DIY Stone Backsplash

I decided to get creative one Saturday afternoon! With the help of my sister, I installed stone on the backsplash in my kitchen! #WomenBuildStrong

---

​What a "fun" puzzle!

We chose Zion Stone's East TN Ledgestone style (with a few pieces of Fieldstone sprinkled in) and the Smokie color to best accent the dark storm colored cabinets. We prepped the surface with a scratch coat of ThinSet, and laid out our stone before placing it on the wall.

We used a trowel to spread the ThinSet, but ended up just using our hands (with gloves) to get it into the harder to reach areas.

---

---

From prep to clean up it took us about 6 hours to complete the project! Some masons might laugh at that timing, but hey, we enjoyed ourselves by blasting music and having fun finding pieces that fit together and looked best! The thing that took the most time overall was mixing the ThinSet. We used almost an entire bag and mixed it in small increments as we needed. We could have mixed the entire bag from the get go and added water as needed, but ya live and ya learn!

This is by far the most dramatic before and after of this project! The above photo is when my house was purchased. The kitchen was in need of a major update! We chose dark cabinets and installed a concrete countertop with a black acid stain finish. The Smokie stone color has the perfect tones to bring everything together!

---

The left side photos show my attempt at using peel and stick wallpaper as a backsplash that wasn't the yucky paint and odd lines that were on the wall from rearranging the cabinets. The stone really made a HUGE difference in the overall feel of the kitchen. Yup, I even made the monogrammed stove cover myself!

---

---

---

If my younger sister and I can lay stone, you can too! It may take you a little longer than an experienced mason, but please know that you are more than CAPABLE! The feeling of seeing your own work in your own home is so rewarding! To my fellow DIYers, I am happy to help walk you through the process when you start your next dream project!