We have subway tile backsplash throughout our kitchen except for the bar/island area (ie. the flippers cheaped out). I’ve always thought it looked a bit blah without a backsplash so have been on the hunt for something easy that I could DIY to jazz up the space.
There’s about 10,000 peel and stick backsplash options out there, but to be honest, none of the options were that thrilling because they looked exactly like what they are: peel and stick and super faking looking. However, somewhere in my Google adventures, I discovered Tic Tac Tiles and realized it was the answer to all of my problems.
They do some of the most realistic peel and stick backsplash options I’ve ever seen. This particular one I chose is actually real quarried stone cut into very thin slices on an adhesive. It looks like real stone because, well, it is.
The only tools I used were a pair of heavy duty utility scissors, a ruler, and a screwdriver to remove my receptacle plate (well, I used a butter knife because I was too lazy to go upstairs and get my screwdriver, but tomato, tomahto). This area measures just under five square feet and cost me less than $50 in stone tiles to do.
A picture is worth a thousand words, but a video is worth…a million? I documented the process of installing my Tic Tac Tiles so feel free to check it out below:
I could not be happier with how this turned out. It took about 2 hours end to end to complete and didn’t require any masonry skills (not that I have any, anyways).
A few things to note on the install:
– About 90% of the tile on each board is thin and easy to cut through. Because it is real stone, however, there are variations in height, so I would suggest making sure you do not choose one of the thicker pieces to cut through just to make life easier. If you do end up needing to cut through a thicker piece, you’ll ultimately be fine, but it may be a bit more of a workout.
– The key to cutting the tiles is a super heavy duty utility knife. Mine were fine, but if I were purchasing it all over again, I would get a heavier-duty pair of scissors.
– A right angle ruler is helpful, but if you don’t have one, you can just use another uncut piece of tile to make sure the lines that you need to cut through are straight.
– As with all tile, make sure you’re not lining up the seams of each course up exactly and that the tiles are staggered
Ultimately, this was the perfect weekend DIY project. It’s a small detail that brings so much life to my bar area. Tic Tac Tiles also has a variety of other realistic-looking peel and stick options, so I’ll be brainstorming ways to incorporate more of these into the rest of my house!
“It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.” – John Wooden
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