I came across some pics of a quick and easy backsplash we installed. Not only was it quick and easy to make and create it was also an inexpensive way to add charm to the space.
In our home prior to the one we are currently living in I was wanting to add a backsplash in the kitchen. At the time money was tight so I wanted to find a way to make the space look pretty without spending a lot.
As you’ve seen in some of my previous posts I like bead board. It is a fun product that is relatively inexpensive but creates a pretty change to the space. I would have loved to do a major overhaul on the kitchen but that wasn’t going to happen.
We purchased the house in 2009 as a spec home. When we first walked through they were about to begin dry walling. Since it was a spec we were not able to make any changes to the home. Thankfully the design they’d chosen was good. It wasn’t great but definitely workable.
We were moving from Canada to Arizona and didn’t have a lot of time to find and purchase a house. We needed to get it purchase, get back to Canada pack up and head back to Arizona so the kids could get enrolled in school, which had already started in Arizona. I begged the realtor at the show home to please let us put in granite but they just couldn’t do it for us.
Bead board backsplash
I love the process of making and creating ways to improve the space without investing a lot of money. Monte was on board and willing to help me install bead board as a backsplash.
The sink counter over looks the backyard. The counter then wrapped around to the cooktop making an L shape. There are upper cabinets against the cooktop wall so we knew how high we could install the bead board on that wall.
The wall where the window is didn’t have upper cabinets so we had some flexibility to how we wanted it to look. I also wanted to install a couple cute shelves to display the china given to me from my grandma. It is so pretty and I love it so much that I wanted to display it and enjoy it daily.
A fun pretty change
Adding the bead board was pretty easy with only a couple plugs to work around. We had elevated cabinets above the cooktop so we had to do a little extra measuring and cutting to get it all to fit.
Changing out the counter top was not something we were able to do so I was happy adding a little character and charm to the space with a pretty backsplash. Since we had open wall space by the sink I wanted to take the bead board a little higher where it wrapped around the corner by the window. We didn’t want it to go as high as the window and cupboards. By leaving it below the cabinet and window height it adds some dimension to the area.
Loving these shelves
We didn’t want to add a trim where the bead board and countertop joined. But decided to run some trim along the bottoms of the cabinets so it had a finished edge.
We didn’t wrap the bead board into the window sill. All of our windows had blinds on them so we weren’t able to wrap the windows without loosing the blinds. Since we live in Arizona having blinds on your windows are a priority if they get direct sunlight. We went about 3/4 of the way up the window and trimmed the raw edges.
It made such a beautiful back drop to the shelves Monte built and installed for me. I found some cute wood brackets and a piece of wood for the shelf at Home Depot. I painted everything the same color as the backsplash. This gave me a perfect place to display the china from my grandma.
Part of making the bead board installation look professional is using paintable caulk and caulking all the edges. Along the cupboards and counter top and also around the trimmed edges.
Prior to installation I give everything a quick coat of paint. All the bead board and trim comes primed so it paints really quick and easy. After everything is up and looking good we got busy caulking the edges and filling all the nail holes. It is then ready for the final coat of paint that gives the project the finished professional look I’m always after.
A cute change without spending a lot
This is one of those inexpensive upgrades to a home that goes up fairly quickly and makes a charming change to the space.
The overall cost was less then $150. We only needed a few sheets of bead board that we picked up at Home Depot. I had leftover paint we could use from other projects. The paintable caulk is super cheap and goes a long ways.
Learn to love what you have
I’ll be honest it wasn’t my dream kitchen but definitely worked for the few years we lived in that home. If our plan was to stay in that home forever I would have chipped away at replacing or refinishing the cupboards, updating the counter tops and investing a little more in the backsplash. I’m so thankful to have had a kitchen that functioned and fed our family for the years we lived there.
When our last son graduated and moved away from home we needed to decide if we wanted to stay in our current home or down size a little and find our next home. If we were going to stay there were some updates and renovations we wanted to do to elevate the home.
Ultimately we chose to move and have loved our current home and the fun projects we’ve worked on. We look forward to showing more of the fun we’ve had making and creating charming projects.
