Protects from Moisture. With so much plumbing behind the walls in your kitchen, there's a minimal chance of water damage. Even the smallest amount of water or moisture can lead to water damage. Your kitchen backsplash tile is a great barrier that adds in a layer of protection that prevents costly water damage.
You don't need a backsplash, but without one, your wall is exposed and will require a higher level of maintenance. From a durability standpoint, it's recommended, but not needed.
In most cases, installing the countertops before the backsplash makes the most sense. However, in some cases doing the backsplash before the countertop may make more sense for your particular situation. It all comes down to what you want as the focal point of your kitchen.
The main purpose of a backsplash is to make for easy cleanup. Run your backsplash along the walls of the kitchen adjacent to your food prep areas. Run your kitchen backsplash between upper and lower cabinets.
In terms of professional installation you need to keep in mind that this will cost more but it may look better in the end. Overall, a backsplash is a fantastic way to increase the value of your home a little at a time.
Protects from Moisture
With so much plumbing behind the walls in your kitchen, there's a minimal chance of water damage. Even the smallest amount of water or moisture can lead to water damage. Your kitchen backsplash tile is a great barrier that adds in a layer of protection that prevents costly water damage.
Use a striated backsplash to make the kitchen look bigger
You can even choose bigger or smaller tile cuts — the idea is to trick the eye into making the kitchen feel longer than it is.
Backsplashes need to line up with the upper cabinet.
It doesn't have to align with both although that would be nice! Usually the end of the backsplash tile, if aligned with the uppers, will die ON TOP OF the countertop below.
Subway tile is the most enduring choice for a backsplash. Avoid bold, trendy colors, and instead look for white or neutrals. Keep it simple, and bring in color elsewhere in the kitchen, with more easily replaced items, such as dish towels, art, bowls of fruit and rugs.
Your countertops bear the brunt of the activity in the kitchen, and your remodel often starts with a spectacular selection. Marble, quartz, quartzite, and granite countertops are all popular choices that offer excellent benefits and lifespan, and they should be installed permanently before the backsplash.
The design should be used to balance out the light and dark shades of the other elements, so if you have light cabinets and countertops, you may want to choose a dark backsplash to bring more depth to the kitchen. If you have very dark cabinets or countertops, a light backsplash will help the kitchen feel fresh.
Countertops must be installed before the backsplash – therefore needing to be chosen first – and options for countertops are more limited than backsplash choices. With fewer choices for countertops, it can be easier to pick your countertop and then search for a backsplash that goes with it.
'To ensure not including a backsplash is still practical, we usually use glass to protect wallpaper or if using paint, as in this kitchen, choose a water-resistant pool paint. Mineral plaster is also a good solution but only in kitchens that aren't too heavily used.
The simplest are chequerboard square tiles, while herringbone patterns are more difficult to install at edges. Plus, if your space is awkward or includes lots of electrical sockets, you will find the installation more difficult. That said, it is doable for even beginners to DIY with the right tools.
Without question, installing a tile backsplash is a messy job! No matter how careful you are, you're bound to drop adhesive onto your countertops. So, before you get started you'll want to protect them. First, run a strip of painters tape along the edge of where the first row of tile will be.
If you're in a kitchen, and you're doing the countertop-to-upper-cabinet-18”-high-backsplash, it's best not to wrap that around to the side wall if you don't need to. As I always say... Transitioning materials on an inside corner is always best.
A standard backsplash extends up high enough from the back of the countertop to a height that will protect the wall from most splatters or spills, without overwhelming the space. The wall space between the top of the backsplash and the bottom of the upper cabinets can be used for small accent pieces or artwork.
The area behind your stove is the worst place to clean grease spots and food splatters, and any variety of mess that doesn't get wiped right away. Choosing backsplash tile behind the stove is the perfect opportunity to create a surface that's easy to wipe clean, and avoid your cleaning nightmares after cooking a meal.
It usually ends up hanging in midspace which makes the kitchen look awkward and unfinished. That is why experts don't recommend having side backsplashes unless they are needed.
The one spot where caulk, not grout, should be used is the seam between the countertop and the backsplash. The right material for that is a top-quality silicone caulk.
White kitchens are very trendy right now, but they offer more benefits than just being beautiful. Light colors are more reflective than dark colors and they will make your kitchen appear bigger as well as more open and airy.
It's traditionally installed horizontally, but “breaking the rules” by going vertical can produce amazing, unique results.