Kitchen Mini Makeover

Kitchen Mini Makeover

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So while we’ve been staying at my bachelor brother’s house, I’ve been trying to do some minor updates to his home. One of the areas I really wanted to tackle was the kitchen, but on a budget.

Our goal was three things: backsplash, faucet with pull out spout, and a microwave above the stove to create more countertop space. Here’s the before…

And here’s what it looks like with the mini makeover…

I have to say, it’s amazing what a backsplash can do for a space!

Now in our last home we installed a ceramic white subway tile backsplash in our kitchen, but in my brother’s house we decided to go with a temporary version… a peel and stick option from Smart Tiles. We did this for a couple reasons, mostly because he might be switching from laminate to a hard surface countertop plus we wanted to stick to a budget.

Supplies you’ll need for the backsplash:

• Smart Tiles or any self adhesive wall tile
• Utility knife
• Metal ruler or straight edge
• Level
• Cutting mat

You’ll want to start with an inside corner and work your way out from both sides. Cut the first tile straight so you have an flush starting point in the corner. Use the level to make sure everything is even.

Then continue on overlapping the grout lines, trimming out areas for outlets with the utility knife or scissors. Hold up the tiles in place first to make sure it will fit properly before taking off the backing. Once you take off the backing, press firmly into place (I used the back side of a spoon to help).

Then you’ll start on the second row above your first. This second row will require a lot more trimming of each piece than the first row since you’ll want it to perfectly fit underneath your cabinets. Also make sure you take your time around windows and light switches (measure twice, cut once).

And pretty soon your kitchen will look like this…

We were actually quite impressed with the look and feel of this self adhesive tile, not to mention the ease of installation. I completely installed this in one evening all by myself (took me about 4 hours total).

As you can see, the other big additions to the kitchen were the above-the-stove microwave and the new pull out spout kitchen faucet. You can get more details on how to install a faucet here.

microwave + faucet + backsplash = 1 awesome mini makeover

Overall I’m super happy with the before and after mini kitchen makeover. It’s simply amazing what some simple updates can do!

The Smart Tiles were purchased from Joss and Main, but I think you can get them online from other sources. Check Wayfair as well, they often have sales on this product plus tons of other color options.

Original article and pictures take howtonestforless.com site