First, is that the wallpaper because I'm in love.
Second I do fear that the safest option would be to use plexiglass can you by plexi from a hardware store instead of a glass shop? It would be thinner and lighter so you caould probably install it yourself.
There is a brief tutorial here http://www.rachaelraymag.com/fun-how-to/makeovers/how-to-fake-a-designer-backsplash/4

I would try mod podging a piece to see if it works.

I bought some plexiglass panels and a carpet knife from home depot to cover up a patch of brick in my closet before installing an elfa system. The plexiglass helps to maintain the "look" of exposed brick while preventing any stray chips or dust from falling onto the clothes. I suppose you can something similar in your kitchen. Cut the plexiglass carefully and place it against the wall. If needed, you can use some silicon glue to stick it to the wallpaper. I don't think it should be more than 100$ and a few hours of your weekend.

I'm an interior designer, and we often send fabric and wallpaper to have an acrylic coating applied to it to make it waterproof. You'll still have to worry about water leaching up behind the paper, though, if you use it as a backsplash.

This is the company we use: http://www.prosealplus.com

It is unfortunate that plexiglass is SO much more expensive than plain glass. So why not take a measurement of the area that you would like to protect and have a glass store cut you the size you require. Have the glass store sand the sharp edges and put the piece up with mirror brackets. The glass piece will probably be in the $20.00 to $30.00 range. Buy a spray bottle at the dollar store and some vinegar to clean the glass off occasionally and you are all set.

Mod Podge is great and is waterproof in my experience, however it is not easy to get a smooth texture. I can always see brush strokes and as far as i know, i don't think it comes in a spray can... yet! Mod Podge- I hope you are reading this.

Maybe clear contact paper would work?

If you decide to use the Mod Podge, why not use a sponge roller to apply it? That will go on more evenly and not have brush strokes. I think the glass is the best idea. It will look more expensive and sleek and will also be easier to clean. Plus, you would still be able to remove it and put it back on when you are ready to change the background paper. What about clear vinyl? You can get it by the yard at Joann.

What about a clear lacquer?

If plexiglass is still something you're considering, try looking for the super thin stuff at Canal Plastics. The have tons of options, will probably make you a deal, and I bet if you bring a photo they will have some suggestions.

I would use polyurethane that I use on my wood furniture. It can be used on many surfaces, however, do a test first on some leftover wall paper to ensure it doesn't ruin your paper. There are different sheens to it, so if you don't want it glossy, then go with a matte. If it works, then I would put no less than 3 coats of poly. I do like the plexiglass idea. Good luck.

I've used clear contact paper for this same application. It worked just fine. I ran the contact paper horizontally so there weren't any seams to deal with. I had it behind my stove for years, and never had a problem. If you have it behind your sink, just run a bead of clear silicone between the countertop and the contact paper. One of the things I liked about it was the matte finish; it didn't look plastic (like plexiglas would).

I've been told that certain cleaners, like windex or 409, when used on plexiglass, will cause it to fog over. I do know that it scratches very easily.

Another vote for glass and mirror hangers.

fauxlikeapro.com has a selection of coatings to paint over wallpaper. I've used dead flat varnish myself and it worked great. I wouldn't say waterproof, but definitely water resistant. Otherwise, you can easily order plex online for pretty reasonable prices.

I needed to purchase glass for an interior window and buying toughened 4mm glass was way cheaper than plexi or acrylic. plus if the wallpaper is behind a hob on the worktop you will have to use glass because of the heat against the wall from the back burners.

go for the glass!

Oh my god, that wallpaper is STUNNING!

I would shop around for more price quotes - I got some great deals from local hardware stores here in LA for plexi. They custom cut it, too.

I had the same dilemma in a previous place and went with plexi --bad, bad, bad choice. It scratched easily, never looked clean, and the paper rippled from humidity the first time I boiled a pot of pasta (I did not glue it to the wall for fear of damage--my bad). Wish I had just glued it to the wall and glazed over. They make outdoor mod podge you know --you just have to thin it out with a bit of water first. Good luck!

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! Alas that is not my wallpaper, but hopefully mine is almost as awesome (just posted a few photos here http://www.flickr.com/photos/63111911@N02/sets/72157628917096275/). How difficult is plexi to cut? I have two outlet holes to make which I imagine would be tricky to do oneself. Thought about clear vinyl, but then worried it would ripple. Almost picked up some spray adhesive but realized anything in spray form might get all over the place and damage cabinets. Glass may be the way to go - though do you think the installation would be tricky for a couple of DIYers?

and urbancricket - went with wallpaper because you can see I wanted something fun and colorful - if I had fun and colorful tile, odds are pretty good any future owners may not dig them and they would wind up being a turn off. And this way I can change the look easily if I ever change my mind (well, I guess "easily" depends on however I wind up waterproofing the paper!).

Wall paper is a pain, removing waterproofed wallpaper is an even bigger pain (assuming you go with a chemical method). If you like colored tile, go with colored tile. I wouldn't get realestate advice from a tile guy, I would get it from a realtor.

WOW- just went to your Flickr. That wallpaper is even more amazing than the picture on this link. Congrats!!

I think glass would probably be your best option, it's less likely to scratch than plexi and you could always use a clear caulking at the bottom to prevent water going past the lower edge. Then if you sold the next person just has to slide a blade under the caulking to remove it.

I think you still have two options though with glass. Either you A. cover the wallpaper completely with glass and cut out the electrical outlets or B. have the glass cut so that it only goes to underneither your electrical outlets. Lots of kitchens dont have full counter to cabinet backsplashes so you could opt for a version of that style. Basically covers the wall high enough to prevent the wallpaper fromt he most damage. As long as you wipe it down gently fairly often the part that's not covered shouldn't get too gross or stained.

I should note that behind the stove you'd probably want to do a full sheet of glass (that area will get gross fast!) and the rest could be half sized.

Out of curiosity - how high up from your stove is your microwave? I know Ikea recommends 30" and mine when installed was definitely not 30" (closer to 26 or 27 I think) with my 9' ceiling. I noticed your stove looks like it's gas so becareful when using your back burners, the microwave above could get pretty hot.

we used plexiglass and it was pretty easy to cut but we chipped some pieces by not predrilling holes properly. Polyurethene yellows whatever you are covering, but polyacrylic does not. Mod Podge is not waterproof, I don't know about the outdoor kind.

Brooklynme - thanks!

Stream13 - appreciate all the input! My microwave is 16 inches above the stove. My contractor approved my design and the folks at Ikea didn't flag an issue (not that that means anything!) - and I haven't noticed it getting hot so fingers crossed!

That's actually Old Navy gift wrap from ~5 years ago! Not sure why I was in the store, but I snapped it up and the shoebox holding my DVDs is covered with it. It may not have an exotic provenance, but it looks great there!

Litachiqita3: Good, I'm glad nothing has melted yet on your microwave hehe :)

Here's another alternative to glass or a heavy duty plexiglass. Go to the HD website and search for "Optix". It's a thin clear acrylic sheet that comes in different sizes. A 30x36 sheet cost around $22

Good luck! Let us know what you end up doing.

I always forget something... :) the Optix sheets should be easy to cut with a jig saw to get around the electrical outlets or you might even be able to cut it with a sharp utility knife and straight edge.

How about putting a row of plain white or grey tiles behind the sink and cooker? In addition to some of the paint on suggestions.

I love your wallpaper too (checked out your flickr link). I haven't done this myself, but would yacht varnish be an option? It should definitely repel water anyway.

I would warn you that using modge podge or anything similar may make the wall paper difficult to remove in the future, which was one of the reasons you installed it in the first place. Look carefully into that aspect of this project as well (and then invest in plexiglass).

Love the wallpaper!!

We have a giant collage in our kitchen that we covered with plexiglas. To buy a piece of plexiglas that large would have been $150. We went to Home Depot (or lowe's maybe) and got two of their largest pieces and had them cut for free at the store to the size we needed. They are each half the size of the picture and the seam in the middle is lined up with the seam across the center of the picture. I think it was about $40 -60? We have wood making a frame around the picture and screwed the plexi on top, like a box. (The collage is thick.) We drilled pilot holes in the plexi and then used screws with larger washers on the outside.

Colored tile. Nobody wants to buy some nasty old plexiglassed wallpaper. Just put in some tile. You're going to have to deal with this when you sell anyway, so why not just tile now?

At least your buyer will know how to get rid of (or tile over) neon pink tile. They won't have any idea how to chisel off lacquered your wallpaper.

Nthing polycrylic. Modge Podge will be water-resistant, but not waterproof. I collaged our cabin shower wtih paper and polycrylic and it has held up pretty well for 5 years - It doesn't get wet every day and I've had to re-collage some sections, but it's held up remarkably well. I used the polycrylic to adhere the paper pieces (which were easier to apply than getting a whole sheet on, un-wrinkled) and then put a couple of coats over the top of the paper. The shower was paneled in formica sheets, so the surface had a bit of sheen, which helps in removal. If you apply it directly to drywall, it's going to be a real pain to remove without damaging the drywall. Good luck!

Ooh polycrylic sounds like it might work. Thanks! It doesn't have to be completely waterproof, and it doesn't have to last forever - just easy to clean.

And RB34 - ouch! I was initially in love with a turquoise blue tile, but since I have an open kitchen I was trying to figure out if I would need to match living room and hallway paint colors to the tile. And I also want to be able to repaint in any color if I want to so picking a colored tile felt like a big commitment (and 90% of the surfaces in my apartment, including the ceiling, were covered in wallpaper when I bought it, so I can attest to the fact that wallpaper is easier to remove than tile). Also the wallpaper cost $0 and was meant to be a more cost effective solution (we'll see how that winds up after I figure out how to make it water-resistant!). When it comes time to resell, I can slap up some neutral subway tile - but while I'm there I want something with a little more pizazz!

Litachiqita3 - Can I ask you a dumb question? How did you submit your question to AT? I've been wanting to ask something for a while but I haven't found a section or tab or link to send in a question. :)

I was going to say if you hadn't already put the paper up that you could resin it and then attach the resin panel to the wall. If you wanted tile, I wonder if you coudlnt' just cut some thin MDF, tile that and then attach it to the wall.and caulk around the edges to keep water from getting up behind it. Then it would be removeable if you moved.

Wait, a tile salesman refused to sell you tile for YOUR house? What?

Mod-podging it to the back of some plexi would have been the most reversible option. It is already up, so I vote plexi over the backsplash and a bead of clear silicone to prevent water leaching up behind.

I'm looking to do something similar and will be going the clear varnish (we don't have modpodge here - but something similar) with a bit of a decopage finish - multiple layers of product. But what you might like is my treatment of the wallpaper/worktop meeting point

http://www.topshelf.net.au/homelux_02_internal_corner.html

It's a seal that's used in place of silicone and can be used post tiling (wallpapering!) and should give a fair bit of protection from splash and seepage under the wallpaper edge.

btw, I'm adding some shelves to my wallpapered wall and will only add protection up to this point.

Goodluck

Hi, we are about to try this in a shower. All the varnishes we tried made the paper yellow so we have gone for Johnstones heavy duty glaze, 2 coats, which doesnt colour and then rustins plastic coating over the top. We tried the plastic coating by itself but it eats the pattern on the wall paper. The vinyl floor comes up over the wall paper to stop water getting up under and there is a cunning rim on top of vinyll. This just leaves the join between the rim and the wallpaper - the plastic costing will run over onto this and weill probably add a thin bead of silicone and then hope......