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Simply remove them from the wall, spackle the wall surface behind till smooth, then paint the wall.

Could you paint the tile - either the grey you're re-doing your kitchen in or a different color? I'm not sure if tile is paint-able, but that would seem like the easiest solution.

Easiest short term solution - paint over.
Better - remove tile, plaster, sand, paint.

they sell a pain that is especially for tile. it's pretty intense and you typically have to leave the house for a little while after, but it does the job! it will then look like a textured wall, or basically a solid colored tile with the same color grout.

reglaze in a colour you enjoy? Not sure what that runs budgetwise...

You know how lot's of big stores nowadays have floors in glazed/waxed concrete? Grey, with a hint of warmth, and then shiny to boot? If you could do that somehow, I think that would complement your walls and cabinets. And it'd be practical too, behind the stovetop. And you may not even have to remove your old tiles- you could probably just do it on top.

I painted the tile floor in my bathroom a few years ago with some special tile paint from home depot. They had a ton of colors to pick from (i went with a sage green to cover the pink tile), and it turned out great! It does stink, like you said KerriLou, but i think overall it was worth it.

Wow. Those are some seriously ugly tiles. You have my sympathy.

Is that the only place they occur in your kitchen? It's not too big. If you don't want to paint or tear out, you could cover it with a single big sheet of stainless steel (Ikea has a series that might work), or ceiling tin:


http://www.americantinceilings.com/

You might also be able to do a treatment with contact paper, although you'd probably have to cut a piece for each tile individually.

Oh, and there was a great article on AT recently about someone who used aluminum tape in a basketweave to cover an awful backsplash. It looked awesome.

Ah ha! I found a link back to the blog of the person who did the aluminum tape thing:

http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2008/04/21/my-6-kitchen-makeover/

This might be too modern for your place, but it would look really good with your new gray walls, I think.

Buying special tile paint, brushes, painters tape, etc. is going to cost more than tiling over it, and you're still going to hate it. I bought my classic white subway tiles off the shelf at Home Depot for $1.21/sq. ft. and they are amazingly easy to install. Spend a few dollars and you'll be much happier with the results for a much longer time.

Along the same vein as the aluminum tape, I covered an UGLY kitchen wall with a sheet of stainless steel from the plumbing department at Home Depot. Less than $10, you can cut it with tin snips (and gloves) and attach it with double-sided taped. Glue on some narrow bead board (painted if you like) around the edges to finish it off. Not as fancy as the tape, but easier to clean behind the stove where it can get kind of greasy. Also easy to remove if it's a rental.

Get a piece of mirror cut to fit. Then use the double-sided stickies specially made for hanging mirrors.

Painted tiles almost always look tackier than the original offending tiles.

You can repaint tiles but I've never been impressed with the results. Whatever you decide to do can I suggest painting that dark wood trim and that heavy dark shelf white? Or maybe replacing the shelf with something visually less heavy?

Other responders mentioned covering the tiles with a sheet of stainless steel, or mirror glass. Something I saw in a magazine once as a back splash all around a kitchen and always wanted to try - you could get a sheet of clear glass cut to cover the tiled area. Paint the side of the glass that will go against the tiles in a great colour. Install the glass over the tiles using those little plastic edge clips that screw into the wall. If you measure right the plastic clips on the bottom and right side should be hidden by the stove and the fridge. The clips at the tops could be hidden when you re-hang the shelf. The paint colour behind shiny glass gives a really cool shimmery under-water effect and its easy to keep clean.

Whatever you do would love to see the result!

you can afford the paint to repaint cupboards but you can't afford to retile that wall? tile can be ridiculously cheap. you can always try craigslist for tile leftovers (often cheaply had, sometimes even free), or see if your area has a habitat for humanity restore (or re-store). they sell tile & tile leftovers (often in a considerable quantity) at rock-bottom prices (eg, 6x3 subway tiles at 5 cents a piece). you really can't beat 40 cents a square foot. habitat for humanity isn't the only place to have these sorts of "reclaimation" stores. DON'T repaint it. that special tile primer is crap if the tile gets any amount of humidity/water exposure, and is probably just as expensive.

You can retile that wall for less than the price of a PIZZA.

Tin tiles!

Rip 'em out and paint--destruction is always more satisfying

While the color of the tiles is hideous, personally I like the shape and design of them. I'm a big fan of re-using existing details, so perhaps buy two quarts of paint and paint the little diamond-shaped tiles white (or another accent color) and the larger ones grey to match the walls. A coat of polyurethane might help to keep it on, but you could also try sanding the tiles a bit to make the paint stick better.

Probably won't cost more than $25, and would at least hold you over til you have time to take free tiling classes at Home Depot.

Or you could just ask your little brother who works at a paint store. XIM has a product called tile doc thats good for refurbishing tile. It's a two-part epoxy, and works great on kitchen tile and can be tinted to an color. It's only 20 to 30 dollars, so it really saves on costs. Here's a link: http://www.ximbonder.com/upload/pdfs/TILE%20DOC%20DATA%20SHEET%2054020,%204201,%204202.pdf

Lowe's sells a molded plastic backsplash product that looks like fancy patina-ed metal tin tyles. Look over in the appliance department. Quick,easy, not messy, and cheap. Promise.

Agree, tile is actually really cheap (not ann sacks) and honestly construction labor is also really cheap right now. The economy is in trouble and alot of skilled tradesmen are hard up for work.

Look on craigslist, we just got hardwood done in our bedroom and hall for stupid prices...and way less time.

I am in an apartment where they had painted the tile back-splash the same eggshell beige as the rest of the walls. I just recently repainted the walls white. For the back-splash I used a green in a gloss finish. I would say that it worked our wonderfully. The gloss finish is also easier to clean.

I know you said you don't have the money to re-tile, but white subway tile runs about $1.50 a sq ft at HD. That may be in your budget.

a sheet of stainless steel

Thanks to everyone who gave me suggestions! I think I know now what to do and I will email pics of the finished product!!