How to Fake a Pressed Tin Backsplash

I would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! My wish for you is that it will be the best and most blessed year yet. Perhaps you want to try something new this year or have plans to re-do something in your home. Well, here's a little something that may give you some inspiration.

Have you ever seen and admired a backsplash or ceiling all dressed up in pressed tin? Well I had admired them for many years, both in magazines as well as in the homes of a couple of family members. One day I headed out to Lowes to do a little snooping to see if this was something I could do in my own kitchen. Unfortunately, here's what I found (copied from Lowes website):

From www.lowes.com

Ughh.....one 18x24 inch tile for $19.95. And how many would I need?!? I would probably have to buy the adhesive to go along with it too, and whatever else, I don't know. On to Plan B. But just what is Plan B? I really wanted something other than just the blaaaank walllll behind the sink and stove, so I pondered several other options. I thought about other options like cut up pallets, stones and ceramic tiles, but kept running into the same issues - - too difficult, too pricey.......etc, etc. I finally concluded that I really wanted the pressed tin look to go along with my decor, so I searched on. One day I came across a photo of some textured wallpaper that had the same sort of pattern to it as the pressed tin tiles. Best of all, it was less than twenty bucks!!!! So I thought that maybe, just maybe this might work!

From www.lowes.com

In my opinion, the pros were: it's cheap, I can cut it with scissors, I can do ALL of the backsplash with one roll, I can paint it with whatever shade or tint I want, I can remove it later if I get tired of it with little regret of wasted money. The cons - - well, okay, only one "con": If you look closely, you will know it isn't authentic. So, my decision was obvious. I went to Lowe's and bought a double roll of allen+roth brand Paintable Ceiling Tiles Wallpaper for $18.97 + tax. No adhesive was needed, as it was prepasted. The only supplies needed to install it were simple: a tape measure, pencil and a sharp pair of scissors. I didn't fool with buying a wallpaper trough for water, either. I installed it in the kitchen, so the sink was literally right there! The pattern was easy to match up and I had the paper up in one evening! I let the paste dry a couple of days prior to painting it. Fortunately, I had plenty of paint in the garage to mix and match, so I simply mixed up some black, gray and white and painted 'er up! After that dried, I touched up here and there and then sponged on some silver metallic acrylic craft paint, followed by a dry brushing of some gloss black. These paints together gave the wallpaper depth and an authentic metal look. So, without further adieu, here are the before and after shots. Ignore the objects in the pictures. This is the only close-up of the "before" that I could find:

BEFORE: "Plain brown wrapper"

AFTER: Fab and Frugal!

I was thrilled with the results, and still may go over it again with the metallic paint for additional shine. I am still thinking about whether or not to paint the outlets to match....but I am sorta leaning toward no. What do you think? My hope is that this will inspire you to do awesome and creative things while on a budget. Most everything in our house would be considered "builder grade", but I am slowly making it our own! It doesn't matter WHERE you live, really. With a little imagination and some effort, anyplace can be nice if it is your heart's desire.