Our Kitchen Backsplash Project
You know that excited feeling you get right before you walk into a brand new house? YOUR brand new house. Well last March I was ready to have that feeling. My husband and I decided to buy a new construction house. Picking out flooring, carpet, counter tops & cabinets was a lot of fun.
I loved our house we were in but it was old(er) and was not ours from the start. Knowing we would be the first ever to live in and love this new home, made my heart happy. So as moving day came that holy shit I am excited to walk into this new house feeling hit me.
I was a bit disappointed though, as I stepped into the house for the first time since it was finished. Where was the kitchens backsplash? I watch enough Fixer Upper to know that the backsplash is an important part, it ties the kitchen together. Apparently, I didn't get the memo that backsplash does not come with houses though. I mean, I just assumed. Who would have thought it was considered an upgrade?
I pouted about that for a while. Yeah I know, I'm a brat. But really? We looked into getting it done but grouting and tile seemed like an excessive project for us and a bit pricey. So I went to Pinterest. Surely P would give me advice! Something called Peel & Stick backsplash kept popping up. I was for sure intrigued. I mean the pictures looked freaking awesome. But as I researched more into it, I had my doubts. How could a sticker look like the real deal? Did I really want backsplash that badly that I would be willing to make it look cheap?
Last month I finally decided to go to Lowes and take a look. Thankfully my dad was there and did the talking because I am sure "excuse me sir, where is your sticker aisle" would not have gotten me far with the Lowes salesman.
I was quickly disappointed. There was not much to pick from and the prices still seemed a bit much for just stickers. So we decided to check out Home Depot instead. Boy did they have a bunch to pick from. I even found one I loved!
But that disappointment hit me again when I realized how many packs we would need, would cost almost $500. FOR STICKERS PEOPLE.
Later that evening I decided to check Amazon. Because I mean, what doesn't Amazon have? It was getting a bit overwhelming seeing such negative reviews on each peel and stick pack I actually liked. I was about to give up when I saw it. THE ONE! It was like the backsplash heaven gates opened. Reviews were pretty good, pictures of others who bought the product were amazing & the price was just about right.
I added the backsplash to my cart and sat there for a few minutes waiting to hit order. Was this going to be the right choice? Both my parents and husband were skeptical and I began doubting myself. But I guess I wouldn't know unless I tried, right?
"Your Amazon Order Confirmation" popped up and I knew it was official. Two days later it showed up and I was so excited to get it up. My dad was still here visiting, he is our handy man, so he was the one putting it up. We opened the box and everyone kind of just looked at it. I could tell they all weren't sure. That they didn't think this was going to look good. As we cleared off one side of the counter and got ready to get started I held my breath. "Please look okay", I thought to myself.
Now I dont know about you but, I LOVE IT! I think it came out just as good (maybe better) than tile! Thank goodness my dad was here to do it. He has always been an amazing handy man, so we knew it would be done right!
If you are considering a back splash make over on budget without the mess (but still looks nice), I totally think peel & stick is the way to go. And if you are still skeptical, I understand. After doing my research and looking at all types of Peel & Stick tiles, I was really amazed by the quality. The 3-D appearance makes it look so real.
My dad is a perfectionist, so it was important to him to make sure to line up each sheet perfectly. And he did a pretty damn good job. I will say though, the sheets were really sticky. So it is important to make sure you have it where you want it, before sticking it down. We only ruined one sheet and took some paint off the wall! I'd say that isn't too bad! Because he lives out of town, this project wasn't a one day type thing. However, I have read many reviews where they were able to finish it in a day (of course also depends on size of kitchen).
Besides ordering the tiles, we did not need any other supplies! We had everything else at home. What we used was a cutting board, ruler, level & razor blade. I will say one thing, once you measure and find out how many sheets you will need, I would order a few extra. We ran out right at the very end, and still have one more small piece to finish. There is a lot of cutting involved, leaving some of the sheets not being able to be used fully. And there is also the chance of ruining some, so having extras is a great idea.
I definitely think this was the right way to go for us, and would recommend it to anyone else looking to put backsplash in their kitchen. I saw a lot of tiles at Home Depot I liked, but Amazon ended up being the best bet for us money wise. You can find the tiles we ordered here.
And a big thank you to my dad for doing such a great job and making our kitchen finally come together! ❤
Check out the before and after picture. 👇👇