DIY Tiled Kitchen Island

Here’s a little sneak peak at what’s happening with my little corner kitchen make-over.

I just finished tiling my kitchen island and thought you guys might like a little sneak peak at what I’ve been doing to my tiny kitchen. I know, I know, some of you guys are upset with me for changing the graffiti wall. I miss it, too. But the graffiti wall didn’t look good with the new white cabinets (it was just too white), so I needed to make some adjustments. Honestly, I’m glad it challenged me to think of something else. I’m really liking the new design.

Before I get to it, let’s take another look at my whimsical graffiti wall one more time when my kitchen was all dark and brown.

Before

 

Goodbye my fun little wall of doodles. You will always be remembered fondly.

But don’t fret! I have another location for a graffiti wall. More to come!

For the new wall I wanted to go with a tiled look but I did not want to commit to an expensive design (or put a ton of time into it). So, as I was strolling through Home Depot, a thought came to my mind… “Why not go with vinyl tiles?!” It’s sooo cheap and super easy to cut. How could I go wrong?! This is a DIY project that cost me less then $25!! You really can’t beat that. Plus, if I get sick of this design down the road, no biggie! It would be easy to take it down if I decided to go for a new look down the road.

Here’s what you need for this project:

• Vinyl tiles
• Box cutter
• Extra blades
• Cutting mat
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Needle nose pliers
• Hot glue gun
• Level

I’m not going to lie; it’s a lot of cutting, especially if you want to do something really geometric or ornate.

Yes, I hand cut all of it into triangles. The nice part is all you have to do is score the vinyl twice and then I snap it and it snaps perfectly. So, you don’t have to cut through all the way.

If my triangle was off (and it was a little section) I would re-score it with the blade and then use the needle nose pliers to snap it off. Worked like a charm.

Then, just like tiling, you find the center of the area you’re tiling and start laying it on.

The tiles I used had an adhesive on the back of them which was great for temporarily sticking them up for the sake of placement. Once I liked how it looked I used a couple dabs of hot glue to glue it in place. That’s it! Super easy!

The level always comes in handy so everything looks straight.

As far as a design plan, I just dove right in. I had an idea, but part of me just wanted to wing it, just to get it done, so I did.

Cutting it all out took about 3 hours and tiling took a day and a half (but, they weren’t full days). I had plenty of interruptions from my two boys, but it still moved along pretty quickly.

The tedious part is getting the shapes consistent so when you tile they are the same size. I had to adjust a few so they all fit together well.

So, here it is!

After

 

I’m really happy with it. The pattern is contemporary and bold, but not too big. I love the neutral tones and balance of light and dark. Plus, it’s easy to wipe down and keep clean.

You’ll have to wait just a bit more to see the rest of the kitchen, but I’m getting there!

What do you think so far?

XOXO

Melessa