HomeLife

new and improved.

The counter at the new house has a few flaws.

I don’t know exactly what happened there but it left a pretty disgusting mark.

And when I live in a house, I like to add my own problems, but cover up other people’s problems – you know?

In the past weeks as I waited at the auto shop for one of our two vehicles to be repaired I noticed the top of their counter looked like floor tile – the stick and peel squares.

The little light bulb in my head flashed on and I figured that would be a perfect solution for our yucky countertop.

When my dad was visiting over Thanksgiving we trekked to Lowe’s to pick out some tiles.  In an aisle at the store sat piles of brown tiles marked down to only one quarter each.

That was a great deal since tiles are normally at least 90 cents a piece.

Apparently, the deal wasn’t quite sweet enough for my father, however.

He noticed that some of the tile had black smudges on them.  After testing to see if the smudges would be removed with his finger (which they would) he appraoched the Lowe’s salesperson and made a counter offer.

“I’ll give you ten cents for each of these,” Dad offered.

She looked at both of us.  She looked around the store.  She looked tired.  She said, “Sure.”

We bought 25 tiles for a grand total of $2.50.

And yesterday Riley and I peeled and stuck all over the place.

Not a professional job, but it sure beats the big black burned circle.

Now I can begin to layer Keigley dirt on top of this counter.

Ah – that makes me feel good.

The sink area needed help too.

So I cut and peeled and cut and stuck and worked all around the sink as well.

I even tossed a backsplash up behind the sink so I could wipe the wall down after dirty dish washing will inevitably land water there.

I was so pleased with my less-than-three-dollars repair idea.

Unfortunately, full disclosure, when I came downstairs to check out my progress, the entire backsplash had lost its sticky and fallen into the sink.

I almsot cried.

If Matt hadn’t been there painting to laugh with me, I would have cried alone.

Today I am going to attempt to repair the damage with some strong spray adhesive but I’m keeping my hopes low, just in case.

Either way, with a back splash or without a back splash, I am still satisfied with the current state of our counters now.

Can’t wait to stick little red canisters and jars all over the place.

8 Comments

  • seriousbethy

    I've been wanting a backsplash for some time now. You may have just given me the idea! Let me know how you get them to stick.

  • Lee A

    If you want them there forever, try liquid nails. Clean the back splash really well with vinegar/water solution and use a putty knife to spread a thin layer liquid nails on the tiles. Be sure to cover the corners well as they tend to peel first. Good luck 🙂

  • NRausch

    Thank goodness you kids are creative, and dad went thru MANY hard times so he knows how to be economical. I can hear your mom now!

  • chamathman

    That does look good. Congrats! But I'm not sure how that spray adhesive will stick to the sticky back of the tile, long term anyway. Maybe Ryan would have a helpful idea?

  • Chelsea

    They look great! That was a good idea! And my theory on the spot is a coffee pot burn. From the pic it looks like it could be about that size. What do you think it was? In my mother-in-law's house there is a burn in the carpet the perfect shape of an iron. Yeah, my hubby did that in high school. :o)

    • LaceyKeigley

      A coffee pot burn is a good guess.

      Funny, but I had not thought deeply about it. I guess I assumed a pot was set there.

      Iron-shaped burns are very frustrating!