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October 19, 2009

Kitchen Backsplash

I'm being tortured by a lack of direction with my kitchen backsplash. Can't sleep at night. Get cold sweats just thinking about it.

Long story short, I haven't found anything interesting/inspiring/fun that I really like. We're doing white Ikea cabinets (I know, not thrilling, but budget-friendly) with a dark grey or black silestone countertop. Does anyone have any great, interesting backsplash ideas?

We're going with the white cabs/dark silestone for resale value, but I'd like to get a little interest in somewhere.

Posted by 12345 at 7:00 PM | Comments (19)
Categories: Kitchen & Bath

Comments

I got corrugated metal sheet that you can glue on. Looks great with my IKEA -- cheap and easy. Have had that for 3 years and I can attest to its durability and ease of use.

They have different versions -- with dots, plain, lines, etc.

http://www.outwatercatalogs.com/lg_display.cfm/catalog/2009_master/page/379

Posted by: shalman at October 19, 2009 7:36 PM

Go with white subway tiles. Hubby and I are serial renovators, and came to the conclusion that kitchens get plenty busy on their own, so that's one room where less is more.

Posted by: Maly at October 19, 2009 8:00 PM

love the corrugated idea. How 'bout glass. You can paint the back any colour you want or go with white lami. It is the easiest to clean.

Posted by: southslope at October 19, 2009 8:42 PM

Carrera marble comes in mosaics of all different shapes and sizes and would link the white cabinets with the grey/black counters. They come in sheets on a mesh backing. I've had this type of backsplash for 10 years and it reads as a neutral. If you have undercabinet lights on, the tile will give you a little sparkle. Otherwise, they provide a quiet backdrop for all the color and activity in the kitchen. More color and texture than solid ceramic tile but still neutral. You could get interesting with combining the shapes, or just pick one style and use it all over. Not sure about your budget or the amount of space you want to cover, but at Classic Tile you can find this at about $15 or so per sq ft. Might not fit your "fun" requirement" but I wanted to throw out the idea, based on your cabs and counters.

Posted by: smokinbarn at October 19, 2009 9:18 PM

White subway tiles would look fantastic with what you describe. Or, white marble countertop and backsplash (solid, not tile). This exact combo with white lacquer Ikea cabs was on the Bed Stuy tour by an architect, looked great. Simple and classic is definitely better. You don't want to go all crazy with multicolored glass tile.

Posted by: mopar at October 20, 2009 12:34 AM

I disagree about going too neutral/boring because it's assumed that's the only thing that's widely appealing. If it's well chosen something unique absolutely can be widely appealing for resale. I'm a fan of visually interesting walls and backsplashes in kitchens because we do have to stand there performing tedious tasks like washing dishes. Give me something cool to look at. The fact that kitchen counters get cluttered with appliances is all the more reason to have a glam element. For example my countertop is quartz (caesarstone) with sparkle in it. Disco. I love the sparkles so much. Just a little thing but it cheers me anytime I look at it. When I picked it out I thought well this won't appeal to everybody. But it totally has. Everyone who walks in our kitchen loves it. I still haven't found the perfect backsplash! I'm not in a hurry. In the meantime the walls above the counters are painted and in a great color and I'm really enjoying it.

Posted by: traditionalmod at October 20, 2009 8:55 AM

You could go with the subway tiles as suggested above and jazz it up with the grout. There are some nice gray and bluish gray grouts. Instead of blending in the background as a neutral, the tile will pop out a bit, but more because of shape and design than color, and you will not be throwing a new color into the mix. You can widen the groutlines a bit for a bigger effect. Get your tile shop to lend you a box of Mapei grout plastic color samples and take home a few tiles and play around.

(My wife isn't gonna believe I made a design suggestion, but this one seems right to me. And grout color won't cost you resale value.)

Posted by: slopefarm at October 20, 2009 9:07 AM

P.S. if you can still change the countertops you will have more versatility with a softer, medium grey countertop for choosing colors for backsplash and wall. I really love white cabinets with a grey countertop. Black & white gets harsh IMO.

Posted by: traditionalmod at October 20, 2009 9:11 AM

Why not just paint it a color you like (in a pearl finish). Paint is much easier to keep clean than tile/grout (never understand why people think tile is so easy to clean--I find if something gets on the grout lines, it can be a pain to clean properly), and you don't need to make a commitment or worry about what someone will like on resale.

Posted by: PHer at October 20, 2009 9:39 AM

Stainless steel or Mirror

Posted by: edkopel at October 20, 2009 10:04 AM

Stainless steel or Mirror

Posted by: edkopel at October 20, 2009 10:05 AM

I agree with traditionalmod a grey would be much better than black for your countertops. Too much contrast. Also, its done so often its a cliche that reduces rich materials to the mundane. To go with a grey countertop you might want to try the Carrara or Grigio Versilia marble from this collection (see link)for the backsplash. Some undercabinet lighting would accent the texture.

http://www.salvatori.it/En/ProductDetail.asp?IDFamily=3&IDCategory=32&IDProduct=114

Stone source on park avenue south carries this. I'd use the largest tiles to minimise the joints. Dont forget to use a matte finish penetrating sealer on any stone backsplash you choose.

Posted by: HDL at October 20, 2009 10:17 AM

Subway tiles too white. I just did the same Ikea cabinets you describe, and went with a gray/blue italian glass tile. Very expensive, but it's subtle enough that it doesn't overpower the countertop.

Posted by: batman at October 20, 2009 10:51 AM

We went with blue glass subway tiles for our backsplash when we did our galley kitchen reno. We also have Ikea cabinets (light birch with frosted center panels), black "leather" texture Silestone counters, stainless steel appliances and sink and coffee brown cork floors. The blue glass tiles (with a medium gray grout) really make the kitchen look fabulous. When the under-cabinet lights are on, it really pops. Also easy to clean and because it's gray grout instead of white, the grout lines still look perfect after almost 5 years. Looks like we spent $50k on our kitchen instead of $15k. We got our tile at Classic Tile in Bay Ridge. They are Daltile. They weren't expensive.

Posted by: laurie11201 at October 20, 2009 11:27 AM

The "interest" can come in the artwork on the walls and maybe an interesting bowl, glassware, red espresso maker, etc.

Posted by: mopar at October 20, 2009 12:09 PM

There are many shades of "white" available -- cream, off white, grayish white, bright white, etc.

Posted by: mopar at October 20, 2009 12:11 PM

We're in the progress of doing an inexpensive kitchen where we specified a great, graphic wallpaper (just at the backsplash, everything else painted) that will get covered with clear glass.

Can't wait until it's finished to see it!

Posted by: JimHill at October 20, 2009 4:06 PM

JimHill, will you post a photo on Forum when you do finish that backsplash? Sounds cool and I'd love to see it!

Posted by: traditionalmod at October 21, 2009 9:41 AM

I'd be happy to. Job's going slowly, so it could be a while.

Posted by: JimHill at October 21, 2009 11:17 AM

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