Faux Marble Kitchen Back Splash

A Marble Kitchen Back Splash is an expensive luxury that most of us just cannot afford. If you have existing Kitchen walls behind your counters though, you can easily paint your own faux marble Kitchen Back Splash that will fool everyone.

With a little paint and some elbow grease you can easily paint your own faux marble Kitchen Counter Back Splash over the weekend.

This project will cost you about $75. You should be able to complete your faux marble Kitchen Counter Back Splash in one weekend, but a lot some extra days to apply coats of polyurethane to protect your hard work.

To Faux Paint Your Marble Kitchen Counter Back Splash You Will Need:

Paint tray
3 china bristle brushes
artists paint brushes
latex paint, eggshell sheen: (base coat: Antique White); three or four marble-like colors (Tatimi Tan, Jute Brown, Coyote Trail 1224, Leather bound) - These paint colors are form Sherwin Williams
sea sponge
water bottle
latex primer (Kilz)

Latex glaze
cheesecloth
plastic containers
fine sandpaper
paper towels, rags or old t-shirts
semi-gloss acrylic varnish
foam roller and handle

Painter's tape

Clean your Kitchen Counter Back Splash with an ammonia base cleaner or one of those magic erasers from Mr. Clean. Make sure it is completely dry before moving on with this project.

Start by lightly sanding your Kitchen Counter Wall if it is not smooth already. Wipe again to clean your work surface,

Now, prime the Kitchen Counter Back Splash by rolling on a coat of high quality latex base primer. Use a smooth paint roller. This latex base primer will be smelly, so open your windows if at all possible.

Once this primer has dried look around to see if your Kitchen Counter Back Splash need another light sanding. If the surface is smooth, you can move on to the next step. If you find rough areas or dirt, then sand and paint again.

Now, take three different small painter's buckets and mix one part of each of the 3 marble-like colors with one part water and one part latex glaze. You want this to be a thick mixture, but not gooey.

Squirt the Tatimi Tan and Leather Bound mixtures onto a small area on the Kitchen Counter Tops, and then use a clean dry rag to smudge the edges.

Next, add a vein for a realistic marble look by pulling the Camelback and Jute Brown mixtures into a natural flowing line with a dry brush or cheesecloth. The marble won't look realistic if you see brush marks, so sweep your dry paintbrush in a sweeping motion across them. Turn you brush in a different direction and repeat.

To create a three-dimensional marble Kitchen Counter Back Splash you need to rewet the painted area. Take one of your sea sponges and lightly wet it. Squeeze out any water. Now, tap it on the painted area to rewet it. Use your clean dry brush again in a sweeping motion to blend any lines.

Now, keep repeating this process over your entire Kitchen Counter Back Splash. I like to tape my Kitchen Counter Back Splash off in blocks of tile like you might find in a real marble.

If any area of the faux marble paint treatment needs more veins, coil and pull an artist brush with Antique White paint across an area. If the vein is too wide, use a dry brush to carefully blend the paint, then try again.

Allow your faux marble painted Kitchen Counter Back Splash to dry then coat it with some varnish or polyurethane.

Tips for Real Looking Faux Marble:

Use a photo of marble or a real piece of marble for some visual inspiration.

Always practice on another surface before attempting the real deal.