How to Install Peel and Stick Backsplash (from Amazon!)

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My favorite thing about our apartment is the kitchen. It’s huge, tons of counter space, big pantry. But the dated backsplash was not cutting it for how I wanted the space to look!

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Since we live in military housing on base, I couldn’t exactly start swinging a jackhammer. I am SO glad I found this peel and stick Amazon backsplash!

This one change made such a big difference in my kitchen. The subway tile backsplash I detail in this post is bright white and brings so much more light into the room! If you can’t tell, the tiles are slightly raised so this even feels like the real stuff.

Whether you use the tile I chose or peel and stick tile from a home improvement store, I highly recommend this design. The brand I used has several patterns but I promise you won’t regret this white grout subway tile. It is SO forgiving.

If the grout were dark, it’d be a whole different story.

I used this for it’s intended purpose as a removable backsplash, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use it for permanent solution! Many of the reviews on amazon are from people who used this in homes that they own as an affordable backsplash that looks GREAT! Now lets get down to business and learn how to install peel and stick backsplash!

Disclaimer

I am not claiming this will peel off ANY surface, or not cause damage. I applied this over real tile, which I am confident will be intact when I remove this backsplash in a few years.

I cannot speak for every surface, even every tile, or that your landlord allows such modifications!

Please do your own research and decide what’s best for your space. You can read through the reviews on the listing here, and see numerous situations people have used this in. Now let’s get started!

What You’ll Need

For specifically what I did, I used the following!

• Art 3d White Tile Temporary Backsplash
• A kit like this, that includes an exacto or craft knife, and smoothing tool. You can buy these separately of course, but the felted smoothing tool that comes in the kit is essential!
• Beyond the exacto knife, you might prefer to use scissors for some cuts.
• Foaming glass cleaner, Sprayway or Windex works, you can find these at Walmart, Target, SAMs, etc. Has to be the foaming kind!
• Sharpie or permanent marker for tracing cutouts. I used the ultra fine tip!
• Screwdriver(s) to remove socket covers.
• Cutting board

How To Install Peel and Stick Backsplash

The following directions are what I did to install these subway tile decals to real tile backsplash, with the intentions of removing at a later date.

1. Thoroughly clean surface of your current backsplash. I used hot soapy water and a wash rag. If you have grease build up around your stove area, make sure to take care of it.
2. Remove the covers around your light switches and plug ins, etc. Place these and their screws together in a safe place!
3. Following the directions on the back of the packaging, cut the jagged pieces off the left side of the decal if starting against a left side wall, which worked best for me. You will only cut these off on the first piece! The “overlap here” pieces should be on the right side.
4. Ensure the area is dry from cleaning. Hold your tile up to the area you wish the place it to ensure you don’t need to make any cutouts. If you don’t, skip to step 8.
5. If you do, hold the piece in place where it needs to go. Using the sharpie pen on the clear plastic covering the tile, trace the area that should be cutout.
6. Using your exacto knife, lay the tile on a cutting board and make your cut. I suggest starting small, you can always make the hole bigger, but you can’t go back and add what you lopped off.
7. Hold piece back up to the spot you wish to place it and ensure your cutout is correctly placed and sized.
8. Shake your foaming glass cleaner and apply a thin layer where you’ll be placing your tile. The cleaner will start to evaporate quickly, so make sure you are ready to work when you do this!
9. Once the tile is where you want it, use your felted smoothing tool to push out any excess liquid and air bubbles.
10. Repeat steps 4-9 until finished! Additional tips and details below in case you run into any of the problems I did!

Tips & Tricks for A Successful Install

• Add up your square footage BEFORE ordering: I finished this project with INCHES of tile to spare. Literally. If I would’ve messed up even one cut, I would’ve had to order another pack! By measuring your backsplash and calculating the square footage, you’re going to have a much bigger chance of success with this project. Even if you do get your exact measurements, you still need to account for the fact that you might have to cut pieces in awkward shapes, making the remaining material unusable, or as I detail below, have entire pieces you will cut up into 5 or 6 chunks. Allow room to mess up a few tiles as well. While it stinks that these come in packs of 10, I promise it’s better to have too much rather than too little. Keep
• Use the foaming glass cleaner method. It might be tempting to just dive in and start sticking these, but believe me when I say they are STICKY. Once they grab on, it takes work to pull them loose, and you could rip or stretch the piece. By using the glass cleaner, you have time to wiggle the tile around and place it perfectly.
• Use one plastic sheet to trace cutouts: All the socket holes in my kitchen were essentially the same size and shape. Because of this, after cutting the first piece that was to go over one, I kept the front protective plastic sheet that had the shape cut out to trace on my other tiles that needed to be cut. I would hold the piece up in place on the wall and put a dot or line where the top, right, left, and bottom edges should be, and then laid the second sheet of plastic over and used the cutout to trace the correct shape.
• Designate tiles to be cut up: Keep in mind that beyond cutting pieces out of the stickers, you will most likely have spots that require small pieces. When I started, I made sure I had pieces extra that I could use solely to “cannibalize” so I wasn’t cutting an inch or two off several different pieces, leaving them unusable as a whole. I had to cut up several entire stickers because they’re 12 inches tall, and my backsplash was 13 inches tall!
• Pop air bubbles: While the faux tiles themselves are raised and pretty thick, the “grout” is thinner. In some areas of the grout I developed some air bubbles. I solved this by simple taking my exacto knife and poking them ever so slightly, then pushing the air out with my finger.
• Measure twice, cut once: this one’s pretty self explanatory. While this is an affordable option to replace your backsplash, you still don’t want to waste the tiles or have to order more!
• Take your time: This isn’t a “let me throw this up before the in-laws come over for dinner” kind of thing. Working slow and focused is your best bet! It took me around 4 hours to apply 30 square feet.

Good luck, I can’t wait to see all your backsplash remodels. Drop any tips you discovered in the comments below!

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

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