Thin Tile (GPTP) Backsplash Installation | Columbia MO

Thin tile (GPTP) backsplash installation, Columbia MO

Gauged Porcelain Thin Panel tile is taking the tile industry by storm. If you’ve never seen a 50 square foot porcelain tile before, now you have. These unique tiles are great to install and take some different methods than regular tile. In this video I’m going to break down the steps so you can see some of what’s required for a successful installation.

The panel we are cutting on is an 8mm Dekton panel. The panel size is roughly 128”x56” (49 square feet). We will be needing the majority of the panel for this job to work. These panels aren’t cheap, some cost $2,000 per panel. Planning and taking our time will be of the utmost importance to ensure we don’t need to buy another one.

The first thing we did was to measure the backsplash at the job. Except for the range hood area the rest of the backsplash is 18” tall. We will end up with a working area of 54” (not 56”), so we can get three 18” strips out of a single panel. The range hood is taller (26”) so that must be accounted for in the planning.

We want the vein of the tile to have a good flow to it, so we laid out the long cuts based on the vein pattern. We do this by hand. The left side of the range hood and the range hood itself will come out of the same piece. That vein will line up perfectly. The right side long piece (93”) will have to be positioned to meet the range hood to the best of our ability. The right corner piece (36”) has two available pieces large enough to make it out of, we will pick the best option once the other pieces are installed.

For cutting we use a Sigma Kera Cut snap cutter. This cutter is over 10’ long and functions much the same way a normal snap cutter does. The rail comes apart in the middle to make short cuts easier. Everything fits in a carrying case or bag to keep the tool safe and easy to transport.

Both the substrate and the tile must have thinset mortar applied with a notch trowel. The notches must run parallel to each other and be run perpendicular to the long edge of the tile. This will aid in getting the best coverage of mortar on the tile. We use a 1/4”x3/8” square notch trowel for our GPTP installations.

A major benefit of these installations is the reduction in grout joints. For this job I elected to use only 100% silicone for all joints. This took 2 tubes of silicone for the project. Silicone is very flexible and much more stain resistant than traditional grout.

We are very pleased with the results of this project. If you’re in the Mid Missouri area and need a tile installer we would love to interview for your project. We specialize in all things tile including backsplashes, tile showers, heated tile floors and anywhere else you want tile installed. We install all types of tile from ceramic and porcelain to glass and stone.

EJ Flooring
Certified Tile Installer #1329
(573) 289-1045
https://www.ejflooring.com
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