Yes your eyes are not tricking you…
I said Dollar Store {Vinyl Floor Tile} Back Splash
If there’s a cheap way to make something cute and fabulous…by gosh I’m going to do it! Lol!
You see my little munchkin and I...do not live in our “Forever House”…not just yet.
Soooo…with our “For-Right-Now” house that I rent…I try to be as frugal with renovations as possible…because let’s be honest….it’s not mine!!
I try my darnedest not to sacrifice quality or beauty when fixing this little casa up…but with a shoestring budget for renos… there’s only so much you can do!
My kitchen has been an incredible eyesore for me from the beginning.
What Mamma doesn’t want a new shiny kitchen?? Right??
The backsplash drove me crazy. It’s down-right depressing. I painted the cabinets and the walls…but the backsplash…had to go.
This is what I started with….
Isn’t it purdy??? Mismatched floor tile backsplash. Now that’s fabulous!!
This is what the area behind my stove looked like….
I have decorated this area with signs…old wood…just anything I could think of to cover this stuff. I hated it. No matter how cute anything else in my kitchen was…I could just see these uglies peering through!
I wanted to update the area…without spending much.
And if you’ve researched backsplash..there’s not a ton of cheap ideas.
So began my creation…
I already had Dollar Store Vinyl Floor Tiles…(the stick-on-kind) which is what was previously used as the backsplash (crazy right???)…but I thought...well.... why not jazz up the tiles???
This is what I started with…..
I primed them (with the red primer that I already had at home)
It actually took about 20 tiles…so there were 20 of these funny things all over my backyard!
After priming the tiles I spray painted them silver (with silver spray paint I also already had!)
Then I had to patiently wait for the tiles to dry.
And wouldn’t you know that a storm rolled in …so I had to gather ALL of the them and put them inside to finish drying!
Oh my! It wouldn’t be a Tiffany project if something didn’t GO WRONG!
Before I put up the new tiles I removed a few old ones that were peeling off. Little did I know what a darn project that would turn into!
The whole thing came off…and this is what it looked like!!! GULP!!!
I took a deep breath and carried on. There was no backing up or giving up now!!! And thank goodness I didn’t give up because IT’S SOOOOO MUCH BETTER NOW!
Aaahhhh…it just looks fresher…cleaner…better. I’m in such a happier mood every morning when I see it.
I do think that you could take it a few steps further and maybe add some decorative stenciling…making it appear like pressed tin tiles. I am impatient and wanted it “fixed” right now…maybe later I will try to see how stenciling works out.
This project proves that just because you are renting…and may not have a huge budget for renovations…you can be creative and find a cute way to make it pretty with what you have! Easie Peasie!!!
I am entering this little reno project into the CSI Dollar Store themed competition!
***UPDATE***
1. I won the C.S.I. contest!! Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
View the POST by clicking
HERE!
2. I've had a lot of questions about the durability of the tiles. So far they are perfect. No chips, peels or flaking. In addition to using a primer, I did coat the tiles in a clear gloss after painting. I think you could also use a spray or wipe-on poly to seal the paint as well?? Maybe??
Here are RECENT pictures of my back splash and kitchen.
The tiles are still holding up FABULOUS...and LOOK GREAT!!
I have yet to have any problems!!
I also NEVER leave things the same way...paint color...furniture...accessories.
It's a disease I guess...but here are more recent pictures of my kitchen...
for the MOMENT!♥
XoXo
