Kitchen Backsplash

On my trip home to see my parents this summer, I offered to install backsplash for my mom’s kitchen.  This project is a perfect example of a room transformation on a small budget and in just two days. My parents’ house is a beautiful 100 year old home that they have put a lot of work into over the years.  In the kitchen, there wasn’t any backsplash which makes cleaning and keeping a stain free wall quite tough.  

Here are the before pics:

 

As you can see, the kitchen was pretty much a blank canvas with regards to choosing an accent feature.  The counters and walls are a similar color beige and the cabinets stained dark brown.  I couldn’t help but feel that the space needed some backsplash with a little character.

 

Because I’ve done quite a few tiling tutorials, I won’t go into the specific details of how to tile but you can check out slate tile patio, complete kitchen reno, and masterbath reno for additional tile help.

Step 1

When picking out your schluter edge, it’s important to consider the color and how it will look next to the cabinets, walls and tile.  Make sure to measure and cut the edging diagonally for the corners so the metal pieces don’t overlap.  When installing the schluter edge, don’t leave too much mortal seeping through the metal strip, just enough that it will not affect how the tile fits into the edging.  If there is excess, be sure to wipe off before it could dry.

 

 

Step 2

Plan out the design and where you will want cut tiles versus the full pattern.  I like the most visible edges to be non-cut tiles and if possible reduce the amount of tiles needing to be cut.  In this kitchen, I used full tiles at the ends that were open and left (for the most part) all cut edges in corners.  When tiling with patterns, it’s important to pay close attention to the direction of your tiles.  

 

Step 3 

Grout between the tiles.  I chose a white grout for this backsplash because I thought the tiles were contrast enough.  I also used pre-mixed grout, which was slightly more expensive but well worth the effort for a backsplash versus a floor would take a lot more grout and then you would want to buy the powder and mix yourself.

 

Here’s the finished kitchen.  I love it and most importantly, so does my mom!