When we walked through this house in January of 2020 I knew it was going to be a project house. I MIGHT have underestimated just HOW many projects it would take but it’s keeping me busy! So, let’s get into the next one!
The Before
I replaced our outdated kitchen backsplash with Subway Tile!
If you’ve been here for any amount of time you’re heard me whine about this backsplash! When I took the time to price out replacing it, I was SHOCKED (and a little annoyed) to find out that it would cost me less than $100. Like, WAY LESS if you want to consider the fact that I have adhesive, grout, caulk, and about 6ft of schluter left over. Whose house am I coming to next?!
Supply List:
subway tile | tile adhesive | tile spacers | grout | tile caulk | schluter | trim puller | tile saw
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This was our kitchen in April 2020. WOOF.
Our backsplash was 27 square feet and my total out of pocket cost was $98. I have leftover materials so if we wanted to split hairs I probably spent $60-ish on what was actually used.
I ripped out the first few tiles using a trim puller and the sheet rock behind it wasn’t in bad shape! I thought for sure I would be able to remove it all and not have to do any patch work. Of course I spoke too soon because once I got around to the sink it was coming off in CHUNKS.
After a little panic I remembered that I had sheetrock and joint compound in the basement. Joe stepped in and helped me cut sheetrock to patch the holes. Once I crossed that hurdle I felt like it was going to be smooth sailing.
Which is was, except it was SLOW sailing. I was working in small chunks of time between meals, naps, snacks, school drop off and pick up and mostly after the kids went to bed. It’s amazing how much I got done in an hour without any interruptions.
I listened to most of the book, Mistletoe and Murder by Connie Berry on Spotify while I was working. It was cute and a quick listen.
The finishing details seemed to be the easiest part, which is literally never the case. I grouted one evening after dinner and was able to caulk in the morning before I took Audrey to school. It went so quickly!
The following weekend I hosted a bunch of my girlfriends for a Boards and Booze Christmas Pajama party. It was SO much fun. Lots of food and new wines to try, so much laughter my abs hurt, and just the best time with old and new friends. The house got a really good clean and I finished decorating just in time! I can’t believe I barely took any pictures that night but isn’t that the sign of a great party?
The After
I mentioned on instagram that I did have one regret and it’s that I didn’t do this sooner! There definitely was a bit of a learning curve, a new tool, and some minor imperfections but I am just so happy with how it turned out! I wish I tackled this sooner. It didn’t make this my dream kitchen but it’s such a worthwhile improvement to make this space more beautiful right now.
I’ll share my house all decked out for Christmas this week and a few last minute neighbor gifts that we have made in years past- I always have the urge to make something homemade for people in that last week before Christmas! Am I the only one who does this?
xoxo, Emma
