G Various drill bits are available for cutting tile or glass. Dip the drill bit in turpentine or kerosene to help prevent it from overheating as you use it. If you're thinking of updating some of your kitchen surfaces, consider ceramic tile. Years ago tile was expensive because it was made by hand. Today, however, tile has become much more affordable and can be purchased at home-improvement centers.
Many homeowners now use larger tiles, which require fewer grout joints.
Smaller tiles, on the other hand, include lugs on each side to create automatic grout joints, eliminating the need for spacers. Other trends include using floor tiles to cover walls, diagonal installation and patterns that combine two or more colors. Before you begin a tile job, spend some time planning the installation so you can minimize the number of cuts you have to make. Use a level to draw a plumb reference line up and down over the mark. Dry-fit a run of tiles to determine where the backsplash should end.