I often use our summer break to work on projects that I don’t have as much time for during our homeschool year, and one of my projects this summer was painting our kitchen backsplash.

Rewind back with me for a moment to August 2013 when we first moved into our house. This is what our kitchen area looked like before we changed a single thing.

While there’s nothing wrong with this, it was far from my style. And because kitchen remodels can quickly add up when using a contractor and installing all new stuff, we decided to slowly make kitchen updates on our own and paint some things rather than replace everything.

We’ve changed out light fixtures, outlet plugs and covers, windows, the sink and faucet, and put in all new appliances…but when in came to cabinets we decided painting them was the most affordable option.

So back in 2019 I painted all our orange oak kitchen cabinets white on the top and gray on the bottom. My husband did the power tool stuff of uninstalling and installing doors, and putting on all new hardware. I did the artistic and messy part of painting. It was so much work and took about a week, but got our kitchen one step closer to the light and airy farmhouse look I admire.

Perhaps that detailed process is a post for another time, but what I wanted to walk through in this post is how to update kitchen backsplash without replacing it.

After we painted the cabinets almost four years ago, the southwestern backsplash that I never liked stood out even more. It was always my vision to replace it with some sort of white subway tile, but ripping out tile wasn’t on my bucket list. Others had mentioned that it’s possible to paint tile, but it took me awhile to get on board with the idea.

Here’s what our kitchen looked like earlier this month before I painted the backslash. As you can see, the cabinets were painted and the other updates I mentioned above were already done.

P.S. Be sure to stick around until the end to see what I also ended up doing with the bottom cabinets after I painted the tile. Hint: it involves paint.

I will say that I never loved the gray on the bottom because it seemed to work against the backsplash, floor, and countertop. Sometimes color looks good on a paint swatch, but ends up looking different once actually painted. More on my solution to that later, but…

Fast forward to this summer, and I decided it was time to tackle the backsplash, knowing that painting the tile a solid white would eliminate some of the busy patterns clashing with each other. I did a little research because I’m not the first person who’s done this, and then I got to work.

Painting tile backsplash is pretty straightforward and much easier than painting cabinets.

So without further ado, here’s the process I followed!

Supplies

• TSP
• rubber gloves
• bucket
• Krud Kutter
• sponge and cloth for cleaning
• caulk removing & smoothing tool
• silicone caulk
• 220 sanding block
• painter’s tape
• drop cloth for protecting counter
• Zinsser primer
• Quality enamel paint such as BEHR (satin or semigloss)
• paint tray
• 4 inch mini roller
• 1 1/2 inch brush

I already had some of these supplies on hand, such as the primer and paint leftover from when I painted the cabinets in 2019.

Once you have all your supplies, it’s time for prep work.

To get paint to stick to tile, it’s important to go through the process of prepping which involves cleaning, sanding, and priming. Yes it takes time, but you don’t want to skip these steps.

Step-By-Step Instructions

1. Clear countertops and protect surfaces

I began by moving everything off the counters. You’ll also want to protect the counters with a drop cloth before you use TSP, but you’ll want to wait to do most of the taping until you’ve cleaned the tile. Remove any outlet covers and tape the outlets.

Before I did any cleaning, I also removed the old caulk between the counter and the tile backsplash. This may or may not be a step you need to do, but ours was cracked and peeling away.

2. Clean your tiles

I’ve never used TSP before, but all the tutorials I read on how to paint backsplash mentioned using this. All you do is mix the solution in a bucket according to the package directions and then use a sponge to wipe down the tiles. Make sure to wear nitrile gloves to protect your hands.

3. Lightly sand your tiles

Once your tiles are dry, you’ll want to rough up your tiles a little so the paint adheres. This is somewhat of an optional step depending on what kind of tiles you have, but I decided it didn’t hurt. You’ll want to use a fine grit sandpaper that won’t scratch and I used 220 because that’s the finest I had. I love sanding blocks for these sorts of light projects, but you could also use an orbital sander. Wipe off any remaining dust residue when you’re done.

4. Clean tiles one more time with a de-greaser

I picked up a product called Krud Kutter from a local home improvement store and did one final cleaning with a cloth. Thorough cleaning will help to make sure your primer and paint stick well to the tile. Let the tiles dry thoroughly before moving on.

5. Tape off areas for clean lines

I’m not sure how many rolls of painter’s tape I’ve gone through in my life, but this is always a must in my painting projects. I added tape between where the countertop and backsplash meet. Since I used the same color paint as my top cabinets, I didn’t add tape there, but you may need to use tape to protect your upper cabinets. I actually had never painted underneath the cabinets since you don’t see it, but I took the opportunity to do so while I painted the tile.

6. Prime Tiles

After using Zinsser primer to prime our kitchen cabinets, it’s my go-to for projects like this. It dries quickly and prepares the surface well. Theoretically, you don’t need to sand the surface ahead of time with this primer, but I still did. You might only need one coat, but I used two coats just to be safe. I used a brush to cut in the corners and edges, and a mini roller for everything else.

After two coats, it will looks about 80 percent covered with some color still showing through depending on how dark your tiles are. Don’t worry, once you start painting you’ll get that full coverage look!

7. Paint Tiles

Once the primer is dry, you’re ready to finally paint!

As far as type of paint: I’ve read you can use epoxy paint and paint specifically for tile, but you can also use the same enamel paint you’d use to paint a wall as long as you thoroughly prep the tiles. I used satin enamel paint plus primer, applied two coats, and it worked great. It’s the same exact paint I used to paint our cabinets and it’s called Cotton Blossom. Doesn’t it just sound farmhouse?

Even though my paint had primer, I still primed with the Zinsser primer so the paint would stick without issues. Also, I would have chosen a semi-gloss had I not already had paint, but satin is very similar and can be washed.

My experience with painting is that it’s worth it to invest in quality paint. Benjamin Moore, Sherman Williams, and Home Depot’s BEHR are all brands I’ve had good success with.

I didn’t take any pictures during the process of painting, but I took plenty of after.

8. Add a bead of caulk between the backsplash and countertop

Once everything has dried and you’ve removed your painter’s tape, you’re ready for the last step. This is optional if your area is already sealed up well, but our tile needed it and it gives a finished look if you have any paint drip through the tape. I used a waterproof silicone caulk in white and a caulking tool that gave a clean line.

Keep in mind, this works best if you remove any old caulk prior to painting so you’ll want to decide on this ahead of time.

And that’s the process I used to update our kitchen backsplash in a budget-friendly way!

It only took one day to do all the cleaning and painting, and I did the caulk a separate day. Compared to painting cabinets, this was a walk in the park. We’ll see how it holds up over time, but I think it will do well since it’s not an area that gets touched.

I also want to emphasize that this works for tile, but I’d do some more research if your backsplash is a different material.

10 years of home projects has taught me that paint can go a long way in brightening up the home!

And speaking of paint…

After I finished painting the tile, I realized how much of difference white makes. So instead of packing up my painting supplies, I decided to re-paint our bottom cabinets the same Cotton Blossom white!

Believe me, I knew painting cabinets was no simple pursuit, but I also knew it would brighten up the kitchen even more and bring everything together more fully. Plus it was just the bottom this time, so only half the work.

I originally wanted to paint all the cabinets white when I painted them four years ago, but decided on gray for the bottom because our kitchen is such a high traffic area. It’s literally the center of our home and I was worried white cabinets would show all the dirt. So I went with white on the top and gray on the bottom.

The truth is the gray got dirty too, but the cabinets are wipeable and dirt usually comes right off. So I decided re-paint the cabinets white on the bottom like I always wanted. It tied everything together and works so much better with the counter top and floor.

Also, this time around my oldest son who is handy like his dad, uninstalled and re-installed all the doors and hardware like a pro. Sons are a blessings.

Paint can make such a difference and is a budget-friendly way to do kitchen updates without breaking the bank.

Have you ever painted tile backsplash or cabinets? Would you do it again if so? Or have you been pondering doing this type of paint project in your kitchen? I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments below!

Rejoicing in Hope,

Hannah