Burning Question: Backsplash Backlash?
This week’s big question is: kitchen backsplash- yea or nay? Do you love the easy-wipe feature of a nice tiled wall between your cabinets? Or do you worry that something like tin squares, beadboard, or mosaic tile may look dated later on? Do you long for a glossy painted wall that you can easily change out instead? Do you prefer just a small lip of granite (or whatever your counters are made of)? Or do you think a kitchen without a full backsplash is a deal breaker?
We’re excited to hear where you stand on the issue. In fact, we whipped up this handy little poll to keep everything tabulated:
[poll id="24"]
We’d love to hear more about why you voted the way you did, so feel free to comment away with more details.
Image courtesy of COCOCOZY.
Leave a comment
If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Am about to retile my backsplash, so very timely poll, indeed.
Although, now I am thinking maybe a painted surface would be better — for fear the subway tile I picked (that is so trendy right now) will look dated in a few years. Eeeek!
I know you guys have a painted backsplash right now & I’ve heard [read] your raves on how easy to clean & versatile it is. Do you guys have plans to tile the backsplash in the future or are you keeping the painted surface for reals?
We love our glossy Gentle Tide backsplash for now, but you never know what the future holds…
xo,
s
WOOT! I reclaim my suspended title of “First To Post YHL Geek!” YAY! ;-)
Our backsplash is just coated Formica installed by a former homeowner (http://hernandohouse.wordpress.com/2010/08/26/budget-kitchen-redo/) but I would love a recycled glass or stainless backsplash.
I like tile or something wipeable. The difference the mosaic tile made in our kitchen was amazing. It added so much color and I think is more interesting than just a painted wall. Plus the tile was so easy to put in it only took an afternoon.
Maybe I’m brainwashed by the traditional kitchens in magazine shoots, but I can’t see myself without my beloved white subway tile backsplash. Yeah, I know it might look dated one day, but I figure white tiles will always be neutral and easy to clean. That said, with the right kitchen, who knows? I might be open to a painted wall.
My friends have a backsplash that I adore!
Their cupboards are painted brown, their kitchen yellow, and they put a copper-colored tin backsplash behind their stovetop. It’s just so cozy looking!
i think the key to a permanent fixture that won’t get old is to just use classic colors. if your stainless steel appliances are going to be with you for some time, a stainless backsplash won’t look THAT dated. when i finally get to decorate my own kitchen, i’m going to just stick with soothing earth tones and/or white tiles. i think one only notices the material on a backsplash if the color calls your eyes to it first!
We’re almost finished with our stone backsplash which you can see (the start of) here:
http://bontempsbeignet.blogspot.com/2010/08/ceilingharvested.html
and some in the background of these pics:
http://bontempsbeignet.blogspot.com/2010/08/contain-yourself.html
Have you seen the Fasade backsplash “tile” at Home Depot? It’s around the kitchen department usually. It’s really amazing. Whole backsplash cost me $50 bucks, and using the double sided tape, easy to remove when I choose. I have it in copper, and people constantly touch it in disbelief. It’s really amazing.
@ Caitlin – I love the sound of copper tin in that kitchen, Hmmm, has got me thinking!
I hate grout! I hate the dirt that catches on the edge of that four-inch lip! My walls are as wavy as the edge of a lasagna noodle! Stainless is not my style, so I covered those wavy walls with a sheet of corian from stone countertop to the bottom of the upper cabinets.
When we get around to remodeling out kitchen, we’ll have a white marble backsplash. I love white marble… Oh, it will be great.
forgot this one… pics waaaaay down at the bottom:
http://bontempsbeignet.blogspot.com/2010/08/kitchen-remodel-part-3.html
My husband and I are on the tail end of our own kitchen reno. We’ve done all the work ourselves and boy was the tile backsplash a load of work! I don’t regret it at all looking at it now, but will certainly consider the whole paying someone to do the work thing next time. We used design-4-less.com (thanks to YHL’s recommendation) and love the tile! Makes a huge difference in our kitchen. I cook a lot (seriously, a lot!) and it really helps to have a stain-resistant surface back there. The painted one was already struggling to not show the wear of wiping it down so frequently.
I just getting into the backsplash phase of my kitchen reno and have been asking myself the same question for weeks! I would love to keep it painted the way it is now (a blue-y gray that accents the cool tones in the granite we chose) but we had to tear down some of the wall board behind the vent hood during installation….so it just looks messy now. I suppose we could just tape and mud over the seams and then repaint, but it may be just as easy to do a simple white subway tile backsplash. Neutral, easy to clean, classic (yet a little trendy). Tough choice!! I’m glad I’m not the only one thinking about this right now! :) Thanks for posting the poll.
We don’t have a proper backsplash in our kitchen. The walls without cabinets are half tiled, up to about 4 feet high. The tiles are 5 inches and black granite, so instead of a different backsplash we have just a line of those tiles above our counters.
We just had the kitchen in our first home (a two bedroom condo) remodeled before we moved in. We went with a mosaic stone backsplash because we felt it added an personalized artistic look to our space rather than a traditional cookie cutter tile. While a more traditional backsplash would have been the safer bet in regards to resell value we preferred to take this risk and we can’t tell you how much we love our backsplash. The little burgundy squares in the mosaic tile match our cherry cabinets and pull out the burgundy splotches in our granite countertops.
Also we take a nylon brush and water to the stone whenever we need to clean it up. All splashes of food come right off.
I have a rental apartment, so I didn’t have much input, but I’ve been enjoying my tile backsplash. Clean-up is easy. The only downside is that I wish I was able to install a magnetic knife strip, spice rack, towel bar, etc.
I was just thinking of doing this! We have laminate counters with about a 4″ lip of backsplash, then semi-gloss Gentle Tide (which I fell in LURV with thx to the enabling of some certain Youngsters!). I am thinking of backsplashing above the sink and between cabinets.
My burning question is what to do with space between the top cabinet and the ceiling which I see YHL does not have. Currently, I have knick knacks and faux plants (aka dust collectors) which I do not care for (severe allergies around here)!
We just purchased white American Oleen subway tile for our kitchen backsplash. A steal of a deal…one box was being discontinued at a store and we snagged it for $5.00! Not sure why it was being discontinued since the brand and color is widely available elsewhere…but, we’re thankful!
We’ve done a 110% DIY kitchen remodel so far, and the worst part was definitely the DIY granite tile countertops. We’re at the point now where we’re thinking about tackling the backsplash – thanks to us ripping out a former tile 1970′s brown and orange flower-power backplash (yeah, it was bad!) the walls are in no condition NOT to have a backsplash (think nasty mastic and mortar leftover residue). We’re planning on a simple white subway tiled backsplash – and praying it will be easier to DIY than our tile countertop! :)
~Chelsea
My parents just completed a major kitchen renovation, and complimented their granite countertops with a full tile backsplash that includes a row of stone and neutral-colored glass. It is stunning! I must admit…I definitely have Backsplash Envy! :-)
I love all types of back splash, but since its not in the budget to do a full overhaul my Mom and I are going to faux tile…think plaster and a square stencil! I will look great and once sealed it will have the same durability as paint.
My parents recently added a backsplash to their kitchen and I LOVE it! It changed the whole look of the kitchen for a fairly cheap price!
I think an untiled back splash looks incomplete, like you ran out of money for your kitchen! Not a fan.
I have natural stone tiles on my back splash that were hand cut just for my kitchen and they look so classy next to my granite counter tops. I don’t think I will ever tire of the beauty that nature produced on those tiles or my counters.
We are in the process of building a house (almost done, yay!) and one of the things I am most excited about it the glass mosaic tile backsplash we picked. I was worried about it being dated in a few years but our designer told us to pick something we love and she was so right. The backsplash really will be the show piece of our kitchen.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/trec_lit/4932305413/
We actually just completed our backsplash last weekend. We used bricks for our backsplash. We thought about going with tile and went to look at some tile samples, but then stumbled across kitchen examples with brick as the backsplash. We loved it, and found a website that sells actual bricks that are cut thin (I think 1/4 inch), so they can be used as a backsplash. It was very time consuming to install, but my husband and I are thrilled with the final product!!
I really like all kinds of backsplashes, but we have white subway tile in our kitchen. I am not concerned about this looking dated someday since it has been in style since the early 1900s.
My backsplash has a 4-inch granite lip and then antique white subway tile with one row of small mosaic tile about 3/4 of the way up. My sister and I just love it! I’ve linked the mosaic tile below, but my links never seem to work. Boo hoo.
http://www.homedepot.com/Flooring-Tile-Stone-Tile/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xg1Zbbcu/R-100671943/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
we love our white subway tile backsplash. i don’t think it will look dated any time soon. If it does before the rest of the kitchen, I don’t feel like changing a back splash is such a huge deal.
I have a slip of the granite on my back splash that my counters are made out of. But we are going to tile the rest up to the cabinets. We have seen this done in neighbors’ houses and it has turned out quite well…with the right tiles! I can hardly wait to have that done.
I just have to decide on tiles! :)
I have been begging my dad to put some in copper ceiling tiles for a backsplash in their kitchen. Currently, they have aluminum foil taped up with masking tape behind their sinks and stoves… I have a lip for my backsplash, but I would much prefer some kind of tile. Maybe a future project, once all the other projects that actually NEED to be done are done. :o)
Hmmmm… do I smell a post coming soon about a new backsplash, John and Sherry???
We’re having our new Silestone quartz countertop installed next week w/ the 4 inch matching backsplash. I think we’ll stick w/ the painted wall above that, though, since I can’t commit to a tiled backsplash. It’s a lot of work and I’m afraid I’ll get tired of it before I’m willing to put in tht work and expense again.
I can’t decide. I like all these options!
I think that no backsplash makes a kitchen look unfinished. I love paint for the rest of the walls in the house, but as a backsplash it just tends to look dirty. I don’t care how washable that paint is, there are just some things that don’t come off of paint! A backsplash needs to be something else, something that can easily be wiped down.
We have a granite lip and very little space between that and our white cabinets — probably a foot or less. I’m dying to tile but am afraid it will “eat up” the visual (painted) space between the cabinets and counter lip. Any thoughts on this from the YHL-ers and/or peanut gallery?
Hey Aliya,
We have definitely seen it work- perhaps if you’re worried about it eating up space you can go for a light and airy option? Anyone else have ideas for Aliya?
xo,
s
Oh, this post reminds me of some questions I’ve had for awhile…
1) John & Sherry–is your entire kitchen paint the same formula (glossy/flat/etc)? Or is the backsplash area one type, esp behind the range?
Which brings me to #2!
2) This is for ANYONE–my kitchen is pretty big. I have a prep area–sink/range/counters–and an eating area. I’m thinking that a gloss or a semi-gloss would look funny in the eating area, esp since it opens up into our TV room.
I’m thinking that I would probably need a gloss/semi in the prep areas, just from water/food/grease/etc, and do the same color but a less glossy forumla in the eating area. Would that look odd? Would two different colors be better? Or should I just do some DIY sticky tile things for a backsplash? I’d love to do REAL tile, with grout and all, but I don’t think my husband would let me spring for that right now :) I’d love a tin look!
I’m sure either would look fine, but I’d be interested in anyone’s feedback! Thanks so much!
Hey Rabbit,
Our whole kitchen is painted in a semi-gloss finish (even the trim) except for the ceiling (which is flat). We also did our bathrooms in semi-gloss and we love the easy and airy feeling. Hope it helps!
As for your second question, we agree that there are a ton of options that would look great. Anyone have ideas when it comes to question number two? Feel free to chime in!
xo,
s
Very timely post! Add me to the list of just getting ready to tile my backsplash!! We have granite countertops that are a bit busy so we are going with an understated solid white subway tile. I can not wait to get it done! We currently have the builder flat paint and we have wiped off some of it in spots because we were trying to clean it. Opps. Must get it done quicker now. ;-)
We remodeled our kitchen last year, and have yet to put up a backsplash…Although I am pining for one, and often order tile samples from cooltiles.com I hope to install it this fall/winter…
I think they are practical if you cook a lot. Having a painted backsplash shows too many sauce and grease splatters.
After spending time in Italy, I think mosaics are classic. I think them becoming dated will take a LONG time.
Happy tiling!
I can’t wait to install a chic glass tile backsplash in my kitchen! I actually love the picture that you have posted and I’ve been loving the long thin horizontal tiles. Right now my backsplash consists of the laminate that is on the countertops. It’s not just a lip either. The builder continued it all the way up to the cabinets.
http://owningsingle.com/2010/08/16/kitchen-remodel/
Speacila kitchen glas for me please. Super easy to clean, one can use some great design-wallpaper and on the top of that glas to protect. I never had easier to clean kitchen
http://www.interijernet.hr/slike/slike_3/r2/g2009/m12/x3220917545807708_12.jpg
http://a.imageshack.us/img841/3002/le051199.jpg
http://a.imageshack.us/img829/9048/lrueckwandkueche.jpg
http://a.imageshack.us/img836/8310/kuecherueckw.jpg
http://a.imageshack.us/img687/6492/kuechestudiomohrbach17.jpg
http://a.imageshack.us/img683/6332/kuecheshrk4.jpg
http://a.imageshack.us/img830/2150/kitchenwithopticolourli.jpg
http://a.imageshack.us/img687/2416/014avj.jpg
We just re-did our kitchen and backsplash (we’re not even quite done yet!). We were looking for something different, classic-feeling, and cheap because we’re working with an almost zero budget. We repurposed a white picket fence we bought for the front yard and decided not to use anymore (not the big kind, the small “garden” kind) for the backsplash. We cut the tips off and were left with just the long skinny rectangles (think long subway tiles made of wood). We put 3 coats of poly on it and are good to go. We’re so happy with it, it’s so cool, so unique and best of all, cost us $0!
I like to see something happening on in the back splash area. I think just having paint looks unfinished. However, this is not the place to go all crazy and trendy, unless you are comfortable with doing the work to change it out. I recently just took out the 80′s tile that was lurking in the kitchen for beadboard, but I like the look and figure we will be doing a bigger remodel in a few years, so nothing lost.
Even though I love the look of tile the most, I think that eventually all tile looks dated at some point or another and it’s more expensive to replace. I’ve been reminded of this recently while helping a family member get contracting estimates for work on their house so they can sell it…they have this hideous yellow 70′s tile as a backsplash. No one is going to want a kitchen with that kind of tile today! It would be so much easier and cheaper if we just had to paint!
i did a 1″x1″ tiled backsplash out of carrera marble. i figured it was modern but also classy and timeless. i don’t know why people don’t do backsplashes! I feel like it’s a missed opportunity for personality and bling!
As you know, we ran out of money in the middle of our kitchen remodel when I quit working. We had a 4 inch backsplash, but it was nothing great. In a spurt of creativity I painted everything green/black and hung up old, old, old family pictures to give my eyes something special to look at until we could afford something better. I don’t see myself changing it any time soon. I absolutely love it. Running out of money was the best thing we could have ever done. ;)
I’m going to go with Tetris tiles. That’s already dated, but I aim to fill my whole house with little quirky details like that. Like the glass bricks in my front path that light up with motion sensing LEDs from underneath. Or the tropical rainforest themed bathroom. We don’t ever plan to sell, so I’m going all out now while we are in our thirties… time enough for neutrals and “safe” choices when we get old and boring… my mother was 64 last time she painted the whole house!
Interesting that you posted this, because I always used to wonder why someone would tile their backsplash, wouldn’t things catch on the grout? I always thought it would make more sense to have a smooth surface, like what was used for the countertop, but if that is cost-prohibitive, then I thought a wipeable paint made more sense. Though I love the look of a tumbled rock tile of some kind, and the new glass tiles are beautiful.