It's very, very easy. Get some very thin masking tape (it comes in all sorts of teeny-tiny sizes at a good art supply store) and tape off all your grout lines first. The basecoat color UNDER your masking tape will be the grout color, so if you want that to be different than wahatever it is now, paint and let the paint cure before doing the rest. Then tape it off, and paint or sponge away. If you are a complete novice, then the easiest of many ways to make the tiles themselves is probably sponging. One way is to have a few paint trays (say, three or four) with a different color in each. Then start sponging and experimenting till you get the look you want. Pell of the masking and it's beautiful! After it cures, you can varnish or seal it so it's very scrubbable! I have done lots of backsplashes-- they are wonderful and easy! Colorwise, you can find a sample of slate and pull colors from the other things in your room and subtly work them in! Slate has a ton of variety and is extremely forgiving to paint!

Thanks for responding skatiero. We're still peeling the wallpaper off. I have picked out some colors although I'm afraid they may be too dark. But it's just paint, right! Would you buy the flat latex or egg shell paint or use acrylics.If you varnish it afterwards, does it matter if you use flat latex.

MaryAnn,
I might sometime get time to do something with my backsplash- can you tell me how to peel the wallpaper off?

Don't buy expensive wallpaper remover. Hot water works just as well. get a Tiger's claw ( a hand held thing that scores your paper so water can get under it, score, and then soak with hot water. give it time to penetrate then start pulling. Use a sponge. Kinda messy but works great.

Here's a "tile mural" I did behind my stove. I used a store-bought poster and tore it into 4" squares using a ruler so the edges were a little rough. The second picture is my counter, faux painted to look like stone. Should give you some ideas. Both surfaces are several years old, have polyurethane over them and are holding up very well.
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Hi there, is the paint you use to paint the faux tile just acrylic paint like you would use on canvas?? Thanks!