Corrugated Metal Backsplash

The pictures show what the kitchen looked like before we started and after. You can see we didn't have any backsplash besides the paint except the area behind the stove. In addition, I installed the piece of wood over the sink before I started to connect the cabinets together and give me a place to hang a light fixture in the future. On my honey to-do list is (1) paint the kitchen, (2) make new kitchen cabinet doors and (3) install a new backsplash to name a few. The better half decided on a metal backsplash and I would call the style rustic or country I guess. Anyways, here is what my son and I did to install the Corrugated Metal Backsplash. A video link is at the end of the steps if you are interested.

• Corrugated Panels (Home Depot or Lowes)
• Straight Edge (Any hardware store or Harbor Freight)
• Scratch Awl (Any hardware store or Harbor Freight)
• Drill (Any hardware store or Harbor Freight)
• Screwdriver (Any hardware store or Harbor Freight)
• Measuring Tape (Any hardware store or Harbor Freight)
• Plastic Wall Anchors w/ Screws (Any hardware store or Harbor Freight)
• Angle Grinder (Harbor Freight)
• Tin Snips (Any hardware store or Harbor Freight)
• Metal File (Any hardware store or Harbor Freight)
• Receptacle Extension Box (Amazon)
• Receptacle Screws 1-1/2" (Amazon)
• Center Punch (Any hardware store or Harbor Freight)
• Hammer (Any hardware store or Harbor Freight)

The first thing I did was paint and add extension boxes on the existing receptacles so the outlets would stick out the wall and be flush with the metal. Those are the blue boxes on the receptacles. You don't need to do this but if you don't you will need to build some kind of frame around the metal where you cut it out so it looks better. I bought those off Amazon and they were 1/2" deep. If using these, you will also need longer receptacle screws that are about 1-1/2" long, also from Amazon. Be careful when working with electric.

We got the Corrugated Metal from Home Depot. The sheets were 8' long by 2' wide and cost about $16 per sheet. These could be cut with Tin Snips or an Angle Grinder with cut-off wheel. You may even be able to use a Dremel Tool w/ cut off disk but that may take a while. After measuring twice, we laid out lines using a straight edge and used a Scratch Awl to mark a line in the metal.

Here I am using Tin Snips to cut across the ribs which is not too hard to do, but when cutting the opposite way it is very difficult because you can't move the metal out of the way during the cutting process. An Angle Grinder is much better in those cases.

Here I am using the Angle Grinder with a Cut-Off Wheel to cut the metal where the receptacle will be. Watch my video to see more angle grinding cuts. There's one of those blue extension boxes on the table.

Now we set the piece in place to make sure it fits around the outlet and also nicely against the wall. If the wall is not plumb you will need to scribe a line using a compass for a perfect fit.

I wanted this screwed to the wall in case we hang something on it so it wouldn't be flimsy so we measured and marked hole locations to what we thought looked best. I used a Spring Loaded Center Punch to make dimples in the metal so the drill bit wouldn't wonder around.

We then held the panel in place and drilled 1/4" holes in the metal and through the wall. The 1/4" hole matched the Plastic Wall Anchors I had but your size may be different. Don't let the panel move too much so your holes stay lined up. Also be very careful to make sure you don't hit any electric wires that may be in the wall. As you can see, we used a Vacuum to suck up the debris while drilling to make clean up a little easier.

Then we put 1/4" Plastic Wall Anchors in the holes we just drilled and hammered them all the way in. You could use another method to attach the panels but this is what we liked. It also allows us to remove them easily if we want to replace them with something else.

Now we could screw the panel to the wall using the screws that came with the Plastic Wall Anchors.

We kept doing the same process until both of our walls were done. The metal behind the stove goes all the way to the floor because the one side of our stove doesn't have a cabinet or wall next to it so it looked better this way.

We like the way it turned out and seemsd like it will be easy to wipe any mess off it.

One tip would be if the Backsplash is starting or ending in the middle of a wall, you should start there with your fist piece so you start out with a nice factory cut edge. Another tip is for the stickers that the manufacture puts on the panel. Peel them off the best you can and then use WD-40 to get the rest off very easily.

Hopefully this will give you some insight to do the same thing yourself.

Here's a link if you'd like to watch the video with some extra footage.

Thanks for your time,

Steve