Brick Pavers for Cottage , Country, or Old World Backsplash

I found exactly what I was looking for when I revised my beadboard backsplash idea. It's really inexpensive, has lots of character and "old house" appeal, and will be easier to install than tile. What is this miracle material, you might ask? Simple brick pavers. I went to Lowe's the other to see if I could find some that are thin enough to use a backsplash. I checked out the Outdoor/Lawn and Garden area, but nope...not there. The Lowe's associate told me they didn't carry them. Not deterred, I headed inside to the tile department and lo and behold, they had them! Just .52 each, too!

I brought home a few pavers to play around with...I painted one a bisque color that will coordinate nicely with our appliances. Since our cabinets are going to be red (paint swatch in photo below - I decided against Russett as people commnented that it looked "pinkish/fuscia" and instead went with a shade by Waverly called "Cherry") , I thought the backsplash needed to be nice and bright. I next painted a brick the same color as the cabinets. I tried to white wash it but the result was very pink. What worked really well was to just apply a white glaze and then wipe it off, which left glaze down in the pits and crevices...a very nice look. So I know for sure that I'll use bisque paint for most, if not all, the pavers - but I may decide to throw a few of the red ones in there for a little more punch. I'll just have to see.





UPDATE: Read more posts about our brick paver backsplash (progress and completion photos) here.