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September 2, 2008
kitchen backsplash
hi,
i'm looking to do a cheap backsplash for my kitchen. I want to do it myself, some thoughts I had. Painting with a number of layers of glossy paint? Trying to do some tile myself [the little teeny kind that comes in sheet] or buying a couple really big sheets of formica and gluing it to the wall. You can also get really thin sheets of aluminum with adhesive on the back. i thought that would look cool... any thoughts?
Comments
I once did glossy paint as a temporary measure before we renovated, and I was pretty happy with it. I would say tile is probably a more elegant solution. My brother in law did the aluminum in brick sized sheets, and I think that really looks good too.
Posted by: cornetor at September 2, 2008 1:43 PM
I read your post wrong the first time and thought you meant "paint by numbers" covered with glossy paint. I like that idea!
If you're new to tiling, small mosaics are not the easiest thing in the world. 4x4 or subway tile is easy enough.
I used tin ceiling in some areas and was happy with that. Same as the aluminum idea, but more decorative. It depends on the look you're going for.
Also think about your counter top. You want it to gel with that.
Posted by: rh at September 2, 2008 1:45 PM
I just did a kitchen and used stainless steel panels from IKEA. The panels are backed by corrugated plastic material that give them rigidity. The stainless is thin enough that it can be cut with a tinsnips. I just glued them to the wall with construction adhesive and caulked the joints with silver caulk. It looks great with stainless appliances.
Posted by: JoeBushwick at September 2, 2008 1:48 PM
Consider ease of cleaning when choosing. I once rented in a place that had a textured type of tile with wide sections of grout and when food/grease splattered on it I would cringe because it was such a f#@^!ng nightmare to clean.
From now on I go for wipeability factor!
Posted by: TownhouseLady at September 2, 2008 2:11 PM
i like the idea of stainless, but the counter top is completely stainless [from ikea with integrated sink] so i'm not sure...
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S39835250
Posted by: sender9999 at September 2, 2008 2:28 PM
I was in Lowes yesterday and saw 12" sq tile for $0.68 per foot. How much cheaper can you get?
Posted by: denton at September 2, 2008 2:37 PM
There's a fine line between cheap DIY that looks great (and you can pat yourself on the back after the job's done) and an inexperienced, slapdash DIY job that looks awful and ends up costing you much more than you intended to spend. Tile can be expensive but it's relatively easy to do and of course, it's looks great and is good for resale.
Posted by: Fjorder at September 2, 2008 3:44 PM
I went with the one-piece custom job (costs a little more, but worth it- esp when cleaning). Depending on how many angles you have (I have a lot), you need to measure, and measure and measure, etc. Once they cut it, you can't fix it.
Posted by: broadwayron at September 2, 2008 3:46 PM
We just have a painted blacksplash, which I love. It is not even high gloss--just pearl finish, I think, which is less shiny than semi-gloss. It is extremely easy to clean, holds up well (we renovated 4.5 years ago and not even a scratch or ding in a well-used kitchen) and if I get tired of the color, I can just paint it. (Of course, if you like a shinier finish, I assume a high gloss would work jsut as well.)
Posted by: PHer at September 2, 2008 5:34 PM
I like the appearance and practicality of a glass back splash. It can painted any colour you want (the back side of the glass, that is). The most affordable way of doing it is using ground glass (acid etched). It costs about $8/square foot. If you have any cut-outs (for outlets) it will be more.
Posted by: southslope at September 2, 2008 7:33 PM
How is that mounted southslope? Can it be done so that it's removable? Was thinking it might be nice to put something behind it and then when you get bored of the color etc. remove the glass and switch it out.
Posted by: TownhouseLady at September 2, 2008 8:23 PM
Check out a large tile supplier for contractor returns. There's one on McDonald Ave. You can get a few square feet of excellent art tile cheap that way.
Posted by: Steve at September 2, 2008 9:35 PM
silicone. it won't take much. one bead under the glass on the counter top and one bead at the top of the glass. dry-fit the glass and use tape.
Posted by: southslope at September 2, 2008 10:18 PM
to remove silicone use a flexible blade. Silicone is impervious to any chemical that we have tried.
Posted by: southslope at September 2, 2008 10:20 PM
I bought some of the faux tin ceiling tile sheets that look like antique copper, until I figure out exactly what I want to do for the backsplash. They do look great and have held up really well.
Posted by: bxgrl at September 3, 2008 10:10 AM
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