Install a Kitchen Backsplash
Protect Your Walls and Add Update the Look of Your Cooking Area
A weekend DIY project: install a backsplash above your kitchen cabinet tops and cooking surfaces: tile, granite, stainless steel, or laminate.
Install a Kitchen Backsplash
Backsplashes on the walls above kitchen countertops or cooking surfaces will add a touch of style to your food prep area and will also protect the walls and simplify cleaning chores. Backsplashes will protect the wall from water in your sink area and will also protect from grease splatters around the cooking surface. Even though you can employ a professional to install it, a do it yourself backsplash is a very doable project for any DIYer to take on.
A Variety of Backspash Materials
Prefabricated cabinets are sometimes built with a plastic laminate backsplash but adding this type of backsplash after the fact is usually not a viable choice for a DIYer project if your design includes a curve at the point where your countertop intersects your wall. But it is fine to cut a piece of laminate and attach it using contact cement. Simply run a small bead of latex or silicone caulk where the countertop meets the wall.
Stainless steel is popular in commercial settings and lately has become popular in the home market. But as an add-on it might not look quite right if it does not fit in with the kitchen's theme.
Another popular material is granite. The benefits are its durability and elegance. It will instantly raise the equity in your property. But the downside is its high cost and even though a DIYer can install it, all cutting must be subbed out.
A Better Backsplash Choice is Ceramic Tile
A very stylish and economical type of backsplash material is tile, either glazed or glass. Tile is very reasonably priced plus it's simple to apply. If you are looking for an ideal weekend DIY project, this is it. The smooth glazed surface of the tile ensures that it's a breeze to clean as well as disinfect - a strong plus in your food prep area. Installing tile isn't hard; a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10. The tile is installed the first day and then it's grouted on the second.
A huge plus for tile is the incredible array of sizes and colors. Consider the possibilities: a solid color, a mosaic tile pattern, or a color combination. To ensure that the colors or pattern you like fit in with your kitchen's look, purchase several pieces, take them to your kitchen, and give them a try. Also, you might want to get creative by mixing in theme tiles that are embossed with farm or fruit pictures.
A newer alternative to get that custom look with tile is to apply tile tattoos. These are stickers made especially for dressing up ceramic tile.
Installing a Tile Backsplash
When installing glass tile, use thinset to bond it to your wall. When installing glazed tile, use a special tile mastic. Always place plastic tile spacers between the individual tiles when you are setting them. Just remove them after the mastic or thinset is dry before you grout. When you cut tile be sure to use a wet saw. You can probably find a rental at your local tool rental outlet. Don't bother with score 'n snap tools because you won't get satisfactory results.
Applying grout to your backsplash is simple. All that's needed is a float, a sponge, and a bucket of water. Choose a grout color that looks right with the colors of the tile. Remember that the lighter colors show dirt more readily.
Wait overnight for the grout to completely dry and then apply a grout sealer. Your kitchen will be wet or greasy when you prepare meals and grout that is not sealed can be a hiding place for bacteria.
