Yesterday, I shared my newly painted Travertine Tile backsplash!
I know……who would have thunk it??
What?
Tis true, one can paint an existing backsplash,……
…..a backsplash that takes a lot of back splashing…..
And live to tell about it!
I know.
My dear readers, if there is one thing I have learned since writing this blog…one can paint just about ANYTHING, if the proper preparation is made.
We have seen bathtubs and appliances painted….counter tops too, so why not a backsplash?
So I took the plunge and decided to paint the tan travertine tiles of my backsplash a bright white.
Today, I am going to share with you how I did it.
As I have already talked about…the tanish travertine tile went really well with my honey colored kitchen cabinets.
Those honey colored kitchen cabinets left the building several years ago.
Along with Elvis, I believe!
It was time to do a little updating.
Believe me, and after years and years of living in houses with almost every color of wood cabinets…including Black cabinets, Light and Dark Oak cabinets, Birch cabinets, Honey colored cabinets, Mahogany cabinets, …..It was time for a change….
….”I” was ready for a change.
I wanted bright and white!
And clean and fresh!
I wanted to twirl around among the wild flowers on that high mountaintop with my red spikey hair, stiff with Aqua Net hair spray and my freshly starched white apron blowing in the wind, singing “The Hills Are Alive”..….
Oh, sorry.
That was Julie Andrews in “The Sound of Music”, wasn’t it.
But I did feel like singing when I was finished with the frosting on the cake …excuse me, the tile on the backsplash!
But I digress.
Luckily, my current kitchen had an open concept which was and is a plus.
This made it easy to paint all the walls in the kitchen/nook/dining area/living room a light shade of gray. Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray to be exact.
The dark Mahogany wood work was also painted white and everything in those areas brightened up.
However, those tanish travertine tiles on the backsplash just wouldn’t co-operate and be fresh and pretty.
They just glared at me in defiance every time I wiped down the black granite counter tops and the white cabinets.
Finally, I decided to take the plunge and hide those tan tiles forever!!!!
The first thing I did was to clean the tiles with TSP cleaner I found at Home Depot.
I allowed the tiles to dry for a couple days, …I wanted to be sure the grout was thoroughly dry.
“Just you wait ‘enry ‘iggens, just you wait!” I whispered defiantly to those tiles.
I’m sorry, I do tend to get carried away with musicals, that line was from Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady”!!!
Then, I painted on a primer.
I used one coat of Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Primer for all surfaces.
I liked it because it said it would stick to all surfaces without sanding, and that it sealed uniformly and dried in one hour.
Yay!!!
If you look closely, you can see some of the tan travertine showing through, but that was ok because I was following it up with an enamel paint.
I used two coats of the oil based enamel. The drying time between each coat was about 12 hours, but that was ok…I was in no hurry now that the brown was gone.
I think I would have left it with just the primer, I was so happy that the backsplash now looked cohesive with the cabinets and granite.
I let it dry almost 24 hours between coats as I wanted to be sure each coat covered completely and I loved the glossy surface. If you would prefer a matte surface, then I recommend you use a flat or semi gloss paint.
Better yet, talk to your paint store for their recommendation.
The backsplash is not finished yet.
I will be putting down the bead of white caulking in the next few days and I have considered a sealant of some sort.
However, this finish appears to be very hard and glossy that I might not need a sealant.
I will let you know if I decide differently and I will also update you on how this painted backsplash holds up after a few months of use.
As I stated before, I really had nothing to lose and a lot to gain by painting my travertine tile.
If it hadn’t worked out, the Captain said he would remove the tile and we would install white subway tile.
Just a little sooner than planned.
As of today…I am not seeing a need for that added expense, nor the time and energy to tile the backsplash.
Stay tuned.
More to come….
Have a great and blessed day.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
I am wanting to paint my travertine backslash but mine is sealed and the paint will not stick. What grit sand paper would I use, if any, to make the paint stick? Or what do you suggest?
I am also wondering if the same paint is sued on the tile as the cabinets?
My question is, you said “you would have left it with just the primer”.. Is that because it was not glossy? Because I liked that picture better than after you did the enamel. I am getting ready to do mine.. hope I hear back from you before I start! Thanks for your information!
Did you do it just with the primer ryoung as i like it like that too and am about to give it a go
I did my fireplace and did a primer but then a matte finish white paint… love it
So glad I stumbled across your page! Just had dark cabinets painted SW extra white. Travertine backsplash is driving me crazy! I think I’m going to give your method a try!
JoAnn
We just painted our cabinets with extra white as well. I want to paint over our peachish/tan stone backsplash as well but I’m not sure if I should use the same color. Did you?
Hi Kari, Amazing job! Did you use the same color paint on the tiles as the cabinet?? Or did you change the white to be a different “white?”
I have this same question. I just painted my cabinets in SW Alabaster. Not sure if I should go a shade lighter for the travertine tile?
Hi! Do you think this will hold up in an all travertine shower and along the bathtub that tends to get wet from the kids?
Late to the party, but THANK YOU so much for posting this, with the detailed instructions and products used. I thought I was the only one who would be looking to replace travertine. I had started getting bids on replacing it, and it is expensive. As it would be replaced anyway, I will give this a try! Thank you again!
I am so glad I found your post. I am going to try this but I would like to add stencil design to get the new decorative tile look. Do you think this will work?
Looks like you’re now two years in. Still good? No peeling or chipping issues?
Still looks good. no chipping or peeling…washes easily. I have since painted tile around bath tub….perfect.
What all else did you do on the kitchen travertine? I’m getting ready to do that. Do you also think it’d work on a shower travertine?
We have a sealed travertine tile backsplash. Do you know if this same process would work?
I would think it would work, but you could test it on a an inconspicuous spot first. Mine is still holding up beautifully.
Hi Kari. Just came across this info. Seems like the tan travertine was all the rage at one point. I’m going to take the plunge and do this. I was wondering how it has held up? My backsplash goes behind my stove as well. Does the painted backsplash wash well? (Ex cooking splatters from the stove) Thanks for the inspirational nudge.
Yees Laurie it is still holding up excellently….just remember to give it plenty of time to “cure”….and I wipe mine down with no issues.
I’m beginning to paint mine and I have those tiny mosaic glass tiles between my travertine tiles as well! I’m having a hard time figuring out what to do! What did you end up doing with yours??
I used a stencil on mine….light grey and turquoise….we LOVE it. I did seal those.
Hi there ! What an inspiring project! I have the same & struggling on tearing it all out! Maple cabinets & non uniformed exotic granite… that I would like to embrace but finding it hard!
Our travertine has tiny glass squares in between, thankfully not everywhere, just the top of the backsplash about 1 inch of it , any ideas ? Tediously paint in between? I have never been a “stay in the lines” colored !😱
I might be better with a sledge hammer
Thank you
Teri
Hi. Thank you for posting your DIY. We had our maple cabinets painted white and our our travertine tile looked out of place. I used 3 coats of primer because there were small black accent tiles among the travertine. I only had to do one coat of enamel. Also, I used a roller which made it easy to get in all of the nooks. My husband said the same thing about the tile, if it doesn’t look good, we can have it replaced! So glad I read your article 🙂
I’m beginning to paint mine and I have those tiny mosaic glass tiles between my travertine tiles as well! I’m having a hard time figuring out what to do! What did you end up doing with yours??
Teri C-That sounds like my kitchen! See this post- https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5393626/whitewashing-painting-travertine-tile-backsplash#n=12
Hi there. I have the exact same backsplash with the row of glass tiles and havecthe same question. Did you get an answer? Would love to know how yours turned out!
Many thanks
Colleen
Do you have to use oil based paint and oil based primer? Would you recommend sealing the travertine before applying the paint?
Hi Kathy…the Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Primer for all surfaces was also a sealant which is what I wanted. The only reason I used an oil based enamel for the final coat was so it was shiny and would be hard enough to not chip easily. I did not sand anything before beginning, I just cleaned it with tsp cleaner. I am in the process of doing the tile around my bath tub.I will use the same formula because of where the tile is. As for your question…I would say to try no using an oil base on an area and see if you like it. You can always go back over it.
I am sooo glad I tripped on your blog! I HAD the same travertine in my kitchen. Won’t do that again!!!
I followed your steps and poof, ugly brown tile now looks like a beautiful bright kitchen. What a difference!
Thank You!
I am so glad it worked out for you Deb…I am also going to do the “facing” on the front of my bath tub…I have everything to do it, it is just finding the time to do it. 🙂 thanks for stopping by and send pictures if you can.
What do u do about the grout??
I love your idea! I’m changing the color of my cabinets and need to paint my backsplash. Is it still holding up without the sealant?
Yes, Tammy…my kitchen backsplash is holding up very well without sealant. I wipe it down and there are no issues.
In fact, I am going to do the same painting technique with my tub surround in my Master Bath. The tub surround is only on the outside of the bathtub…it is decorative tile only. My bathtub is separate from the shower, and the tile is on a sheetrock base that is built around the front of the tub….so I feel it will not be a problem. I will let you know how that works out too. Thanks for your comments.
Thank you for sharing your experience with this!! We are hopefully getting ready to do the same with our tiles. You have inspired us!
I just painted my backsplash with the same paint. One coat on and one more to go. Did you end up adding any sort of sealant? I have disliked my backsplash the whole time we’ve lived in our house and put in granite countertops that we love but barely match the backsplash. So far we are quite pleased with the white paint.
Great Lori! And no I did not put a sealant on. The high gloss of the paint really did the trick and it cleans up beautifully…but that is your call. Let me know what you end up doing. Doesn’t it make it seem like you have new backsplash??? Yay!,
Looking to paint our travertine, as well. Did you use a roller or a paint brush?
Hi Pam, I used a brush so that I was able to get into the grout areas. It worked like a charm. Let me know how yours turns out.
Hi, I stumbled across your blog in my search for how-to’s on painting travertine. I, too, have the same tan kitchen backsplash (must’ve been a sale 🤦♀️) that I’d like to erase from memory and you’ve educated me enough & inspired me to go forth and paint. Now to decide on the perfect color…
Great! I don’t think you will regret it…I painted the backsplash in my kitchen several years ago and I recently did the travertine tile around my bath tub. it makes such a difference and I get compliments all the time. Good luck.
Hello
I’m getting inspired by this. The only concern I have is that in my travertine backsplash there are some copper accents. I would like to keep them copper for accent. Any suggestions?
Gee Tee, I believe it would depend on the thickness of the paint….and if you are able to paint around the copper accents. I would try it on an inconspicuous spot first and if it doesn’t look like it would work, you can always wipe the paint off while it is still wet. Let me know how it works for you if you try it. Thanks for stopping by.
OK, you’ve inspired me to give it a try!
ok, please let me know how it turns out. Thanks for stopping by Carolyn.
Your backsplash looks great! I’d love to do the same with mine. Mine is unfinished travertine tile. Do you think it would work OK on unfinished tile?
Thanks, Carolyn
Hi Carolyn, I am not sure what you mean by unfinished tile….but I do think it will work on any tile surface.
Just be sure to clean the tile first and allow to dry completely and then paint on the color of choice. The paint I used is holding up very well. I can wipe it down, taking care not to use anything harsh and it looks as good as the day I painted it. There are no chips or peeling.
A great economical solution compared to replacing all the tiles. Let me know how it works for you if you decide to try it.
Thanks Kari. I meant to write “unsealed” instead of unfinished.
Oh, ok Carolyn, well my thoughts are still the same. It really should work just fine because my tile was not sealed either. I figured I had nothing to lose as I knew that I wanted to eventually replace my tile anyway but I like it so much that I am not sure I will change the tile down the road because it is holding up really well and still looks as nice as the day I painted it. Good luck if you decide to do it too.
Your backsplash turned out beautiful! Maybe here is hope for mine. I have the smaller travertine tile on my backsplash and have been thinking of putting a light,thin coat of white on it to whiten the yellowish tint of the tile. Sounds like I can use oil-based white primer to do the task by itself using a mostly dry brush to apply. You have taken on many projects, so would you share your thoughts on my idea?
Hi Janet, Your idea sounds great. I was looking for a full coverage as I said in my post and I did like the effect after the primer. However, I really like the full coverage and solid affect afterwards. I would suggest you test your tile on an area first. By the way, my paint job is still looking fresh and I have wiped it down with no ill effects. Good luck and let me know how it works out for you. thanks for stopping by.
It is amazing what changes can be made with just a little tweeking…I scold myself for not doing something like this a little sooner! LOL I am glad you like the change.
I have a friend who “painted” her brown laminate counter top to look like white marble with grey veins of marbling. She used a different product but it all worked out for her and her counter top looks amazing and is very durable considering all the use a counter top receives.
Thanks for stopping by sweetie.
Hugs Always
It is so pretty and it looks so much better makes the kitchen so much more classy and crisp 😍😍