Copper flashing backsplash; I think I’m the only one.

At least…

I don’t pretend to be pretty good at googling, but my friends say I am (as Mrs. Elton might tell us), and I searched and searched for how to do this project, and didn’t get much in the way of examples.

{All the specs are at the end of this post!}

 

 

I’ll explain, just in case anyone else needs to know how to use what’s on hand to fix a problem that is only occurring because you previously used what was on hand — in this case, the minuscule sink that came with the house/bathroom, and must be 100 years old; pretty sure that most people would have gotten a new sink and thus, not been in this pickle!

I mean, you almost certainly won’t have this exact problem. But maybe the thought-process will help you in a similarly outside-the-box situation.

Or maybe you’ll just be amused! And that is fine.

 

The fact that there was no backsplash behind the sink, but the faucets are so close to the back wall, meant that every time I (and I’m pretty sure I was at least a major culprit) went to turn on the water, I gouged the wall!

And then, the sink is so small that soap won’t really fit on it anywhere; the little shelf above that holds the soap dispenser is really too high for a child. I don’t want to bear ultimate responsibility for infecting the universe with nameless germs, either.

I wanted to install this little enameled soap dispenser that I’ve had for just this purpose…

But, that meant we needed to find a stud. Which is hard, in an old house. Swearing often occurs. Much fruitless drilling. Many fillings of untoward holes.

And the thought of messing up my newly painted surface (I mean, any surface that’s been painted within the span of a decade falls in this category) in the thankless process of stud-finding was paralyzing me.

Here is the “before” picture, which is right after the renovation, so the wall looks untouched (because it is) and the soap inventory checks out (but actually, is not practical):

 

Obviously we needed a backsplash, and could do this other thing in the process: Cue overthinking!

 

What could be used for a backsplash? Where there is just no room?

At Lowe’s, they actually had a nice white ceramic tile that was 16″ (which actually is a tiny bit longer than the width of this sink, which is 15 3/4″, but I probably could have made it work). But it is a good 1/4″ thick, which brought it right up to the back of the faucet setting. Space is precious in here — even down to the quarter inch!

There are peel-and-stick tile-ish things, but the ones I saw weren’t very nice at all. At. All. Contact paper or what have you — maybe okay for a rental, but not in here.

They actually sell granite and formica backsplashes in the plumbing department, but again, too thick, not the right material, not the right length.

I thought of metal.

I looked at stainless steel flashing and sheet metal at the store — stainless would certainly go with the other fixtures in here. But it just seemed a.) daunting to figure it out and b.) expensive, and c.) silly, when I was pretty sure I had what I needed!

Yes, I remembered that somewhere in the Garage of Death there was a stash of copper flashing left by previous owners or roofers or who knows. In fact, it had been on my mind, because every once in a while I wonder what I could do with it. Yes, I could sell it off, as copper is rather pricey, but it’s also awesome, you know?

I hadn’t seen it in a long time, however, even though every once in a while I’d look for it.

But this time, I was motivated. I thought — it could work!

Well, Reader, we found it. Habou said she thought it was in a certain place, and the Chief did a good search for it (I like giving him the quests that require a certain dogged determination/stubbornness — I tend to get impatient and defeatist).

And I do have another copper accent in there — this beautiful invitation, made for a gala event by my son-in-law John Folley, when he was teaching at The Heights in Washington, D.C.:

 

 

The vintage frame was painted by Habou, who did a great job matching the tone of the card.

But — how to install my backsplash?

The only directions I could find, which were for putting sheet metal behind a stove (and I might still go for that), said to use bonding caulk and then duct tape it until it dries. But the problem is that I didn’t want to duct tape my walls… that seemed… imprudent.

 

Then a carpenter friend suggested using double-sided tape. That makes sense! There are several different kinds there in the store: the kind that is made for backsplashes, actually, but seems a bit thick. This needed to go right flush to the wall. So in the end I got the kind that is meant for putting up posters. It’s a bit cushiony but rather thin. And I used sealing and bonding caulk.

Okay, the overthinking was behind me now!

I got started.

So I now had that rarest of experiences for the old-home owner: simply re-painting a room, because it has already been renovated and I still love the color I chose! No rehabbing, no agonizing over decorating, just — repainting! So easy! (As I said in the dining room post, painting is the least of it!)

Especially as, quite unexpectedly, the stud was found with no trouble at all, one hole was made (the right hole!), and the soap dish was installed!

 

 

 

 

So that’s a lot of backstory for a backsplash; now I will tell you the specs in case you want to do such a thing — and of course, you could use stainless steel or anything else that you think would work.

Prepare the sink by renewing the caulking around where the sink meets the wall and the faucet meets the sink. Clean everything up. The key to caulking, and you must believe me on this, is to go ahead and use your finger. The gun will get the caulk where you need it to go; only your (moistened) finger will give you a smooth, perfect, tiny bead with no edges and no overage. Keep a damp paper towel handy; you can wash your hands after; use your finger!


To cut the flashing, I used an old-school paper cutter, the kind with the iron guillotine blade, that is in the store-room at church. You can score it and then cut it with a sharp utility knife on the workbench — use a metal straight-edge to guide your knife. It’s really easy to use the paper cutter, though.


Phil rescued me after a while, hammering with a ball peen hammer to give it that look. It’s actually hard on your arm! I think it’s attractive and covers imperfections that you start with and that you will inevitably collect along the way. Just put a cloth under and over the piece and hammer away.


The metal is soft. It will begin to bend almost immediately when you hammer it. You can turn it over and hammer the other side. In the end, you want to hammer it basically flat, but use a rounded edge of something — a piece of wood out in the garage, the edge of your workbench, something — to place under the very edge of each side as you hammer, to curve it inwards, so that when you put it on the wall, the edges will snug up to the wall.


Using double-sided tape, tape around the periphery of the piece on the back — not right on the edge, but within about 1/8″ of it. Now do a dry run by putting the flashing in place. Look good? Edges and corners slightly bent inwards?


Using your caulk gun, caulk the inside of the taped area with a good amount of bonding/sealant.


Remove the backing from the tape and press the flashing to the wall, taking care to center it. Press hard, all over.


Let it all dry and rest overnight if possible.


Using the same sealant, caulk around the edges: wall and sink. Let it dry.


Using painter’s tape, tape the backsplash’s edges; with a small craft brush, paint the caulk to match the wall. Let it dry, remove the tape, and you are good to go!

The tape you can find with the command strips; this one is Hillman:

And the caulk is Loctite all-purpose bonding and sealing; you want something you can paint.

The bathroom color is Valspar Sea Foam in satin finish; the trim is Benjamin Moore White Dove in semi-gloss.

Mainly, the way I end up doing something like this (as I explained in this post about fixing a hole in a good blanket) is by asking myself, What if I came across a blog post where someone had done this crazy thing? I would be mad at myself for not having thought of it!

And that is my only excuse.

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