Thrifty Kitchen Transformation-The Backsplash

I know, I know, it’s been so long since my last blog post about the thrifty kitchen transformation.

The reason is because I’ve been doing such other crazy stuff like traveling to Ireland and opening up a retail vintage shop and planning a wedding and building marquee lights…

but, no excuses! My poor mum has been patiently waiting for me to finish the job we started way back in the spring, soooo next up on the to-do list, the backsplash! With all of the available options out there, it was so difficult to make a decision about which type of backsplash to choose. There are many beautiful tiles including marble, glass, silver and tin that each had its own special quality. But hands down, the winner was this gorgeous travertine subway tile we purchased at Grossman’s Bargain Outlet (the same place we got the amazing hardware) for $5.99 a square foot!

Richly textured, with a light terra cotta color that would instantly add a more rustic “French chateau” feel to the newly painted kitchen cabinets and shiny black granite countertops. It has a lovely chair rail at the top between the cabinets that will eventually hold a shelf of some sort.

**Full disclosure: I did not install this tile. If you all remember the glass tile backsplash we installed at my daughter’s condo last year, I believe my final comment was “But in the future, all tile installations will be left to the pros.” Which I did. What would have taken me a week+ took the installer 1 1/2 days. My job was to remove the old black & white tiles and prepare the surface for retiling.

Which was very hard work that included a hammer and a crowbar, Coach,

chisels and a little blood-yuck. (that’s Coach’s, not mine, as I was smart enough to wear gloves during the process).

Did you ever pull an appliance away from the wall to work behind it, then pull it back in, only to be stuck behind it with no way out? No? So that’s just Coach…

My other job (other than pulling Coach out from behind the stove) was to seal the tile using liquid sealer that you brush on. This keeps this very porous tile from absorbing splattered spaghetti sauce and hot fudge : ) I applied one coat before the installation, then a second coat onto the tiles and grout after it dried (48 hours). So this is the black and white tile backsplash before:

And here is the new backsplash. So pretty.

Next up, the trim and crown molding (this oughtta be good…) Hope you’re checking off your to-do list this Tuesday!! Susan