This post shares my review of Aspect Glass Peel and Stick tiles in Frost, including tips on installation. Peel and stick tile is a great way to easily give a facelift to a space in your home. Aspect sent me the tiles to use in my home and this post contains affiliate links, but I was not paid to write this post.
My Aspect Peel and Stick Tiles review
Earlier this spring when I emerged from my mini blogging retirement, I said I wanted to do more product reviews. I have done…exactly one of Ready Seal wood stain and sealer. And that was the initial product review post. Oops. (To be fair, there are more in the pipeline.)
I want the majority of my review posts to be focused on products I find, use, love, and want to share with you. When I got the chance to try out Aspect Peel & Stick backsplash decorative tiles, I was pretty excited.
We have a really small backsplash area in our kitchen that I thought the Aspect Peel & Stick tiles would be perfect for—and, if I’m being honest, I didn’t really want to mess with mixing up mortar and grout for such a small space. I just wanted to add a decorative element that wasn’t paint.
Aspect Peel & Stick tiles come in a variety of colors and finishes including metal, stone, glass, and wood. I ended up choosing the 3×6 Aspect Peel & Stick glass in Frost. (Scroll down on this page to view all available colors.) The color is described online as a “snowy, white color” that “makes a clean, refreshing addition to any space.”
I’d say this is mostly true. As with any color—especially on reflective surfaces—there can be some variation in color. My kitchen is pretty dark, as are the cabinets—and the Frost tiles look like a light gray. (This is fine with me, just a reminder to keep in mind that colors can vary based on the lighting conditions.)
Glass Peel and Stick Tile Options
I have worked with glass tile before and knew it to be a bit of a pain. It’s fragile and can crack easily if you aren’t using the right tools. But it looks so freaking good. Luckily, there is an extremely detailed glass tile installation guide (as well as installation guides for the other finishes) available online.
I highly recommend reading it carefully before getting started. It answers pretty much any question you could have and outlines all of the safety precautions you need to take.
Aspect Peel and Stick Tiles review and installation:
(Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions and wear proper hand, eye, and ear (if using a tile saw) protection when working with tiles and glass. Read my full terms of use here.)
1. Read all peel and stick tile installation instructions
The installation guide recommends two different installation approaches depending on your situation. The first is to peel and stick the tiles directly to the wall, which requires a bit of prep work beforehand to get the surface ready.
The second is to add a bit of polyurethane adhesive to the back of each tile, which requires no prep work to the wall beforehand. Since I had some polyurethane adhesive in the garage, I went with the second option. It only added a few extra seconds per tile, and the sticky backs kept each tile firmly in place as the adhesive dried.
2. Prepare your materials and workspace
I sketched out the design I wanted until settling on a simple stacked subway design. Then I measured and marked the center points and calculated where I’d need to make cuts. I decided to start at the bottom left. Start with whatever makes the most sense for your layout.
Next I gathered all of the supplies we needed: a small glass cutter, gloves, measuring tape, a marker, a level, and the polyurethane adhesive (Aspect recommends Loctite). Note: I couldn’t use the small glass cutter for the trickier cuts around the outlets and the inner corners of the cabinets—I needed a tile saw with a diamond blade for that. My dad cut those pieces for me since he has a tile saw. (Dad, you’re the BEST!)
A note of caution on cutting glass tile with a diamond blade—cut very slowly! If you don’t have a tile saw, you can probably rent one. You won’t need a tile saw if all of your cuts are straight cuts like I’ve marked below. If you’ve never working with cutting glass before, it’s really easy using a simple scoring tool.
3. Peel and stick the tile
And, in my case, glue. Refer to the installation guide for whether or not you should just peel and stick or add adhesive. This admittedly took longer than I thought it would because I was double- and triple-checking measurements and positioning every 5 seconds.
I probably could have just drawn a straight line all the way across or used a chalk line like the instructions suggested…that would have been smart. But I am not smart, so I did it the tedious way: with a measuring tape, a pencil, and a level.
4. Map precision cuts
After I’d laid all of the easy cuts (the ones that didn’t need the tile saw) and the whole pieces, I called it a day. Then I sat on the project for a few weeks because I had to wait for my super busy dad to make the precision cuts for me with his tile saw. And we got out-of-town visitors, and my kitchen looked like this for a weekend:
5. Install outlet extenders/mud rings
I can’t tell you if you’ll need outlet extenders because I don’t know what you’re working with. But if you do, it’s a super easy process. We just picked up cheap (under $1) plastic mud rings from Home Depot (very similar to these), turned the power off at the breaker (VERY IMPORTANT), double-checked to make sure the power was actually off (also very important), and installed.
I used this straightforward YouTube tutorial to guide me through the process. After adding a little caulk, popping the outlet covers back on, and turning the power back on, I was done.
Here’s the before and after. What do you think?
I am extremely pleased with the tile and think it is an awesome facelift for our kitchen. I love how the reflection off of the glass tile also makes the area seem a bit brighter, too, which is great since the windows are on either end of the house.
Oh! And as you can see in the previous pic, I also took the opportunity to paint the island we had painted black when we moved in. I love me some black paint, but it just wasn’t working here. It was too dark and showed every tiny little spec of dust and scuff.
How do you remove aspect peel and stick tiles?
To remove a tile, use something like a spackle knife to pry it up on the left or right side of the tile (the shorter ends). You’ll need to slowly work it under one end and gently pry the tile up. If you used extra adhesive, it will definitely remove some of the drywall.
However, even if you didn’t use an extra adhesive, it’s likely your drywall will also be affected. The adhesive is really strong, so you might need to patch and repaint the drywall. Remember that you need a clean, flat base for tiling, so you’ll also probably need touch up the walls before re-tiling.
If you’re wondering if you can easily remove Aspect Peel and Stick tiles, the answer is no. They’ll probably leave some damage, so I wouldn’t use them in a rental. Don’t lose your deposit!
For more easy projects for the home, check out my post on recaulking cracked staircase stringers, installing vinyl plank flooring, and creating a drawer organizer for spices!
Are peel and stick tiles worth it? Do they last? Update—2 years later!
Alright all, I am popping in about 2 years after installing our glass tiles to give you guys an Aspect peel and stick tiles review 2 years later! How have they held up? Are they worth it? Do they last? Do they look good? Would I do it again? So many questions, so let’s jump in and discuss my thoughts.
How have the tiles held up—have any fallen off?
The tiles have held up really well. None have fallen off, and I haven’t noticed any signs of wear and tear. They are right behind our stove, so they are exposed to a lot of heat and some splatters. We just wipe them down to keep them clean. Basically, they look great.
Are Aspect peel and stick tiles worth it?
If you’re looking for a quick solution that doesn’t require using tile mortar or grout, definitely check these out. I’d still recommend using some extra adhesive if it’s a high-heat, high-traffic area. But, to be fair, I can’t say how these would have held up with no extra adhesive.
For the price point and no grouting required, they are a wonderful solution. I don’t want to make it seem like these were a breeze to install, though. As with any tile job, it did require a lot of planning, some course adjustments, and cutting. And glass tiles specifically are kind of annoying to cut‚ though scoring and snapping these worked great.
Would I do Aspect peel and stick tiles again?
This is a tough one to answer. I think they look great, but if you look closely, you can tell that they aren’t a super perfect job. I hate tiling, so this was worth it for me. I think these would be a nice option if you’re a landlord and want a quick way to spruce up an area. But the lack of grout does mean that they don’t look quite as polished as regular tile would.
Aspect peel and stick tiles are also a great option if you want to do this yourself and don’t want to deal with the whole process that goes along with traditional tile. If we ever sell our house in the future, I will probably retile (or pay to have this area retiled) to make sure it’s super perfect and grouted. I’ll leave it if we ever turn this into a rental.
So that’s my honest Aspect peel and stick tiles review! It has worked well for us and has held up great. Definitely give this option a look and see if it will work for you. Have fun!
Pin my Aspect Peel and Stick Tiles review!
Really nice work! It looks great!