge and lighting fixture.
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A few options in no particular order: 1) He can cut the entire sheet on a wet saw with an appropriate blade. The sheet will be able to withstand the process...or it won't. 2) If the sheet is too delicate for the wet saw, he could keep everything dry by score/snap/nippers to cut the long tiles to length. Some glass snaps evenly, some doesn't. Depends on glass size, shape, surface irregularities, and the skill of the one holding the tool. 3) If the glass does not give decent and repeatable results by cutting manually (raggedy edges, edge fractures), he could pull the long tiles off the mesh, install the sheet on the wall, then cut each removed piece to length and then set them. Depending on what tools he has in his tool kit, some glass can be dry cut without thermal cracking. Your mosaic are small enough where that could be a possibility. But in general I prefer to not dry cut glass with an abrasive wheel.
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bill_vincent
15 years ago
You might want to check on that. Dal has bullnose for alot more of their tile lines than most manufacturers. If not, you might look into Schluter's Bullnose strips, which come in several metal finishes, as well as colored plastic pieces, as well. Link to Schluter's strips below:

Here is a link that might be useful: Schluter Rondec (4th product down)
inkycrab
15 years ago
I was wondering the same thing. I have a 1 x 1 mosaic porcelain that I want to use. I think it's American Olean. If I choose not to use a bullnose strip should there be a colored caulk or something else?
bill_vincent
15 years ago
I don't know why you'd CHOOSE not to use a bullnose. I know for sure that AO has bullnose available for all their 1x1's, and whether or not you use it, the joint between the tile and the sheetrock should be filled, either with grout or caulking.
beware
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks so much, Bill! As I said, I've seen some pictures in which mosaic tile does not have a bullnose, and I wondered if, aestetically, it was the norm to not have a largish peice of bullnose at the ends of the splash. I thought perhaps it was considered too clunky-looking to have a 3 x 13 vertical piece alongside the small 3 x 3 (or in some peoples' cases, 1 x 1 or 2 x 2). This particular tile by Daltile does have the 3 x 13 bullnose in my chosen color. I think bullnose will give it a more finished look, so I will go with that. Again, thanks.
edlakin
15 years ago
most mosaics don't offer a bullnose. depending on the application, it can sometimes be ok to simply leave it (since the profile of the tile is so low that you don't really see the 'cut' edge like you would with a porcelain tile) or you can choose to frame out your mosaics with something else.

if you want a more finished look, find some bullnoses to use as a frame around your mosaics and that will add some extra visual interest as well as a more finished appearance.
remodelfla
15 years ago
Could you use a liner type tile (ong narrow type) or listello that's narrow to trim up along the sides?

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