So here's the deal: I got tired of staring at my blah kitchen tile backsplash. You know the kind—neutral, basic, totally not “me.” So I grabbed my favorite tools—DIY Paint and the IOD Cubano Stamp—and gave it a full-blown personality transplant.
Spoiler alert: it turned out SO GOOD.
And yes, this is something you can totally do yourself, even if you’ve never painted a tile in your life.
Why Paint Tile?
Because we don’t all have the time, budget, or patience for a full kitchen reno, right? Painting your backsplash is one of the easiest, most affordable ways to refresh your space without ripping out a single thing. Sidenote… we ended up selling this house (because we found a home during a random Saturday real estate open house but that’s a whole ‘nother story) and the buyers absolutely LOVED the backsplash and was one of the selling points of the kitchen.
This is the kitchen when we first moved in. It is most definitely NOT my vibe.
Let’s Talk Supplies
Here’s what I used to make the backsplash magic happen:
✨ DIY Paint: All-natural, clay-based, and sticks to pretty much anything (including tile). I used it as both my base coat (in place of a primer) and as the final color of my tile before stamping.
🖋️ IOD Cubano Stamp: This big, bold pattern gave my backsplash a hand-crafted, high-end tile look without, you know, buying new tile.
🖌️ Ink + Inkpad: To load up the stamp with just the right amount of rich pigment.
🖌️ Brayer: Helps the stamp make good contact with the tile surface
I carry all these goodies in my online shop, so you can grab what you need and follow along.
The Process (AKA the Fun Part)
Clean the tile. Really well. Like, better-than-you-clean-before-guests-come-over well. And make sure you give it a wipe with some clean water after you’re done scrubbing. You don’t want any cleaner residue left on your tile.
Paint your base coat. I used DIY Paint and let it dry completely. And by dry completely, I mean give it 24 hours. DIY paint dries fast but cures slow which means you can reactivate it. You’ll need to exercise some patience and allow the paint to bond to your tile.
Stamp your pattern. Some people like to use a brayer to ink their stamp (and you can) but I’m a bit lazy so I just use the stamp pad to ink my stamp. Just make sure your stamp pad is juicy (has a good amount of ink in it). Then I pressed the IOD Cubano stamp right onto the tile. I then used the brayer to roll over the backside of the stamp making sure all parts of the stamp contact with the tile. This part is addictive or repetitive depending on how you look at it.
Seal it. After letting the ink dry, I used a water-based sealer to make everything durable and splash-proof. You know...because it’s a kitchen.
The Finished Look: Vintage, Bold, Totally Unique
It turned out bold and artsy and just the right amount of imperfect. Think European café meets eclectic boho kitchen. And the best part? It cost way less than new tile and only took a weekend.
Wanna Try It?
You can! Grab your supplies, watch my YouTube video, and go give your backsplash some love.
This is your permission slip to get messy, get creative, and make your home look more like you—without breaking the bank.