kitchen mini remodel part 2, back splash

So here is the part 2. I spoke about part 1 here. I explained the painting of the cabinets, painting of the trim, and the wall color. So here is where I will talk about the back splash as well as the full reveal. We cheated a little here because since doing the kitchen we have also put in wood floors. So the reveal will include wood floors. Even though it is not officially part of the remodel. Ok then, on wards and up words. Here is the back splash info.

the white subway tile

here is the supplies we used for the back splash

To start with I will say that we did all of this before I did this blog. So my steps will not have much illustration. I have the before pictures and the after pictures. But unfortunately the in between is just not here. I am getting better now. I know how frustrating it can be when you are trying to learn how to do something and there is not much examples of how things are done. The steps taken. I am sorry that this is the case with my earlier projects. I am getting better. Please bear with me. So to make this be the best possible experience I am linking up with another article I found helpful to explain the specific steps. You can find it here.

Most of what we did is shown in the link. The one thing that stands out to me is we did not use any spacers between the tiles. One, was because I wanted them to be flush together, little to no grout lines. But also there is a beveled edge that makes it appear slightly apart.

a close up of the back splash over the stove

One thing my husband said for everyone to do is to buy the premixed tile adhesive. This is the thing that you slather on the wall before placing the tile. If you have not mixed all of the things needed together before this is the way to go. You can’t have this be too watery or tough. It needs to be pretty spot on other wise the tile will fall off, or not stick.

As far as time saving lay out as much tile as possible so you know how and what needs to be cut, with a wet saw. That way you can get a complete row or section done. With the pre made adhesive you need to set the tile down in a timely fashion otherwise it will dry. So to make sure it does not dry you need to lay out as much as possible and do one section at a time, so you do not waste the adhesive.

For the most part take your time, go section by section, measure twice cut once. I honestly wish I had some great pictures of the process. I feel like I am just giving you the nice pretty finish pictures and none of the hard work. This back splash took us a weekend. I am sure it would be done in one day if you don’t have kids or anything. For some reason our kids demand meals three times a day, attention, diaper changes, and stuff. These kids are so demanding.

Once the back splash was done all that was left for this kitchen remodel was to put in new drawer and door handles for the cabinets. As a whole this kitchen remodel was the best thing we did. This started the ball rolling for us to see the impact we could do to this house. With some new colors and smaller updates it became a whole different room. I feel like we all as decorators or even people that have a home, need those moments of trying something. Going outside of your normal and seeing a positive result. I was nervous, painting our cabinets a light green… what?!! But I think I needed this, to set me on the right path of trying, doing, and dreaming. The kitchen is bright, airy, and clean looking. For the most part very clutter free. I wanted to make the space feel bigger. But obviously that is not possible. There was no blowing out of walls or what not.

The finished pictures also include our new wood floors. We did some standard tests on putting water on a piece of the wood. We let it sit for 1 hour, and then over night. There was no visible change to the flooring once it was wiped away. So as far as I can tell unless there is a sink overflow that sits for a few days it might warp the floors, but otherwise it will be good to go.

So there you have it folks. My full kitchen mini remodel. It was an experience. I would recommend it for anyone. Do I want to sand the cabinets again? No!!! But I love the outcome, and am so proud of the work we put into it. Other then the sanding, this was such a small project and having any kind of DIY know how was not needed. I have big plans for my kitchen one day… one day. But for now this is my kitchen and I love it.

the china cabinet we painted

this is a good view of the wall color and trim

see, no clutter. This is just ambiance with the art work