Did we mention we were on the tightest, shoe-string, kitchen budget ever…(Probably in every post!) Or the fact that we are busy, can’t even keep up with the laundry, 0 spare-time kind of people…(Seriously it’s starting to get old)…However, one thing is for sure we’re not the only couple out there with the same sort of problems. Which is why we got crazy again, threw caution to the wind and painted tile again!

Oh yes we got “all crazy up in” our kitchen, and utilized the same strategy for our floors on the kitchen backsplash. Is it the ideal medium for a backsplash? No, but considering our budget, time constraints, and the fact that it even works we couldn’t open the paint cans fast enough!
Here’s how we did it:

First tape off, and lay plastic over the countertops (especially if they are DIY Encore ones, which you are overly proud and protective of) 🙂

Next clean your backsplash with a degreaser, we used Clorox’s, but some people swear by TSP. Then with any basic paint brush apply two layers of Glidden Gripper primer paint color matched to Natural Linen. (This is the best time to fully cover the grout lines.)

Then we let the primer cure for two days (because of a sudden rainstorm and we didn’t want to take chances with humidity). Once the primer cured we followed it with two layers of Glidden Natural Linen, satin paint. One of the best techniques we found to achieve a perfectly smooth layer of paint was by using Home Depot’s $3.50 mini foam roller kits:

We allowed the paint to cure for another 48 hours. Then to give the transition of concrete countertops to tile backsplash a more finished look we used Dap’s waterproof silicone caulk in Biscuit to line the back edge. Of course, despite laying a line of painters tape I still made plenty of mistakes…

But nothing that strategically placed potted succulents couldn’t hide…

We’ll be testing out our new backsplash soon enough, complete with spaghetti sauce splatters and dish washing marathons to see how well it can withstand us (more on that to come) The kitchen is slowly coming together but worlds away from our original kitchen…

We’re going to take a small break in the coming week for birthdays and cuddling our squishy baby nephew. However we keep chanting “progress, progress” in our heads. Slow but sure, one busy foot at a time the kitchen updates will soon end. We’re looking forward to the day when all painters tape will be gone and we’re taking off for summer trips with the pups. In the meantime Happy Sunday everyone!