The Telegram (St. John's)

Sprucing up your kitchen isn’t that difficult

- MILLICENT MCKAY

I’ve not held back my disdain for my kitchen. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great space, but it’s just not me.

The wall colour has grown old, the counter tops and floors are not ugly, but certainly not pretty and the island ... it’s a junk collector.

Replacing cabinets and flooring and restructur­ing the inside of the island are all long-term projects. For now, I’m talking about taking back my kitchen in a simple way — installing a peel-and-stick faux-subway tile backsplash.

After watching a couple dozen videos on simple kitchen renos — most of which included peel and stick tile — I felt like it was something I could do on my own.

I found a faux subway tile I liked at a local store and the next time

I was in town with my partner, I asked what he thought of me changing up the kitchen. With his OK, I bought about eight packs of eight sheets of the faux tile, at about $55 to $58 a pack. The next Saturday, I was ready to spend my day with my kitchen re-do.

Make sure you have a straight edge or a ruler that can sit flush against the tiles and a sharp utility/exacto knife.

I started the installati­on in a corner of the wall. Looking back, I should have started it in the middle of a wall and worked my way from there. These sheets are super easy to apply; you literally peel off the backing, stick it on the wall and press it down. What helps is one side had a thicker boarder the product directions instructs you to overlap — it’s pretty self-explanator­y, which is really nice.

I will warn you, while they say they are removable, the tiles will peel off paint and top layer of drywall if the removal is done hastily. That may be a “no thank you” for some, but I don’t plan on taking that tile down, ever.

 ??  ?? Applying peel-and-stick backsplash is a quick way to update a kitchen.
Applying peel-and-stick backsplash is a quick way to update a kitchen.

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