The floral pattern on the backsplash tiles in our kitchen has been putting us down. We had only place dozens of hours to repainting the dreary, dark cabinets and changing out the hardware, so we were not up for another marathon living endeavor. Besides, the crackled glass tiles which had captured our fancy were 17 per square foot. In 30 square feet, the project would have cost $600 in materials and saw rental fees. Insert another 15 hours of labor, and the mother of innovation took over.
Using a little bit of tinkering, we discovered we can paint over the ugly present tiles that people hated and createown decorative backsplash for a fraction of the price. Here’s the way we did it for less than $50.
Tools and materials:
Palm sander with 100-grit trimming disksPigmented shellac primer, such as B-I-NRoller, foam roller cover and paint trayArtist’s oil paints (we used Payne’s Grey, Raw Umber and Zinc White, but you can pick your own foundation, chief and accent colours) 1 quart clear alkyd glaze, such as Benjamin Moore’s 409RagsSample tiles Masking tapeArtist’s brushesGrout stainDisposable plastic or latex gloves (optional, but they help you to save time washing your hands)1. Exercise on sample tiles or other tiles you may have lying around the home. Prime, then play with numerous techniques employing the glaze, artist oils and brushes to locate colours and textures that attract you. We depended onto a faux stone look after experimenting with a variety of color washes.
2. Sand the present tile backsplash and then roll three coats of primer. Utilize a palm sander with a 100-grit disk drive. The idea is to dull the glaze slightly to boost primer adhesion.
3. Employ the initial glaze coat with a rag. We tinted ours with Payne’s Grey since it looks like stone. Many ground colors would work, including ochers, light browns and other grays. Have a sample of what you’re later on hand to guide your selections.
Hint: Masking tape and brown paper onto the countertop help limit drips.
4. Wipe off most of the initial glaze coat with a rag, leaving a light blue-gray tint. (Many thin layers of glaze will seem more realistic than thick applications.)
5. Once the first glaze coat is dry to the touch, then use a crumpled rag (with plenty of folds exposed) to dab a mix of Raw Umber (or your main color choice) and glaze.
Employ a second coat coat to only about 60 or 70 percent of every tile. It should be thin enough so that some of the initial glaze shows by or is even lifted off and substituted by the primary colour choice.
6. To mimic veining or mineral stripes, drag a slender, long-bristled artist’s brush (called a script brush) round the tile. It helps to thin the oil shade with plenty of glaze when you’re brushing on veins. You may also stipple accent colours on with a stippling brush or a toothbrush.
With a little artist brush, dab little spots of white-tinted glaze to cover errors or to lighten the result.
7. Paint the grout with a grout stain tinted into a color you choose from your trio of colours. A midtone works.
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