Faux Tile Backsplash Project

We finally finished the backsplash in our kitchen this weekend!  And I love it!  And it cost us under $10!  (Well, we had most of the materials on hand already, but it was still really cheap.)

 

What you will need:

1/8 inch painter's tape

1 inch painter's tape

pencil

level

tape measure

joint compound

trowel

drywall sponge

primer

paint (several colors)

sponges

rags (cut up t-shirts)

 

Step 1: TAPE OUT YOUR DESIGN

Decide on a design that you would like for your backsplash.  Measure the distance between your counters and your cabinets to determine the size of your tiles.  Measure and draw out some grid lines in pencil, right over the ugly wallpaper.  Then, start laying your tape lines down with your 1/8 inch tape.  These will eventually be your "grout" lines.  Add some 1 inch tape around all of the edges and on the counter tops.

 

 

Step 2: MUD

Grab a trowel (or hand one to your husband) and spread a thin layer of joint compound over everything.

 

 

Step 3: PULL UP THE TAPE

Pull the tape off right away before the mud dries.  This is where it starts to get fun as you can start to see some progress.

 

Step 4: SAND

After the mud is dry, use your drywall sponge and sand everything down.  It doesn't need to be perfect, but try to get everything even and any lines sanded out. 

 

 

Step 5:  PRIME AND PAINT

Now, prime everything and paint your grout lines the color you want.

 

Step 6:  RE-TAPE

All of the grout lines need to be re-taped so that you can paint your "tiles."  This is time consuming, but goes much faster than the first taping since all you need to do is line the tape up with the grooves that are already there. 

 

Step 7: PAINT, PAINT, AND MORE PAINT

Now, comes the fun part, paint your tiles.  We did several layers of sponging and ragging on paint in different colors until we got the effect we were looking for.  If you don't like it, just let it dry and keep trying something else over top until you do. 

 

 

 

 

 

After a couple of busy months of looking at it half finished and waiting for a free day to work on it again, it feels good to finally have it done.  It still needs a clear coat over the top and some caulking along the countertop and that is it.