Shop for tile.
How to install tile backsplash on uneven wall.
Place the mosaic sheets along the wall.
If existing tiles are beyond repair remove the tile and install a piece of wallboard in its place.
Shop for tile tools.
Do not grout the bottom seam where the tile meets the countertop you ll want to use caulk in that seam.
Learn how to install a tile backsplash.
Like bill pointed out you are unlikely to end up with a flat enough surface to get a good tile job unless you use very small tiles.
Shop for grout and mortar.
Add tile spacers for help keeping the tile pieces lined up.
Mark the two sides of the wall using the painter s tape where the backsplash should.
Secure the drop cloth on the counter using the painter s tape covering the entire work area.
1 4 inch is not too much to take off provided your cabinets do not measure anymore than 24 from wall to front of face frame.
Backsplash installation in 15 steps.
Hold a tile at this spot accounting for a 1 8 inch expansion gap.
Spread the mortar with the flat edge of the trowel then groove.
Mark the wall at the top of the tile.
If your cabinets are farther than 24 away from wall then you won t have excess on backsplash to trim off.
Ready to get started.
Hold the float at a 45 degree angle as you work the grout into the seams.
That is what i would do so it could be painted i would not even try to tile over the patch job you described.
This ensures the tile adhesive secures to the surface.
While you volunteered to set tiles is repairing rebuilding the wall something you even want to deal with.
Then use a level to extend the line along the work area.
A professional installer would use a pair of scribes to transfer the contour of the wall onto the top edge of the counter top then use a circular saw or a belt sander to take off the area of the backsplash where your wall is bowed out.
Use tile spacers if necessary to keep the tile lines straight in the layout.
Slightly rock the sheet up and down perpendicular to the trowel lines to collapse the ridges and help the tile settle into place.
First use a level to find the lowest point of the countertop.
Back buttering back buttering is a trick used for tiles of uneven thickness like ungauged slate or handmade tiles extremely large tiles or for tiles being installed on an uneven surface.
Apply grout with a rubber float working diagonally across the tile.
Spread thinset mortar on the bottom center of the wall.
Follow the lines you made when the tiles were dry fit to the wall.