DIY...This Back Splash Rules!

Meet my friend and co worker, Tammy...

Nurse by day....

DIY'er by night...

Tammy moved into a new old house a couple of years ago...and being the DIY'er that she is...has been making some huge changes throughout. 
Today I'm going to focus on the kitchen!!

Here are a couple of pictures of it when they moved in...

do you see all of the hurdles she was facing?

They have come a long way since move in...

Here is how it looks today...

what a difference!! 

As you can see from the pictures...they got rid of the fluorescent lighting...removed the wall paper and boarder (seen only in the first picture) painted the walls...painted the kitchen cabinets got some new handles...and counter tops...replaced the floor...replaced the sink and the faucet...removed the doors from the cabinet above the fridge so now it is a showcase for her milk glass collection...reworked the cabinet over the microwave to move it up...and create an open shelf for her cookbooks...
(she loves to cook and AND is GOOD at it!!)  
And...they removed the decorative  ugly spindles!

jeez...I'm tired just typing it all! 
But what a difference these changes have made in her kitchen!

Did I forget anything?

Yes...
I did...

The window...has not been replaced yet...and that wood sash thing in front of it is coming down...but that's in the works...and not what I'm talking about.

 I'm talking about..

The back splash!

Her back splash rules!

lots and lots of rules!

Check this out...

What a great idea! 

Tammy used this product to glue her rulers on...but there are many products out there that would work for a project like this.

Since the counters were pretty level...she started from there...and moved up. At the top there was a small gap, so she "trimmed" it out with  rulers...to cover that. She also trimed the corners and the sides along the cabinet and the fridge with vertical rulers.

Other than a couple of oops!

It was a simple, quick and inexpensive DYI project! 
Tammy finished her's off with 3 coats of poly to protect it. 

It looks great in Tammy's kitchen the way that it is...
but I can also see it finished in so many other ways! Depending on the finish you choose...it could work in just about any kitchen from modern...to rustic! Here are some other idea's.

Painted with a brush nickle paint
stained...using a few different colors
painted white (or any other color) with a high gloss paint
color washed
could incorporate a design
could purchase vintage rulers, and leave them facing forward

What might work in your kitchen??

I know Tammy ordered her rulers online...and I'm not sure where she purchased hers from...but here are a couple sources I found very quickly... here and here.

If you have any questions about this project...please just ask!

Thanks Tammy for allowing us into your kitchen!!

It looks fabulous!!


Sharon

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