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If you remember from a few posts ago, I finally removed the microwave above our stove, trashed it, and replaced it with a pretty (and much more functional) vent hood. Not only does it look SO much better, but it actually vents outside instead of just recirculating smoke and smells right back into the kitchen like our microwave vent did. You can read more about that project in this post.
But, of course, changing one thing in a kitchen can never be that simple. The new vent hood sits quite a bit higher than the old microwave did, which left me with a big empty section of wall where I needed to extend the backsplash. Normally, that wouldn’t be a huge deal. I’d just run to Floor & Decor, grab a few more boxes of the stone, and fill it in. Except they don’t sell it anymore. And because this backsplash has been in our kitchen for years, finding something new that matched well enough to blend in wasn’t really an option.
Luckily, I’d already dealt with this exact problem during our recent fireplace remodel. I wanted the stone on the fireplace to match our kitchen backsplash, but since I couldn’t buy the original stone anymore, I decided to recreate the look myself using mortar. And it worked WAY better than I expected. So instead of trying to hunt down a discontinued backsplash or replacing perfectly good stone just to make everything match, I decided to use the same technique here and make my own faux stone backsplash out of mortar.
Before I could get started on the backsplash, I had one other little area to fix. When we removed the microwave, it exposed part of the cabinet that had been hidden behind it all these years. I shared this in my vent hood post, but I ended up priming and painting that section to match the rest of the cabinet, then added a clear coat over it for protection. And because one of the most asked questions I get, the cabinet color is Pewter Green by SW and I used a satin sheen. Once that was finished, I could finally move on to filling in that big empty space above the existing backsplash.
Next, Tyler cut down a sheet of wire mesh to fit the open space and screwed it directly into the studs, this was left over from the fireplace project. He cut it with metal sheers. The mesh gives the mortar something to really grab onto and helps support all that extra weight once the mortar is added. And yes, I had Tyler handle this part because this stuff is SHARP! I’m all for doing things myself, but I also know when to delegate.
While we were doing this, a mayfly somehow managed to get itself stuck in the mesh. Tyler told me we should just leave it there so it could be preserved forever like Jurassic Park. 😂
Then we mixed up some mortar and got started! I did this part a little differently than I did on the fireplace. This time, I skipped the flat base layer of mortar and went straight into creating the stones. And when I say “creating the stones,” I really mean forcefully slapping big globs of mortar onto the mesh. At this point, the mortar is still really wet, so there’s not much shaping you can do without it wanting to fall right back off the wall. The goal here was just to get the mortar up there and roughly where I wanted each stone to be.
This is about as much as I was able to get done with one bucket of mortar. It may not look like much yet, but we’re getting there!
I didn’t feel like mixing up another batch that day, so I decided to call it and let what I had done set up a little. After about 30 minutes, the mortar was firm enough that I could start shaping it without it falling off the wall as much. I used a putty knife to make the rocks look a little less like blobs and a little more like the stones on the existing backsplash. I also used rough sponges and anything else I could find to add some texture and get rid of my finger marks. This is definitely one of those projects where you just keep messing with it until it starts looking right!
This is what it looked like the next day after everything had dried. It was starting to look like actual stone, but I could tell right away that it wasn’t quite thick enough compared to the existing backsplash. The original stones stuck out from the wall quite a bit more, so I knew I was going to need to build these up with another layer of mortar.
So I mixed up some more mortar in a Home Depot bucket using my drill and a mixer attachment. I usually start with a little water, mix it up, and then add more water as needed until I get the consistency I’m looking for. You don’t want it too wet or it won’t stay on the wall, but you also don’t want it so thick that it’s hard to work with and just crumble off the wall. I like mine to be about the consistency of a slightly runnier peanut butter.
Then I filled in the rest of the wall that I hadn’t gotten to the day before and started layering more mortar onto the “rocks” I had already made. This helped build them out from the wall so they were closer to the thickness of the existing stone backsplash.
Once the mortar had set up a little, I went back through and shaped and textured everything again. I used the same process as before, working each rock until the shapes looked more natural and blended in better with the existing stone.
I did put a towel over the back of my stove to try to protect it, but I’m not going to lie, this made a HUGE mess! The internet definitely freaked out about this part a little bit, but I got it all cleaned up and everything was fine. I did end up pulling the oven out so I could clean up all the mortar that fell behind it, but once the mortar dried, it really wasn’t that hard to clean up with the shop vac. In hindsight, I probably could have covered the area a little better, but where’s the fun in that?
I let that dry overnight, then as you can see, the original stones aren’t all one color. They have different shades of gray throughout them, along with some rusty brown tones. To recreate that same look, I used some craft paint I already had on hand mixed with water along with a rust-colored concrete stain also mixed with water. I just layered the different colors here and there until the new stones started to look like they belonged with the old ones.
Then it was time to grout! We used MAPEI Avalanche, which is the same color we used on the rest of the backsplash. You can buy this grout premixed, but it’s quite a bit more expensive that way, so we usually just buy the dry mix and mix it ourselves. It takes a few extra minutes, but definitely saves some money!
We put the grout into a grout piping bag, and I let Tyler take over from there. He piped it in between all of the stones and around the outside edges of the area. This step is surprisingly hard on your forearms because you really have to squeeze that bag! It’s a lot easier for Tyler since he’s stronger than me AND taller…by a lot! So he can reach everything a whole lot better. We make a pretty great team!
Then I went through with gloved hands and started working the grout into place. I tried using a sponge at first, but about five seconds into that I realized it was NOT going to work. Smashing and smearing it around with my hands was so much easier! I also rubbed some of the grout right over the tops and edges of the rocks to give everything that slightly schmear-y, over-grouted look that the rest of the backsplash has. I also smeared it down onto the existing grout a bit so it blended in more.
And just like the mortar, the grout is MESSY! I managed to get it all over the stained oak around the vent hood and the sides of the cabinets, so I had to go back through and clean everything up. Luckily, it came right off with a wet paper towel, so no harm done!
Once the new grout dried, I immediately noticed something I hadn’t really been able to see before, the old grout had definitely yellowed over the few years it had been installed! And it wasn’t just the area behind the stove from cooking and grease. The grout throughout the kitchen had gotten a little dingier over time. I guess I never noticed because it happened so gradually, but putting that fresh white grout right next to it made the difference VERY obvious.
If you remember from my last countertop post, we recently had our countertops replaced. The new countertops were about 1/4 inch thinner than the old ones, which left us with a small gap between the counters and the backsplash that we needed to fill with grout. While we were at it, we decided to freshen up ALL of the old grout too. We went over the existing grout between the rocks and smeared some of the fresh grout over the stones as well, bringing back that bright white, over-grouted look throughout the entire kitchen.
And this is where we ended up after all of that! But stay tuned for the next post because I’m finally doing something I’ve been thinking about for a LONG time. I’m building doors for the upper cabinets I installed years ago, the project that actually kicked off this entire kitchen update!
What do you think? Would you leave them as open cubbies and use them for decor, or would you add doors too? As much as I like having a place to display pretty things, doors would keep everything from collecting grease and dust AND give me a whole lot more hidden storage.
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