This Brilliant Kitchen Backsplash Hack Is Easy To Place (And Remove)

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With fewer and fewer families being able to afford purchasing a house, people have become increasingly more creative with ways to make a rental truly feel like home. One popular hack is peel-and-stick decor, from using it as wallpaper for your kitchen cabinets to tile for your shower. And there's one other trick to add to that list: using it as kitchen backsplash. Gorgeous and practical kitchen backsplashes cover the zone between the countertop and the cabinets, and expand in the space behind the stove and sometimes the kitchen sink as well. They serve two functions: aesthetic and functional. Made of tile, stone, or another sturdy material, backsplashes protect the wall from water, grease, and other ingredients that splash during the cooking process, and also make those messes easier to clean compared to an unprotected painted wall.

Of course, they can also just add a lot of personality to your kitchen, whether that's a pop of color, a glossy shine, or a rough stone to give it that medieval, country kitchen vibe. Peel-and-stick kitchen backsplashes can accomplish both of those functions just as well — all while helping you get your security deposit back when you move out. The backsplash tiles, which you can find at most hardware stores like Home Depot and Lowe's, as well as on Amazon (like this pack of 102 tiles by Art3d), come in all sorts of colors and textures, and act essentially like giant kitchen stickers. After peeling the backing off, stick them where you want them, ensure they're tightly attached, and then avoid exposing them to moisture for approximately 24 hours while the adhesive sets. And there you have it — a cheap, easy, legal-for-rentals kitchen reno.

There are a few things to keep in mind when you're choosing (and applying) the perfect kitchen backsplash. Apart from color, there's a wide range of backsplash materials on the market. If you're a renter looking to inflict the least damage possible, you'll likely want to go with vinyl peel-and-stick — and specifically the kind that comes as individual tiles. They're thin, flexible, and relatively cheap, so although they might not last you a decade like a real stone backsplash would, they're good for a temporary living situation, easy to remove, and can be applied on top of existing tiles or concrete walls. 

Some peel-and-stick vinyl backsplashes come in the form of long sheets. However, you have to do some complicated math and measurement to make sure they fit, cutting around any electric outlets and other obstacles that may come in the way. Individual peel-and-stick tiles simplify the application process, allowing you to arrange the tiles around any obstacles or corners without as much precision or planning.

That being said, you'll still need to determine how much surface area your backsplash covers in order to know how many tiles to purchase. This is where you should decide if you just want to wallpaper your kitchen in certain areas like the backsplash, or if you want all of it done, what colors you want to mix and match, and so on. And make sure you buy a little more than strictly necessary — there's a bit of a learning curve, and no one wants to have to make a second trip to the store. On the plus side? It'll be totally satisfying to watch it all come together.