Hello Moms,
We just bought a house, and the sellers upgraded the kitchen. Problem - they must have not been wearing their glasses when they picked out the colors of the granite and the backsplash, because they don't match! Obviously, the cheapest way to fix the problem is to redo the backsplash. We could either hire a company to give us new backsplash, or, I think my husband and I can fix the backsplash on our own. The backsplash is glass (or maybe tile with a sheet of glass over it? I'm not sure). My husband thinks that if the glass can be removed, we can paint the tile on our own. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Someone suggested to change the countertop. The countertop is granite, and it would cost thousands of dollars to get new granite - which is why we are going to change the backsplash - much cheaper.
Is it maybe back painted glass? I love the smooth look to it and the wash ability. Better have a professional look at it first.
need more info! We need to know exactly what you're dealing with...before we can give truly viable answers.
That said, a couple more thoughts: I am not a matchy-matchy person. I cringe when my home decor matches. I coordinate, I contrast, & sometimes I'm just waaaay out there. That's how I live.
& as for painting the tile....it can be done if properly researched & executed. Otherwise the paint job will fail. & I truly question whether or not glass was placed over tile. What would the point be?
(sigh) I recommend having Lowes/Home Depot/etc come out & bid on an installation. That way they can tell you exactly what you're dealing with. Once you have the bid, then you & your husband can decide whether or not this is a DIY project. & this is coming from a 100% DIY'r. :)
Congrats on buying the house! & Merry Christmas.
Oy.
Painting tiles is a nightmare. Even with a kiln so they fuse perfectly its TEDIUS. Think 100 hours worth of work for 10 feet. I made the mistake in school of hand glazing someone's tile. I was doing production ceramic and glass at the time... So thought... Easy $250. Nope! Ended up being paid apx $2.50 pet hour for the job. Again, I'd been working in ceramic and glass for a few years at that point.
Don't do it
But new tile.
Chip out the old. Resurface. Instal new tile. 10 hours for 10 feet (newbies) 3 hours for 10' pro.
I cannot emphasize enough to NOT paint the tile backsplash! Gingerly remove it exposing the bare wall and replace it with something you like. Better to hire a contractor in January, which is a slow time of year and you can probably get a good deal.
Granite is very expensive and would cost a fortune to replace if your kitchen is big.
I would have somebody professional come over to remove the glass/tile.
Find out the name of the granite or bring a sample of it w/ you to a high end tile place and ask them to show you a few timeless looks. This way you can get good ideas.
I did my backsplash 9 yrs ago in my favorite color ! Needless to say, I wish I would have done a country french timeless look !
It might be easier to just change out the counter top. It sounds like the backsplash could be an issue to remove then redo.
I suggest that the glass is the tile. I've seen tile that looked like glass.
How long have you lived with the kitchen. Perhaps the back splash will grow on you?
I always thought if I had a chance to do a kitchen tile backsplash, I would go get unfinished tile, do handprints of our family and have each of us "paint" a few of our own tiles that would be interspersed between the plain tiles of whatever color went with the kitchen.
So, that is what I would do.
I did a set of coasters for each of my family a few years ago and I used the clay tiles from Home Depot. You can use whatever ink you want and then just spray with a clear sealer.
Or - you could make them at a "paint your own pottery" place... then they would be fire-baked in the kiln.
