Janine asks: I’m putting up a ceramic tile backsplash in my kitchen. Can I put the tile directly on the drywall, or do I have to tear it out and use a cement board? Danny Lipford: If you’re talking ...

We asked professional tilers how to avoid a bodged tiling job, from substrate prepataion to laying your patttern.

The advent of cement backer board has made it possible for do-it-yourselfers to lay tile like a pro. The reason: For most installations, it eliminates the need to set tile in a thick bed of mortar.