One of the best decisions I ever made was to paint my kitchen backsplash. It was that tan tuscan textured style that did not go with the vision I had of my kitchen. So, I set out to change it. Unfortunately, changing out the tile backsplash was not in the cards for me yet so I had to be resourceful. After a bit of research, I started the process. You may notice throughout the pictures that my cabinet colors also changed throughout this journey….the overall kitchen situation was a big undertaking. I cannot stress how big of an impact just a little bit of paint made in my kitchen. I would HIGHLY recommend anyone who is thinking about it to just go for it. You will not be sorry.
*Side Note: I am writing this two years after I completed my painted backsplash project and I can tell you that I had realtors tell me they couldn’t even tell it was painted. It has been extremely durable, and I could take a Clorox wipe and clean splatters off of it extremely easily. No chips at all either!*
So, let’s begin. First, make sure to clean the current backsplash. And I mean really clean. Get some TSP cleaner and scrub those tiles down especially where the stove is and the sink. If there is any grease on the tile at all, the primer and paint will not stick. Scrub hard and then let it dry. This is the most important step and critical to the longevity and durability of this paint.
Here is the second most important step. If you have rough, porous tiles, you are in luck. You can skip this step because the paint will seep into your tiles very easily. If you have smooth, shiny tiles, you will need to sand them to a point where there is texture on all areas of the tile. Either take a hand sander or a sanding block and use some elbow grease to get a rough finish. Once you have achieved enough texture, take a tack cloth and wipe down the tiles and the surrounding areas so that dust doesn’t get back on the tile creating a bumpy surface.
Then, get a roll of paper and cover your countertops. Do not make the same mistakes I did and leave your counters uncovered. You will spend weeks scraping little dots of paint off your countertops. Tape the edge where the countertop meets the tile, cabinets and side walls to prevent paint to get on areas it doesn’t belong.
Now for the good stuff. Take your primer. I used Kilz Original Interior Primer. I took a 1” brush and painted along the grout lines in a small area. Then I used a 4” long foam roller to cover the rest of the tile and blend in the brush strokes from the grout lines. This was the best decision I made! It did not leave any brush strokes at all and made it look seamless. Finish this process until the entire area has been covered in primer. You want to give it a good coat but not so thick that it doesn’t dry.
Wait until the primer has dried. Follow the instructions on the can. I like to let the primer harden until I can lightly scrape a fingernail across the tile to make sure that it doesn’t scratch off. This is also a good time to fill in and caulk any holes that you may have seen now that the tiles and grout are all painted white. If the primer does scrape off when giving it the fingernail test, wait another day and try it again. It may have needed time to harden properly.
Once the primer had thoroughly dried, I applied a second coat of primer following the same steps. I let the primer dry and gave it the fingernail test again.
Now that the surface has been primed and prepped properly, it is time to paint. I shoes Sherwin-Williams Extra White for my backsplash. Follow the same techniques that you did with the primer: take the 1” brush and paint along the grout lines in a small area. Then take your foam roller and paint the rest of the tile making sure that you are blending the brush lines from painting the grout.
Again, let this dry and repeat the same steps for a second coat. Apply a 3rd coat if you feel that you need more paint coverage.
*Optional: I had small bronze mini tiles as design pieces in my tiles that I felt stood out since they were a different size and angle than the other ones. I bought a silver paint pen and colored in the small tiles to add a little bit of flair to the otherwise white tiles. I also felt that this made it look less like painted tile and more like a true custom tile backsplash with this added feature. *
Once the paint has been totally dried, apply a top clear coat to finish the job. I chose Minwax Polycrylic Semi-Gloss finish. I applied 3 coats of this with a soft bristle brush. I do not recommend following the directions on the can for this one. It says to sand in between coats. If you sand these tiles, I’m afraid it would mess up your paint job and create an undesirable finish for this project. The only thing I will say about applying this product is that it is very runny, so make sure that you apply a very thin coat and do not overbrush because it will become bubbly and textured. Let it dry fully in between coats.
As a finishing step, I took a caulk gun and applied caulk along the edge of the grout line and the top of the countertop to give it a smooth, finished look. You may find that you need to apply caulk to other areas of the backsplash. I also finished out the edge of the tile near a doorway that I felt like looked unfinished prior to painting.
And voilà! You have updated your kitchen in a quick weekend for less than $50! Did you tackle a project like this in your house? Post your pictures below!
BEFORE 
AFTER
BEFORE 
AFTER