Lipstick and Sawdust- Lavender Scented Backsplash Tutorial

Lavender Scented Backsplash Tutorial

Hello Readers! I am excited to roll out this tutorial. It was really fun to create, and its unusual....not sure anyone has ever done this type of project before in this way. 

* Please note I had step by step pics for this tutorial and then my phone broke down and I had to upgrade it- sooooo.... I lost the pictures. I tried to recreate this to the best of my ability. 

This backsplash is part of my Master bedroom closet makeover. See the before picture...

And the after:

I love this closet- It is only one wall of my master closet- still working my way around. Working on the vanity next. 

So here is how I transformed the space:

Removed all old oil rubbed bronze hardware, removed glass from cabinetry and replaced with custom cut mirrors from Lowes. Repainted the cabinetry with paint - it's Duron Dover white:

Then I used Annie Sloan soft wax all over the entire piece, it has at least two coats of wax on the surface. I replaced the knobs with 4 inch spaced hole brushed nickel euro-handles. Overall they are 6 inches long. 

After all of this I looked at a blank area in the back of the cabinetry- I had an idea to add a backsplash but did not want to spend a lot of money and wanted to tile it on my own. I really wanted to dress it up- I did not think a white panel was fancy enough. 

The area measured 49.5 long x 15 inches high. 

Here is what I found at Lowes. They are called 12x14 mosaic tile glacier links. They were 11.98 each- I only needed three. 

First, I framed in the backsplash area with trim, like this one, I cut the trim to size and tacked to the area using my brad nailer. 

Its called Polystryene stop moulding, it can be found at Lowes. It was appx 1 inch wide. 

I used this trim to line the rectangular area then applied the tile. 

The tiles come attached to a mesh backing so they are easy to apply (no pic here sorry), but I used what I had in the garage to apply the tile to the cabinetry, this was my adhesive. 

I smeared it all over the cabinet wall with a large tongue depressor and applied my first piece of tile. I ended up having to hold it there for about 10 minutes so that the adhesive started to hold the tile. Then I added the second and third tiles, because they are precut to fit in together this was easy!

I let the tiles sit for a few days so that I was sure it would adhere. Next, I had to mix the grout. I went down to the basement and found leftover undsanded grout in ivory from when we built the house. 

Since I have tiled before I went to mix about 3 cups of powder with some water- slowly- because it gets watery fast, you need the grout to be the consistency of peanut butter. I mixed with a paint stirrer in an old trash can. 

**Now the lavender magic**

Because I thought the grout smelled horrible, I was at first trying to find a way to cut down on the group chalk smell, so I looked for something to change the smell. So, I found my lavender essential oil vial that I purchased from Whole Foods a while ago. I love the smell of lavender, I put it in my bath or lotion usually. So I decided to dump about half of the bottle of oil into the grout. It smelled wonderful! Essentially I created a permanent (we will see how long it lasts) closet scent in the form of tile grout. Let me tell you I am sure no man has ever thought of this! 

I smeared the grout all over the tiles with a grout float rubber trowel. I filled in all of the holes and wiped off all of the excess with a clean rubber trowel, and then a wet rag. Because the tile mosaic includes stainless steel pieces, I had to be careful with the grout not to "scrub" off the steel and ruin it. I had to be gentle. After a few hours I used a wet rag and damp tiling sponge to continue to remove the excess grout and residue from the tiles. After a few days I shined up the tiles with windex and a microfiber towel. 

Then I added a few bling-y accessories, I love it!

I am so happy because my closet still after about a month smells wonderful, actually my entire bedroom still smells of lavender. I am sure you could use any other scent that the essential oils come in. My sister in law suggested if the scent wears off I could always rub the oils in with a rag. 

A few more beauty shots to come when I don tine to work on the closet. Hope you enjoy this tutorial. 

Drop me a line! 

Like us on Facebook!

Kristen