Putting up a kitchen backsplash. Wife thinks adhesive mats are the way to go, I would prefer thinset. There's a section that will go behind the stove so will likely see a good amount of steam. Not sure if that would qualify as a "high moisture location" where adhesive mats are counterindicated
I'd be less concerned about moisture from cooking than the fire risk.
To test, put a plate next to your stove whilst you're cooking and be careful not to burn your hand when you test its temperature.
There's a reason why it's normally ceramic tile or steel.
Thanks for your reply, these mats are essentially giant double sided sticky sheets that you adhere to the wall then stick normal tile on before grouting. They're meant to replace thinset. So the tile will be the same it's just the mounting method that's different
In that case, will steam be able to get behind the tiles if they're grouted and sealed properly?
(I'd use thinset, personally, because I want to do jobs once and forget about them. If you might redo it in different tiles in 5–10 years, you don't need to be so concerned with longevity, maybe.)
should be fine, I feel like kitchen backsplashes are the single most common use for those lol And they mostly mean dont use it in a bathroom, IMO. cant go wrong with thinset but its a lot more work
My husband is a contractor and this is what he said
"Cost vs time. Thin-set would be better, there is a chance the adhesive will fail under the steam but if you're using a vent fan on the stove every time I don't see why it would fail. It's going to be cheap and quicker using an adhesive backer. Thin set takes more time and has a higher cost. But if installed correctly will last forever."
Thanks for that it's very useful feedback since the stove doesnt have a fan
I'm doing a floor anyway so will just tile them both at the same time
