Painting a Tile Backsplash

I moved into my house about 7.5 years ago, which seems crazy to me that it’s been that long! I’ve done a LONG list of projects, both big and small. Something I’ve always wanted to do was update the kitchen a little. Mostly just repainting the cabinets. They are painted white, but they weren’t painted very well and they need some freshening up!

I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’d love to get new cabinets, new countertops and a new backsplash, but let’s be real, that’s expensive! So last year I painted the lower cabinets of my kitchen a light gray color, and I planned on repainting the uppers white. Well surprise, surprise I never got around to repainting the uppers (I will do that eventually). Meanwhile I’ve been living with gray lower cabinets, white(ish) uppers, and a beige backsplash: I’ve always hated the backsplash, but I didn’t want to take the effort to tear it out. That always ends with having to redo drywall, and I just didn’t feel like it!

I was getting antsy to do a house project, but having recently had wrist surgery I knew I couldn’t do any of that larger projects I wanted to. So after going back and forth I decided…why not try painting the tile backsplash?! I mean if it didn’t workout I’d replace it, like I wanted to anyway. It was a project small enough that I could do it with one arm and not hurt my wrist. Plus, I had everything I needed so it would essentially be a “free” project. I figured what the heck!

I checked out a few tutorials on blogs and YouTube and decided just to go for it. Here are the general steps I followed.

• Clean backsplash
• Remove outlet covers
• Use orbital sander to sand backsplash tiles (mine were not glossy tiles, so it was pretty easy, you’d probably have to do another step if you have those)
• Clean backsplash
• Tape and put down newspaper (or whatever you have to protect your countertops, I think I actually used an Athleta catalog)
• Prime backsplash (I only used one coat but my tiles were a lighter color)
• Wait for primer to dry
• Paint first coat of backsplash
• Wait for paint to dry (yep literally waiting for paint to dry…find something to occupy your time)
• Paint second coat of backsplash (I did two coats)
• Once second coat is mostly dry you can remove the tape
• Relish in your glory of having an amazing white tile backsplash

I used this primer and paint that I already had in my basement leftover from something else. I brushed to make sure I got in all of the areas of the tile and then rolled on top of it to make it have a smoother finish. If you look really closely you can see some brush marks, but it doesn’t bother me at all. It was so much easier than replacing the full backsplash.

I seriously couldn’t stop smiling when I saw how much it changed the look of the kitchen! It looks so much brighter and cleaner, and I love it! Plus the “free” part of it was pretty awesome.

Have you ever tried painting tile? Next up I’m going to replace the tile flooring in my guest bathroom. It needs an update, but I have to tear up the two (yes I said two layers, someone tiled over the old tiles) layers of tile on the floor right now. I’d love to redo the entire bathroom, but maybe someday! For now it’s just replacing the floor, and I have a fun fireplace project coming too!