I’m pretty sure we’ll go with tile but I’m not positive yet. I installed a beadboard backsplash years five years ago and it has held up really well:
When I installed it few readers were concerned about moisture and stains but there’s nothing to worry about – if you paint it with a semi or high gloss everything wipes right off. Moisture can’t get in there because it’d have to be done from behind and it’s just not possible, at least in our kitchen. I’m super impressed with it and would highly recommend it to anyone considering an easy and inexpensive fix!
This cost me less than $50 and I applied it right on top of the old tile. :) The only hard part was painting all of it. That part stinks, not gonna lie.
I’m not keeping the beadboard because I plan to remove some cabinets and what I have there only goes up that far. I can’t patch it and I’m ready for a new look anyway. This has served us incredibly well for all these years!
But the beadboard has me thinking – a backsplash doesn't have to be tile! One of my favorite looks lately is a wood planked backsplash:
Goodness, I think that is so pretty! It repeats the floor look and tone so it works beautifully.
People shy away from wood in the kitchen, understandably. But if you seal it with a polyurethane you’ll be good to go. If you are considering planks you’ll want to make sure they meet up (with no gap) and then seal them, or you can leave a gap and caulk between each one (clear if you’re going with a natural tone, white if you’re painting them). Then seal the entire thing after that.
Our backsplash is mdf – which is incredibly porous when left alone. But after paint, nothing bothers it!
Here’s another natural look that I loved:
(BHG)
Doesn’t that look lovely with white accents?
I’ve also seen the sticky vinyl floor planks that look like wood used on a wall so that would be a great one to consider too. More expensive but super easy to clean I’m sure.
I love this darker look as well:
All of the wood tones look fabulous together! This is a more industrial look and I dig it. A wood backsplash would be fairly inexpensive too – definitely cheaper than some tile I’ve seen lately.
Of course, there’s the more classic and clean look of the white planks:
This home has it above the stovetop so you know it has to be able to handle messes. My only question is if it would be a fire hazard of any kind that close to the heat source? Ours hasn’t been an issue because our burners are further away from the wall.
I had to show you this one because it’s such a brilliant idea – this homeowner used beadboard like I did, but in a much different way:
They figured out how to cut the beadboard panels at an angle to create a herringbone pattern. It is gorgeous! I’m sure it would be a lot of work to get the cuts right, but installation is easy! (They share how they did it in the link above.)
And of course, there’s creating the look of tile where there isn’t any. Love this idea! This was done with a stencil:
I did something similar in our basement. I didn’t do it to mimic tile but I love the look:
My friend Myra did a similar treatment, but without the stencil:
She used painters tape and some careful measuring and it looks like tile to me!
Here’s one more because I love the contrast of the dark gray and white: 
I think any of these ideas look fantastic and most of them are an inexpensive way to give your backsplash a custom look. Of course the nicer the wood the more your costs go up, but there are plenty of cheaper options to pick from.
Have any of you done a non-traditional backsplash with something other than tile? Feel free to leave links in the comments if you want to share. :)
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