What are my options? Four inch backsplash in kitchen with painted wall above

[Panina]

The thing I am not thrilled about in a new home I am purchasing is the backsplash. It is a continuation of the white speckled quartz four inches up the wall. This picture represents exactly what I have.

My thoughts, removing it and tiling can damage the counter. Tiling above might not look right. Other options paint with washable paint, wallpaper, hang art. Any one dealt with this or have ideas?

 

[AJandCJtraveling]

Centennial Woods now makes a subway tile with reclaimed wood that would look nice with the color of your cabinets in my opinion. I am not affiliated with them but always get emails for their materials because I work for a custom home builder.

 

[Snazzylass]

Centennial Woods now makes a subway tile with reclaimed wood that would look nice with the color of your cabinets in my opinion. I am not affiliated with them but always get emails for their materials because I work for a custom home builder.

That sounds like a pretty option! Any interesting tile if you want a sturdier backsplash

 

[klpca]

I'm pretty sure that removing that 4" strip isn't a big deal. My totally uneducated guess is that there's a bead of caulking holding that onto the wall that can be cut with a razor. Try this video

Then I would do a herringbone pattern of subway tile with gray grout https://mrbuilditandmrsstyleit.com/herringbone-back-splash-tutorial/

I love the kitchen! I also have gray cabinets and just love them.

 

[PigsDad]

We've had houses without a full back splash like that and have never had an issue. I don't think tiling above would look right and I'm sure the existing back splash is much thicker than a tile so replacing it with tile probably would leave a line on the counter top. I would suggest just use it for a while and see if it ever causes a problem.

Kurt

 

[Glynda]

So the photo is the actual house you’ve purchased, not the model. I prefer a back splash all the way up to the bottom of the cabinets. Some sort of tile would be my choice. If I ever build or get to choose in another house, I am done with natural stone, unless it be granite countertops in a kitchen. We have all natural stone in our current home...marble, granite and travertine inside. I am tired of the products I can not put on them, all the indentations in the travertine that stuff gets into, and the upkeep of grout and sealing of natural stone. I thought I would go quartz but was recently told that one cannot put anything hot on quartz which surprised me but I haven’t checked that out to see if true yet, though I trust my source. That would lead me back to granite on a kitchen counter and perhaps backsplash.

I love Benjamin Moore’s Aura Bath & Spa Waterborne interior paint in matte which I use all over the house.

 

[Krteczech]

Our kitchen has same set up for counter/backsplash as yours except for slide in range. I love it and I had it like that in my previous house too. You can tell I am not big fan of tiled backsplash. Matte paint works great for me. We have stainless backsplash behind the stove, the rest has washable paint.

 

[Glynda]

Reclaimed wood would worry me as a backsplash especially near a stove or water. Splatters of grease or water could be difficult to clean though I know that it can be sealed. However, sealing could lose the look of the reclaimed wood. I find any rough or uneven surface hard to clean. I see TV shows with nice looking reclaimed, rough woods and rusty metals and picture myself using a Swifter and all the lint that will be left behind on them. I’ve become very easy maintenance oriented in my thinking of homes and furnishings.

 

[klpca]

I thought I would go quartz but was recently told that one cannot put anything hot on quartz which surprised me but I haven’t checked that out to see if true yet though I trust my source. That would lead me back to granite on a kitchen counter and perhaps backsplash.

Of course, about 3 years after we put in quartz counters, our decorator did a facebook post about the heat issue. She didn't know the details (it's so funny - she designs gorgeous kitchens but doesn't cook ) but after a lot of researching of the google variety, it appears to be easily avoided. There was a term for it but I can't quickly come up with it but the thing that causes the quartz to crack was a sudden change in temperature, like taking something out of the oven and setting it on the counter, or taking a pan off of the stove and setting it down on the counter. We just set it down on the burners of our gas cooktop or use a cutting board underneath. My decorator even mentioned avoiding setting a crock pot or instant pot on the counter but we usually forget to put a cutting board on the counter first and we have had no issues. We have had our quartz for 7 years.

 

[klpca]

I am genuinely curious about everyone who doesn't like a tiled backsplash. What is it about the tile that you don't like? I have never had anything else. Back in the 80's ours only went up 4" but when we put in granite (which came before the quartz - be glad that you aren't my poor husband) I took it all the way up to the bottom of the cabinets. I love it both for the aesthetics and the ease of cleaning. I currently have a stacked glass subway tile that still looks great but I am beginning to tire of it so I will be replacing it in the next couple of years - don't tell Mr. Klpca

 

[Talent312]

I don't like having a backsplash behind a stove.
I'd contact a stoneworks company about removing the backsplash.

We were told that tile only - no backsplash - is the style these days.
Below is a pic of ours:

 

[clifffaith]

We inherited blue/black (registers as black) counters and backsplash that covered the walls up to the bottom of the cupboards. That stuff sucks the light out of the room like a black hole. I solved the problem with "first do no harm" hanging strips and 8x11 art work, as well as colorful ceramic canisters and pitchers on the counter itself.

 

[TravelTime]

I don't like having a backsplash behind a stove.
I'd contact a stoneworks company about removing the backsplash.

We were told that tile only - no backsplash - is the style these days.
Below is a pic of ours:

View attachment 25066

Yes full tile is the trend these days. I still call it a backsplash though.

 

[isisdave]

Not knowing how long we would be here, we just did cheap-and-easy peel and stick from Amazon above a six-inch backsplash behind the stove:

Looks OK to us, wipes off easily, no problems from lots of heat on the back burners. The alternative would have had to be some kind of heat-resistant washable paint.

 

[elaine]

It's a small space, so painting would look nice and give it just a bit of a pop. I did that in our kitchen, semi-gloss is fine, but I just used a satin (less shiny) and it's fine to wipe down, even spaghetti sauce.
IMHO, a neutral backsplash tiles above the 4" would be fine. esp. if you did a rounded edge filler to mark the change (shown on the picture below--I'd use something like that between 4" and tile in a horizontal line). If you take off the 4" one, be sure to save, in case you ever want to replace it.
I love blue glass tiles, herringbone weave marble and champagne glass or figure 8 tiles with those colors. Here's champagne above 4" to give you an idea.

https://www.major-makeovers.com/images/wavy-ceramic-tile-4x12-gray-small-backsplash-installation-only-above-stove-willowbrook-border.jpg

But, I'd start with a quart of paint and see how you like that 1st and then tile if that doesn't work.

 

[ilene13]

I would have the 4” backsplash removed. It is separate from the counter. Then have tile installed the up the whole back.

 

[Glenn2]

We have a white speckled quartz countertop with the 4" backsplash. We used marble subway tiles above it. Goes well with the white cabinets too.

 

[Krteczech]

I am genuinely curious about everyone who doesn't like a tiled backsplash. What is it about the tile that you don't like? I currently have a stacked glass subway tile that still looks great but I am beginning to tire of it so I will be replacing it in the next couple of years - don't tell Mr. Klpca

I think you answered your own question for me. In my eyes, tile is trendy one year and out of style few years later. With my utilitarian , Scandinavian and minimalistic taste, matte paint works well for me.
However, before we put our last home on market, we had our kitchen backsplash tiled as suggested by staging person. No regrets.

 

[klpca]

I think you answered your own question for me. In my eyes, tile is trendy one year and out of style few years later. With my utilitarian , Scandinavian and minimalistic taste, matte paint works well for me.
However, before we put our last home on market, we had our kitchen backsplash tiled as suggested by staging person. No regrets.

Ah, I totally get it. I am pretty tight with money with the exception of my home interior. I am good with anything for 10 years, but probably nothing by 20 years. But we still have our original kitchen cabinets (33+ years old). They have been stained then painted, so I have saved quite a bit of money that way, but the pretty things? Those get regularly updated although I try to go timeless on the big items. Updating my house is my one and only blind spot.

 

[Glynda]

I am genuinely curious about everyone who doesn't like a tiled backsplash. What is it about the tile that you don't like? I have never had anything else. Back in the 80's ours only went up 4" but when we put in granite (which came before the quartz - be glad that you aren't my poor husband) I took it all the way up to the bottom of the cabinets. I love it both for the aesthetics and the ease of cleaning. I currently have a stacked glass subway tile that still looks great but I am beginning to tire of it so I will be replacing it in the next couple of years - don't tell Mr. Klpca

GROUT! Cleaning it and having to reseal it.

 

[Glynda]

Of course, about 3 years after we put in quartz counters, our decorator did a facebook post about the heat issue. She didn't know the details (it's so funny - she designs gorgeous kitchens but doesn't cook ) but after a lot of researching of the google variety, it appears to be easily avoided. There was a term for it but I can't quickly come up with it but the thing that causes the quartz to crack was a sudden change in temperature, like taking something out of the oven and setting it on the counter, or taking a pan off of the stove and setting it down on the counter. We just set it down on the burners of our gas cooktop or use a cutting board underneath. My decorator even mentioned avoiding setting a crock pot or instant pot on the counter but we usually forget to put a cutting board on the counter first and we have had no issues. We have had our quartz for 7 years.

Good to know. Thanks!

 

[klpca]

GROUT! Cleaning it and having to reseal it.

1/8 grout lines are fairly easy to keep clean. But if you already have normal width grout there is a product that is a combo grout colorant and sealer. I use it in my master bath about once every other year to freshen things up. Otherwise just regular cleaning. The grout on my kitchen backsplash is a medium gray. No issues with that at all. But I have lived through grout hell - the original builder used 4" ivory tiles with ivory grout in the kitchen. It was impossible to keep clean (that's how I found the colorant in the first place).

 

[jabberwocky]

1/8 grout lines are fairly easy to keep clean. But if you already have normal width grout there is a product that is a combo grout colorant and sealer. I use it in my master bath about once every other year to freshen things up. Otherwise just regular cleaning. The grout on my kitchen backsplash is a medium gray. No issues with that at all. But I have lived through grout hell - the original builder used 4" ivory tiles with ivory grout in the kitchen. It was impossible to keep clean (that's how I found the colorant in the first place).

Not to mention builders will typically use the cheapest grout available. Some of the high quality ones now don’t need to be sealed (they also cost 3X as much).

 

[WinniWoman]

They were going to do that with our granite. when building our house also. I said no. (We do have it like that in the bathrooms). If they can remove it with no issues and you can afford to pay for it to be removed I would do it.

If not, either way I would tile the backsplash. I personally like glass tile but that is just me. There are lots of neutral tiles out there that will go with your quartz. The tile I got was very neutral to blend in with the granite- which tends to be "busy".- though ours is not as busy as a lot of them. Ours are white glass scallops with dark gray grout. Use a color grout not white so you will not see dust/dirt/stains. Mistake in my other house was having white tiles on the bathroom floor with white grout. On the walls it was fine but not on the floor. Should have used gray.

I doubt our grout in the new home is sealed and even in our other house we never sealed grout, even in the bathrooms (including the shower) and no issues whatsoever- except just make sure not to use white. It probably would stay clean, except near your stove as splashes could stain the grout if it is white. Small grout lines also a good idea. Solves the issues.

If you leave it as is just paint it a "pop" color with a washable paint and add just a few pieces of artwork. Washable wallpaper is also a good idea.

PS Another popular thing people are doing now is taking the tile backsplash all around the kitchen window instead of paint. Wish I had done that also.

And btw- in terms of heat on the counter- being the OCD nut I am - I never put anything on my counter- hot or othersie- even a glass- unless there is something under it like a trivet, a pot holder, a dish towel, etc.

 

[WinniWoman]

Yes full tile is the trend these days. I still call it a backsplash though.

Me too!