Installing Tile Trim Around Sinks

Taking measurements

Installing tile around sinks in the kitchen or bathroom adds value to your home while updating or personalizing its decor. No matter where you install tiles, take measurements and do a dry test run with your desired plastic spacers before you adhere tiles to thin-set mortar. A dry run shows how the full tiles will look and how many tiles you will need to cut to fit around the sink's opening.

Installing the tiles

With the correct tools, most do-it-yourselfers can install tiles in a few hours over a couple days. Apply a thin-set mortar with a notched trowel in a small area. Wiggle each tile onto the mortar to secure it and place plastic spacers in between the tiles. Cut tiles with a tile cutter or tile saw (depending on the tile material) once you reach the edge of the sink opening. Measure and cut your tiles to size and install those in the same fashion as the full tiles. Once you install the sink, it will lay on top of the cut tiles. This means that you don't have to cut the pieces of tile exactly to fit the sink opening. Once you have cut and laid the remaining tiles, remove the plastic spacers after a couple of hours. Allow roughly 24 hours for the tiles to dry to the thin-set before you finish the job.

Completing the project

Add grout in between the tiles once the thin-set has dried. Grout comes in many different colors; coordinate the grout with the color of the installed tiles. With a rubber float, work the grout between every nook and cranny of every tile. Grout prevents water and mildew from seeping underneath the tiles, so this process is especially important in between the tiles directly surround the sink. Allow another 24 hours for the grout to dry. Once dry, use a damp sponge to remove the grout from the tile surface. Removing the grout takes time; go over each tile thoroughly. Excess grout that dries to any surface can scratch or damage other materials placed on top of it.