Do you have vertical slat blinds, beige carpet, and white walls? Are you renting in a place with a significant chunk of your savings tied up in your security deposit? Do you watch HGTV and salivate over the kitchen remodels while steadfastly refusing to even glance at your own bland room that happens to have an oven in it because, let's be honest here, you hesitate to even call it a kitchen? Even my landlord, a man who is generally open to my DIY plumbing and electrical work, would balk at a kitchen project. But I think there are some folks out there who would love to add a dash of evanescent personality to their kitchen with an inexpensive and easy tile backsplash for the wall behind the stovetop or the sink.
Because the walls in my building are cinder blocks (fancy, huh?), it's a nightmare attaching anything to a wall, so I need my backsplash to be three things: First, it's gotta be a lean-to, because I can't glue or screw it to the wall; Second, it needs to be a close fit where it meets the hood so it blends into the kitchen without looking conspicuously like an add-on; Third, it needs to be easy (a problem solved by replacing thinset with Loctite Power Grab). Luckily, I noticed that my oven unit has several holes in the back where I managed to use some extra pegboard hangers (those little wire clips that hold tools) to support the completed backsplash. Those clips, plus the tight fit at the top and the inch or so of stove supporting the base, should hold the backsplash pretty nicely. If it starts to come away at the top, using some of that sticky 3M poster gunk should hold it in place without putting any holes in the wall or ripping off the paint.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the backsplash needs to look good. It needs to add panache to an otherwise ho-hum area of the wall. It needs to match with our hand towels and the generic tile floor, maybe serve as a visual transition from the beige carpet into a kitchen with a bit of color. It needs to shout Tuscan villa, mid-century modern, and cozy cottage all at the same time. It will serve as the beacon of originality in a The Giver-type dystopia of dullitude and blandification. Reasonable expectations, obviously. A philosophical framework to support you when the caulking gun starts to give your hand blisters and you realize that one of the tiles is obviously larger than the other ones. This is not just a fight for your kitchen, it is a fight for creativity against the blight of apathy and laziness, this is a fight for ALL the kitchens. So suck it up, buttercup, we're making a backsplash.
Because the walls in my building are cinder blocks (fancy, huh?), it's a nightmare attaching anything to a wall, so I need my backsplash to be three things: First, it's gotta be a lean-to, because I can't glue or screw it to the wall; Second, it needs to be a close fit where it meets the hood so it blends into the kitchen without looking conspicuously like an add-on; Third, it needs to be easy (a problem solved by replacing thinset with Loctite Power Grab). Luckily, I noticed that my oven unit has several holes in the back where I managed to use some extra pegboard hangers (those little wire clips that hold tools) to support the completed backsplash. Those clips, plus the tight fit at the top and the inch or so of stove supporting the base, should hold the backsplash pretty nicely. If it starts to come away at the top, using some of that sticky 3M poster gunk should hold it in place without putting any holes in the wall or ripping off the paint.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the backsplash needs to look good. It needs to add panache to an otherwise ho-hum area of the wall. It needs to match with our hand towels and the generic tile floor, maybe serve as a visual transition from the beige carpet into a kitchen with a bit of color. It needs to shout Tuscan villa, mid-century modern, and cozy cottage all at the same time. It will serve as the beacon of originality in a The Giver-type dystopia of dullitude and blandification. Reasonable expectations, obviously. A philosophical framework to support you when the caulking gun starts to give your hand blisters and you realize that one of the tiles is obviously larger than the other ones. This is not just a fight for your kitchen, it is a fight for creativity against the blight of apathy and laziness, this is a fight for ALL the kitchens. So suck it up, buttercup, we're making a backsplash.
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*I initially wanted to mount my tile onto some concrete backerboard because it's water- and rot-proof. Turns out, that stuff is difficult to work with, a little messy, and doesn't look particularly good in this implementation. It's also way too heavy to be supported by my back-of-the-oven-clipping method. I figure that the stovetop location should be good to avoid any nastiness that the concrete board would have addressed, so MDF it is.
- 3x5 ft of 1/4" MDF*
- tile
- 1/8" spacers (pack of 250)
- Loctite Power Grab Heavy Duty
- sandpaper
- Pre-mixed grout (alabaster)
- caulk gun
- retractable razor blade
- metal ruler
- measuring tape
- pencil
- margin float
- dual-sided 3M sponge
*I initially wanted to mount my tile onto some concrete backerboard because it's water- and rot-proof. Turns out, that stuff is difficult to work with, a little messy, and doesn't look particularly good in this implementation. It's also way too heavy to be supported by my back-of-the-oven-clipping method. I figure that the stovetop location should be good to avoid any nastiness that the concrete board would have addressed, so MDF it is.
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To create an edge, I took some scrap aluminum screen window frame, framed the plenum piece, and then glued it to the wall behind the oven.
The Big Box stores wanted $250 for the equivalent and I spend about $30 max. Only challenge was finding a piece of plenum that was not too scratched up (You can buff minor scratches out.).
I like the look though. You could match any color setup!
2. Those little spacers--I think they are shaped that way so you can put one at the corner of 4 tiles, laid flat--but your way would make them way easier to take out, it seems like!
3. What I love about your instructable is it's great for anyone, renters or owners--it is daunting to think about putting up permanent tile when you don't know what it will look like. I think it would work in other areas also!!
4. It also seems like it would be easier to work on the MDF (whatever it is!) on a flat surface, rather than on a wall.
5. Great instructable--thanks!!!
2 - you'd think that's how those spacers are to be use but - speaking from experience - they're a royal pita to get out. you have to dig in there and pry them loose and then your tiles get all knocked askew.
3 - agreed - a kickplate is a great use for this idea, methinks; a decorative bit put at the bottom of my door where all the boot prints are from kicking the door open while holding bags of garbage, laundry, or groceries and the dinks from ramming it open with the stroller.
4 - tiling is a funny thing. generally speaking, you want to construct it how it lies. you could - and again, from experience - spend ages getting everyting just perfectly "so" while having it lying flat only to find it's just not looking right once it's upright.
So now I'm going to see if a temporarily permanent backsplash could be put over the old one. I could even have my kids help with the tiling...they love to do stuff like that. I may end up with mosaic like structures mounted all over my house thanks to your instructable.
Great idea and superbly written descriptions.
P.S. For renters who have built-in cooktops, another option might be to use the same concept in a 'picture frame' type setting, and attaching it to the wall with a couple of those 'big ape' type hangers that don't leave a discernable hole in the wall.
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