I lived in an apartment and put vinyl flooring up. Just cut and measure, be sure to caulk. works great. There are many patterns to choose from. Good luck
How about a mosiac tiled effect? I have never tried this myself, but have seen broken dish pieces used with some adhesive, and then grouted in between. It would be very inexpensive if you went to the resale shop for the dishes or bought garage sale dishes, wrap them in a towel, and give them a little "whack" with a hammer. I have seen this idea in decorating books and they covered everything from stool seats to bird baths.
Water splashing a lot on metal isn't a good idea unless stainless, which still will water spot. I would suggest using a deep plastic dishtub since much of the problem is possibly that your sink is too shallow? Try soaking the dishes after you scrape, to prevent so much elbow grease and arms flying/water splashing. You can do this. Just slow down, right? God bless you. : )
I purchased some tiles that were copper at http://www.abcdistributing.com . There were about 15-20 tiles in the package for a low price. It sticks with double sided tape or you could get the same look with something more permanant.
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