September was crazy busy at our house.  Our September calendar included soccer practises and games, hockey try-outs for both winter and spring league, dance classes, Girl Guides, back to school for the kids and I, a family wedding, our Mother’s and Daughter’s in Touch course, two garage sales, 3 birthdays, piano lessons, Fun Fridays Youth Group, volunteering at Winnipeg Harvest, serving at church, volleyball, a few minor DIY projects, daily blogging and I tried to stay on top of the laundry, meals and house work!  On top of that I was sick with a cold. I am sure that doesn’t sound unlike most of your schedules, but needless to say, my little play kitchen project did not get much attention. However, this weekend was the first in many weeks that we did not have a jam-packed schedule and I was finally able to have a bit of time for it.  If you missed Upcycled Play Kitchen:  Part 1 and want to check-out it out, click here.

Play Kitchen Update:

I finished painting all of the pieces black and then let the paint cure for several days (or weeks in my case) before adding any tape to it.  When I measured out the board for the back of the TV stand/sink and stove, I added several inches of height to create a backsplash for the finished project.  My plan was to create a faux tile back splash.  I had used this technique in our upstairs bathroom, so I knew it would work well for this project. I took my board and figured out where the top of the “counter top” would be and marked it on my board.  I then measured the space that would be used for the backsplash and began to figure out how big to make the tiles. When measuring and marking out the squares, always start from the middle to ensure that the tiles will end up being centered.  I then taped out a grid of 2″ squares that will serve as tiles.  Taking a trowel (or something similar) apply a thin smooth layer of plaster over the taped off area (approximately 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch thick). Very carefully peel off the tape and let the plaster “tiles” dry completely. Gently sand the tiles to create a smooth surface on each tile. Re-tape the grid (your base coat will become your “grout” colour. Apply a coat of primer and then paint. Remove the tape. You may need to touch up the “grout lines” a bit. For durability, add a few coats of clear (non-colouring) urethane.  I think I added three coats to my bathroom backsplash.

I used 1/4″ painters tape to tape of a grid of 2″ squares.

I applied a thin layer of plaster over the taped grid.

I removed the tape right away, before the plaster set.

I applied two coats of acrylic paint to the faux tiles.

Here is a shot of the finished backsplash with the touched up grout lines.

Next Steps:

I haven’t had a chance to urethane the backsplash yet, so I will definitely need to do that.  I will attach the back board and work on pulling things together ~ attaching the sink, taps/spout and stove elements (which I haven’t painted yet). I really wanted to include fabric in the project, so I opted for a curtain as opposed to a door on the sink/stove cabinet. I love the fabrics I found and hope to make a few other accessories to go with the finished kitchen. Stay tuned.

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