Sticker backsplash

My family lives in a fixer-upper. The projects are endless. We’ve opted to do a lot of it DIY to save money. Because my husband and I are both teachers, a lot of the work is done in the summer.

Our kitchen is a source of frustration. It was serviceable for a while until we had a roof leak and the water drained down the wall (between the paint and the plaster).

I had always wanted a backsplash in the kitchen but I couldn’t land on a favourite tile. I thought I’d like one and I’d read reviews to find out it looked a bit green, or I’d like a trendy shape for a while until I realized it would be near impossible to install. Then I came across a really cool Cricut post about a sticker backsplash.

I had the idea saved for a long time and decided that redoing the kitchen again meant I could get this project going, as well. We primed the entire wall where the leak was and I painted a white section on the bottom half where the stickers were going to be. It ended up being the “grout”.

I found some contact paper-like vinyl on amazon.ca that had a beautiful shimmer, glossy finish and great reviews.

I measured a couple of test tiles to see what size I liked. 3″ x 6″ seemed to be the average size for subway tiles that I liked. I decided to make them 2.75″ x 5.5″ so I could fit more onto a page.

I tested a slightly ripped piece where I was going to install the stickers. It looked great but I was nervous about the spacing and levelling.

I had my stickers, ruler, pencil, smoother/scraper, a level and a craft knife.

I tried to leave a .25″ space around each sticker. After a while I was able to eyeball most of the inside tiles. The tricky part was the other side of the kitchen where I had inside and outside corners.

It was so easy to cut stickers down to size to fit in the awkward places.

I love how glossy the stickers are. I think they help it look more like glass tiles.

We still have to caulk around the bottom of the walls and counters but it has already improved from before.

It’s an instant facelift for our kitchen! I spent about $30 on a roll of vinyl and I can peel it off anytime. I will have to give updates later on how well it holds up. But for the cost, time and overall look, I’m so happy with this project!