Laying your own stone wall tile is a project that takes a little time and effort, but it will save you a considerable amount of money by not hiring a contractor. Stone wall tile adds a depth to a room. You could even say it adds a sense of permanence. If it is installed correctly, it'll be a beautiful backdrop for your bathroom, living room or study. Once you're set up and start laying a few tiles, you will find it's not difficult--mostly time consuming.

1
Prepare the base for the tile. Stone wall tile is very heavy. Add the weight of the concrete board, the thinset and grout, and you have the possibility of several hundred pounds of weight being added to a wall. Inspect your wall to make sure it's supported enough to hold the extra weight. Typically, you can look under the wall to see if there is another wall under it on the floor below, or if there are good solid support beams under it in the basement or crawl space. Remove any nails or screws that may be sticking out from the existing wall.

2
Install the concrete board with the mesh facing inward toward you. The thinset will bind with it, forming a strong connection. Screw each piece in place with the screws, making sure you are screwing into the wood studs in the wall. Cut the corners and edges with a utility knife so that the wall is totally covered with the concrete board.

3
Apply a small amount of thinset to the wall, starting at the bottom. Scrape it onto the wall in a circular pattern with the notched trowel. Work only with an area that you can finish in 15 minutes, or the thinset will start to dry and will not bond with the tile. If you don't want the bottom row of tiles to be up against the floor, place a spacer or tile flat on the floor to lift up the tile a little until the thinset hardens. Keep the first row perfectly level. Apply a thin layer of mortar to the back of the tile and press it in place, giving it a little wiggle back and forth to set into the wet thinset. Give it a good thump with the palm of your hand to further set it.

4
Cut the corner pieces of stone wall tile with the wet saw according to the measurements you have taken, and apply them as the other tiles. The wet saw can make a bit of a mess, so keep it outside if possible. You can choose to have all the cut tiles on one side of the wall or center the tiles so that there's an even amount on both sides. What matters the most is that you keep the tiles perfectly level and that you use spacers between each tile to hold it apart from the other tiles at an even distance.

5
Dry the thinset mortar for 24 hours once the wall is covered in the stone wall tile. If you are working in a very humid environment, you may want to wait a little longer before you start grouting. You may end up with tiles that still have wet mortar behind them.

6
Apply your grout after you remove all of your spacers. Scrape away any thinset that may have pushed up through the tiles. If you're using dark stone, you may choose to use colored grout to match the stone. Premixed or powder form, it doesn't matter; they both work great. The premix is more convenient and less mess to mix. Push the grout between the tiles with the float. Keep it as neat as possible as you work, and don't do too large of a section at a time.

7
Allow the grout to skin over slightly, and then wipe the tile down with a large, damp sponge, rinsing it often. Be careful not to wipe off too much of the grout between the tiles. It's OK if there is a haze over the tile; it will come off later. Let the grout dry for 24 hours or more. Wipe the tiles with a damp sponge and a dry rag. They should now be clean and haze-free.

8
Seal the grout and stone tile with an appropriate sealer after allowing the grout to dry for 2 or 3 weeks. This will prevent anything from entering the porous surface of the stone tile or grout, keeping it clean for much longer.