Turn off the kitchen circuit breakers at the main panel, verify the outlets are dead with a tester, and remove all switch plates. Cover your countertops with heavy builder paper and tape down floor protection around the cooking area.
Wipe down the wall to remove grease behind the range hood, and patch any deep drywall gouges so the surface is flat. Use a long level to draw a true horizontal reference line across the wall, accounting for any slight countertop dips.
Measure your focal zone, such as the area directly behind the cooktop, and dry-lay tiles using plastic spacers. Adjust your starting centerline so you do not end up with awkward, sliver-thin cut pieces against window trim or cabinet corners.
Comb your mortar onto the drywall using the proper notched trowel, holding it at a steady forty-five-degree angle. Only spread enough adhesive for twenty to thirty minutes of working time so the mortar ridges do not skim over or dry out prematurely.
Press each tile into the adhesive with a slight twisting motion to collapse the ridges without squeezing mortar out of the joints. Insert consistent spacers between every tile, keeping a steady movement gap along the countertop deck.
Mark cuts for outlets, switch boxes, and cabinet boundaries using a wet saw or manual tile cutter. Fit your metal edge profile along open wall runs before the adjacent tiles set, wiping away any excess thinset from tile faces immediately.
Let the thinset dry for a full 24 hours per manufacturer guidelines before pulling spacers and working grout into joints. Sponge off grout haze cleanly, and apply a perimeter bead of flexible silicone caulk along the countertop seam. For precision backsplash tile work in Aurora and Denver, call HH Remodeling LLC at 303-505-0866.