Bead Board Backsplash?
Is that a Bead Board Backsplash I see?
An affordable backsplash is a must to some new homeowners on a budget. Of course, glass tiles or stainless steel tiles are an attractive, desirable option, but they come with great expense.
An cost-efficient, attractive, and easy-care alternative is the faux beadboard backsplash.
Drywall between the cabinets is difficult to keep clean. Splashes from cooking or the kitchen sink permanently stains the paint, and it looks tacky! Instead, the area can be covered with paintable textured wallpaper, and the look is remarkable.
I found the paintable wallpaper at Lowes, and it is called Surface Solutions. There are many texture options, and I chose the one that looks exactly like wooden beadboard, down to the grain in the wood. Because it takes such a small amount of this paper, it is very inexpensive. The first step is to size the wall area with quality sizing using a paste brush. (The purpose of sizing the wall is for future wallpaper removal.) Once the wall size is dry, the walls are ready for wallpaper applicatiion.
Cut the wallpaper strips two inches longer than the vertical measurement of the wall that is between the cabinets. Apply wallpaper paste liberally and evenly, and "book" the paper by folding the paper, paste sides together. (Do not crease.) Hang the strips of wallpaper, checking them with a vertical level, and butting them together without overlap. Using an wallpaper trim tool as a guide, trim the paper at the top and bottom with a cutting tool such as a SnapKnife.
Once the wallpaper is hung and is dry (allow 24 hours to dry,) it can be painted. I used the same color paint as the walls, but instead of flat paint, I had a quart of the same color mixed in a satin finish. After the first coat of paint is dry, a second coat should be applied. The satin finish paint provides a washable, finished surface, and the finished product looks just like beadboard.
When people visit, they often comment on the unique look of my "beadboard" backsplash. Nobody would guess that it is wallpaper, and that it was done for such a small amount of money!
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