If you are in the middle of a kitchen renovation, or are constructing a new house.. and the budget is tight right now.. why not make your own faux tiled backsplash?

I really wanted a beautiful mosaic tiled backsplash, but it was not in the budget in the beginning, and I knew that drywall at the back of the countertop and sink would show wear and tear very fast with my family!

Here is a idea to keep things going until you can get the backsplash of your dreams... Clean the wall with a degreaser and rinse and make sure it is completely dry. Empty the countertops for this project!

Get yourself some 1/8" painters tape and mark off a grid of squares or rectangles, of whatever size you desire. I made mine 3 inches square. I know it will seem like a mountain of tape, but this is the worst part, once you have this done the rest is quick..

Now you have your grid made of painters tape, get yourself a small container of pre-mixed drywall compound and a small trowel, and put a thin layer of the compound over your grid area, being careful not to disturb your tape.

Take the tape off right away, while the compound is still wet, but do it carefully, then let it all dry.

Now take some paint and a sponge or paint brush depending on the effect you are looking for, and paint your faux tiles and you can also paint your faux grout or leave it the original color of your drywall. I used a sponge and few colors to make my faux tiles look mottled, but this effect also looks good in solid colors, you could even paint over the whole area with just the one color, it will still give the effect of faux tiles as you have texture.

Now coat the whole backsplash with at least one coat of varathane to protect the area and make it easy to clean.

This looks good, and you created it yourself!.. not much money involved, but will hold you over until you get those fancy expensive mosaic tiles you are looking for!.. or maybe you will just keep this...