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DIY Whitewashed Faux Brick Backsplash

Written by Lauren

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Psst… sorry to interrupt, but in case you haven’t yet — time is running out to enter our AWESOME giveaway! TEN winners will each win an area rug of their choice, so head over and enter right now! Now, here’s Lauren: 

DIY Faux Brick Backsplash | This looks so amazing in Lauren's farmhouse kitchen with concrete countertops and (now-updated) white cabinets. Such a great way to update a dated tile backsplash! Full tutorial on Remodelaholic.com

Hey hey, friends!  I’m Lauren from Bless’er House, and I’m popping back over here to share our latest DIY adventure from our suburban farmhouse.  Okay, actually it’s not a farmhouse at all.  We just pretend.

But after tackling our guest bathroom, master bedroom, and living room recently, my handy hubby Robert and I finally set our sights on the one room of the house that we’ve really been eager to get our hands on- the kitchen.

I’ve dreamed of having concrete countertops, white backsplash, and white cabinets ever since we moved in three years ago.  We finished the countertops but the backsplash needed help.

Whitewashed faux brick backsplash (1 of 18)

I decided to do something a bit different from the subway tile I’d seen everywhere recently, and I thought I’d try a white washed brick backsplash instead.  But real brick would be very pricey and messy and a lengthy process.  So faux it was!

This whitewashed (faux) brick backsplash is the perfect EASY way to cover up a dated tile backsplash. I love how it looks in Lauren's finished white farmhouse kitchen! Tutorial on Remodelaholic.com

How to Install a Faux Whitewashed Brick Backsplash

by Lauren from Bless’er House

This post contains affiliate links. See our full disclosure policy here.

Supplies Used:

  • Degreaser (I used Krud Kutter) and clean dry rag
  • 120 grit sandpaper
  • Tack cloth
  • Liquid Nails (We went through about 6 tubes of it.)
  • 2 sheets of faux brick paneling
  • Circular saw or table saw
  • Jigsaw
  • Chalk line
  • Measuring tape and pencil
  • 1 pint of white semigloss paint
  • Small bucket
  • Paint brush
  • Clean damp cotton rag
  • Plastic drop cloth
  • Painter’s tape
  • Latex caulk
  • Fusion Mineral Paint Tough Coat

Prepping the Old Tile Backsplash

Whitewashed faux brick backsplash (2 of 18)

We wanted to make sure our existing tile backsplash was as clean as possible and free of cooking grease, so I gave it a good scrub down using the Krud Kutter.  We chose to put our faux brick directly over the tile since it actually gave it some thickness like real brick would have, but you could certainly rip your tile out if you wanted and place it directly on drywall.

Whitewashed faux brick backsplash (3 of 18)

After the tile was completely dry from cleaning, I rubbed it all over with the 120 grit sandpaper to remove some of the glaze and give the tile some “tooth”. I wiped away the sanding dust with a tack cloth too.

Whitewashed faux brick backsplash (4 of 18)

Applying the Faux Brick Backsplash

Then, we started on the faux brick paneling.  You can pick this up at most home improvement stores near the plywood in the lumber department.  We measured one section of the backsplash at a time and cut the paneling based on our measurements.

We used a chalk line to make sure we cut the paneling perfectly straight with the circular saw.  If you have a table saw, this step would be even easier.

Whitewashed faux brick backsplash (10 of 18)

After we cut our section of paneling, we carried it inside and dry fit it.

Whitewashed faux brick backsplash (6 of 18)

Then, we measured for our outlet.

Whitewashed faux brick backsplash (5 of 18)

And we cut out the place in the paneling for our outlet using a jigsaw.

Whitewashed faux brick backsplash (9 of 18)

We dry fit the paneling one more time to make sure our outlet would fit.  Then, we applied the Liquid Nails all over the back of the paneling, working quickly.

Whitewashed faux brick backsplash (7 of 18)

And we pressed it in place for a minute or two as the Liquid Nails set.  That panel is ON THERE!

Whitewashed faux brick backsplash (8 of 18)

We repeated the cutting/measuring/Liquid Nailing process until our entire backsplash was covered.  No more beige tile!

I went over all of the seams with caulk when it was all done.

Whitewashed faux brick backsplash (11 of 18)

Whitewashing the Faux Brick

Then came the fun part!  I wanted to protect our countertops from splattering paint, so I put down plastic drop cloths and taped them with painter’s tape.

For the white wash, I mixed about 1 part white semigloss paint to 1 part water in a bucket and brushed all of the bricks with two coats.  I originally got this idea from Bower Power Blog who did an entire wall with this process.

Here’s coat one.

Whitewashed faux brick backsplash (12 of 18)

And after the first coat dried, I brushed on a second coat.

Whitewashed faux brick backsplash (13 of 18)

After the second coat was dry, I used a clean, damp rag to rub away some of the white wash for more of a rough look.  I love how it added some depth and gave the kitchen a bit more of an industrial look.

We ended up sealing it with two coats of Fusion Mineral Paint Tough Coat too so the finish will be protected from cooking and cleaning.  I went with the Tough Coat instead of polyurethane because it doesn’t cause yellowing on white paint like poly does.

Whitewashed faux brick backsplash (14 of 18)

So now our backsplash looks like this.  We still need to touch up the wall paint after installing the countertops and this backsplash though.

Whitewashed faux brick backsplash (18 of 18)

And our cabinets are getting painted along with new hardware next.

Whitewashed faux brick backsplash (17 of 18)

That reddish wood tone is so not doing it for me, but that’s okay.  We’ll get there.

Whitewashed faux brick backsplash (16 of 18)

I can finally start seeing it come together along with our farmhouse sink and industrial cage lighting too.

Whitewashed faux brick backsplash (15 of 18)

UPDATE: The kitchen is finished!  You can see the final reveal here.  It’s amazing what painting cabinets can do too, right?

Summer Home Tour (4 of 19)

If you liked this project, you can check out our other budget-friendly DIYs like our industrial shower door, DIY wood beam doorway, and oversized faux fireplace.

Or you can pop over to Bless’er House to see our other shenanigans… since we’re pretty much always up to something.

Blessings,

Lauren


More DIY backsplash ideas:

metal ceiling tile backsplash
How to install a metal ceiling tile backsplash @Remodelaholic feat

DIY stenciled backsplash
diy-kitchen-backsplash-stencil-10

faux painted brick backsplash
painted faux brick backsplash - Pudel-design featured on @Remodelaholic

peel-and-stick plank backsplash
Plank Wall Backsplash with Vinyl Flooring

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Published: July 16, 2016Filed Under: Before and After, Contributor, DIY, How To, Kitchen, Tutorials Tagged: Backsplash, Backsplash and Counter Tops, backsplash ideas, Brick, Farmhouse, Farmhouse Style, Kitchen, Kitchens, makeover, paint, paint techniques, White, white kitchen

About Lauren

Hi y'all! I'm Lauren from Bless'erHouse. I'm a builder grade subdivision house owner who dreams up outside-of-the-box ways to create a rustic industrial cottage on a budget. Between chasing my toddler and sweet talking my hubby into helping me with yet another project, you can usually find me with a paint brush in one hand and a big ol' glass of sweet tea in the other.


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Comments

  1. Candy Walsh says

    July 16, 2016 at 8:18 am

    LOVE LOVE LOVE this!! I’ve been looking for months trying decide what kind of backsplash I want to do (right now I don’t have one at all) and I think I just found it! So thank you~your kitchen and the rest of your house are gorgeous! Want to come to Arkansas and help a girl out? lol

    Reply
  2. Lisa Nicholson says

    July 16, 2016 at 1:00 pm

    I love it! Another win!

    Reply
  3. Jen says

    July 20, 2016 at 8:50 pm

    Hi Lauren,

    The backsplash looks amazing! I was wondering did you only use liquid nails since you were attaching it to tile? Would you still use the liquid nails if you were putting this directly on drywall or would you use finishing nails to attach to drywall?

    Reply
  4. Carla Magee says

    January 7, 2017 at 5:14 pm

    What did you use to finish the edge? I see it attaches to the wall and the brick goes in a different direction. Looks great! Exactly what I’ve been looking for!

    Reply
    • Kristi says

      March 31, 2017 at 1:46 pm

      Would like to know this as well…..

      Reply
  5. Becky P says

    February 22, 2017 at 12:50 pm

    So awesome! Im definitely doing this in my kitchen! Wonderful job!!

    Reply
  6. Jacoba says

    March 7, 2017 at 10:43 am

    I am recently married and just got word we are going to be moving back to my hometown! The house I have there has been patiently waiting for some love! It is a vintage house–built in the 40s with blue Formica countertops, dark cabinets, and copper hardware covered in gunk! I’m been following your kitchen makeover like a hawk! LoL trying to pay attention to every detail. I’d love to make it modern, but keep some vintage flair! Cabinets, done! Now, the backsplash and counter! I’m so excited! Your kitchen is beautiful!

    Reply
  7. chris honeycutt says

    March 30, 2017 at 4:58 pm

    is it ok to use this “faux brick panel” as a kitchen backsplash?? I want the same brick look but cannot find anything besides this but I thought it had to be fire retardent product??

    Reply
    • Alyssa says

      September 3, 2017 at 10:00 pm

      I have the same question. Does it do okay next to a hot stove and exposed to regular kitchen grease and stuff?

      Reply
  8. Carlee says

    April 22, 2018 at 10:02 am

    Beautiful

    Reply
  9. Daniel Babcock says

    September 26, 2019 at 10:12 am

    This looks great but one thing I would recommend is to cut around the every second brick on the edges where the two panels attach like a jig saw puzzle and that seam would look way smoother.

    Reply
  10. Carrie Thorpe says

    April 22, 2020 at 11:27 am

    Is this ok near heat?

    Reply
  11. Lisa Strother says

    June 22, 2020 at 6:57 am

    What is your counter top? Is it DIY as well? Love it either way. Do you have any suggestions for a DIY counter top?

    Reply
    • Cass says

      August 26, 2020 at 9:18 am

      Hi Lisa,
      Lauren did a feather finish concrete countertop here (like this: https://www.remodelaholic.com/diy-concrete-vanity-integral-sink/) and she also has more details on her site (linked in the post).

      We have more DIY countertop options, plus reviews of how they’ve held up, in our archives here: https://www.remodelaholic.com/tag/diy-countertops/

      Reply
  12. Melanie Williams says

    July 15, 2020 at 3:57 am

    Hi love this just did it yesterday…did you use matte or gloss top coat?

    Reply
  13. Catherine Lombardo says

    August 19, 2020 at 6:43 am

    How do I paint old saek wood cabinets..I believe that they are laminate and not real wood. .How do I prep them and what paint should I use? I want them to be off-white. Unfortunately the drawers are faced with plastic that only look like wood.

    Reply
    • Cass says

      August 26, 2020 at 8:48 am

      Hi Catherine,
      We haven’t painted laminate cabinets personally, but we have some resource that might help.
      You may be able to use this paint that we used on a hutch in our kitchen: https://www.remodelaholic.com/hutch-makeover-beyond-paint/
      Or these painted cabinet tutorials/reviews have some information about painting cabinets as well: https://www.remodelaholic.com/diy-refinished-painted-cabinet-reviews/

      Best of luck!

      Reply
  14. TreisY says

    August 28, 2020 at 6:01 pm

    Hi. can I paint the whole wall with the first coat and the second coat do it in parts?

    Reply
  15. Alicia Hursley says

    October 13, 2020 at 9:17 am

    I’ve always loved the exposed brick look! We’re updating our whole kitchen right now and started by replacing our cabinet doors. Now that those are done, I can’t wait to get to work on this backsplash! Thank you so much for sharing.

    Reply

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Hey there, I am Cassity! Nice to virtually meet you!

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