Transformation of a Cottage Kitchen Part 3: Old Fashioned Brick Paver Backsplash

I t took quite a little while for me to decide what kind of backsplash to use for the Twice Remembered kitchen. With cottage and/or farmhouse style, there are so many options! I considered beadboard - a classic choice! But I knew that in the future, I would be using beadboard on the walls throughout the entire house, so I wanted to use something a little different for the backsplash. I also thought about small square mosaic tiles, subway tiles, or even antique ceiling tin. In the end, though, I decided to go with thin brick pavers.


I get a lot of questions about these thin brick pavers. I found them at Lowes a couple of years ago. They were exact replicas of old bricks and were about .50 each. However, I have not been able to find these bricks at Lowes for quite a while now. If anyone has any information on where to find them, please do let me know! First of all, I'd love to be able to know where to direct folks who are looking for them, and second of all...I need some more thin bricks for the the faux fireplace we'll be doing in the dining room down the road. I sure wish I would have picked up an extra box when they were in stock. Little did I know!



Even painted, the bricks reveal a lot of texture.


Though I've done a little tile work back in my pre-cottage days, I wasn't up to renting a wet saw to cut the brick, and I was a little nervous about attempting some of the more detailed cuts that were required. So we decided to hire a friend for the install. I wasn't here when he did the job, but he used some kind of thick, glue-like mastic {not cement-like mortar} to apply the pavers right on top of the existing drywall.


When the glue was set and cured, I grouted the brick with sanded grout. Just to see what it would look like, I smeared a lot of the grout over the surface of the pavers and really liked the result.



But whenever I had to clean the backsplash, some of the grout on the surface would come off. I knew that I really needed to paint the backsplash for a more durable finish.


I thought that I would still like to see the bricks distress a bit - with the paint rubbed off here and there with some of the brick peeking through... so I attempted to take some of the paint off by sanding and chemicals {ugh! That was a mess and very hard to do!}




Still, I wasn't crazy with the result. It seemed too contrived and busy with the pattern in my countertop. In the end, I decided to just paint it a nice, crisp white. The paint I used was a kitchen paint by Behr that is somewhere between a satin and semi-gloss - Sateen Lustre. I am very pleased with how it turned out and it's super easy to keep clean.




If you are looking for a way to add some cottage or farmhouse appeal to your kitchen...and if you can find these bricks, I think you, too, will be happy with how they dress up your backsplash!

Coming up in Part 4 - Tung and Groove Pine Ceiling

{Did you miss Part 2 of Transformation of a Cottage Kitchen?: Check out Part 2: Antique / Farmhouse Style Red Cabinet Makeover

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