We’ve hit-the-ground-running with the Dave + Audrey project. And after stopping in to have some tea and chat with those two [awesome] people last night, I got the go-ahead to chase a bit of kitchen inspiration!
Dave and Audrey’s kitchen is entirely charming as is. It’s the type of homey kitchen that makes you you want to get up early on a Saturday morning, turn on some Indie tunes, and seep some Oolong tea. The type of kitchen where you could spend hours drinking coffee and eating biscotti and chatting with girlfriends. Or I should say it has the potential to be all those things, with a few easy updates. The charm is calling from just below the surface.
And when I learned last evening that Audrey wasn’t attached to those terra-cotta-esque backsplash tiles, I started dreaming in shades of high adhesion primers and moody grays.
Painting backsplash tile is a pretty simple process. The prep work is half the battle. [I mean who really wants to scrub and degrease their backsplash?] But after a few hours of some good ‘ol elbow grease, we were ready to start painting!
[Side Note: Backsplash tile has the great benefit of, well, not being walked on, making it a great candidate for paint! However, traditional latex/oil paint not recommended for tile that gets foot traffic or heavy scrubbings.]
HOW TO PAINT A TILE BACKSPLASH
Step 1 \\ Good ‘ol elbow grease. Use a degreaser and sponge with abrasive scrubber to scrub the tile thoroughly.
Step 2 \\ Sand tile with fine sandpaper to rough the surface of the tiles slightly to improve adhesion.
Step 3 \\ Brush or roll tile with a high-adhesion primer. {We used Valspar Latex Bonding Primer/Sealer}
Step 4 \\ Brush or roll tile with two coats of paint. {Semi-gloss recommended to improve scrub-ability}
Step 5 \\ If it’s a high traffic tile area, consider sealing with a polyurethane finishing coat {or two}.
And done!
The total backsplash project came in under $40 and instantly updated the entire kitchen! Additional pictures of the final kitchen coming after next weekend’s final reveal!
For a great video tutorial on painting a tile backsplash, visit Design Sponge. Megan’s backsplash design is a clever one – and the music alone is worth the watch!
