DIY Spirit

You can have a stainless steel looking backsplash for under $40. For us we just couldn’t spend more on the backsplash than we did the countertop. Stainless steel tiles were too expensive and sheet stainless steel required someone to fabricate it. By using aluminum roof flashing you can fabricate the metal yourself and save on labor costs and materials. The aluminum flashing comes in long rolls in lots of different widths. Amazingly the brand at lowes has a similar #4 brushed finish that most stainless steel appliances have so it is a really good match.

To cut each piece to length I just used a ruler clamped down over the flashing. Then used a box cutter to score the metal along the rulers edge. You won’t need to cut the aluminum all the way though. It will easily snap apart by just bending it back and forth a little. I first attempted cutting the metal with a hand shear but it proved to be too labor intensive and the edges were not as clean cut as with the box cutter.

Because the flashing is so thin you will need some type of flat backing board so imperfections won’t show through the metal. I used the existing laminate backsplash and glued the flashing with a construction adhesive. In hind sight it may be better to use a lighter weight or spray on adhesive because in some areas you can see the glue underneath.

I tucked the aluminum flashing under the old backsplash metal molding. For the countertop moulding I used 1/2″ aluminum angle.

Here is the kitchen before.

And after

You can compare the stainless steel dishwasher to the backsplash and see they match very closely.