Backsplash or no?

[calico]

We are getting quartz countertops to replace our laminate from 1987. Currently, there is a laminate backspash. I was just going to have them add a quartz backsplash to replace it, but it occurred to me that might look weird since the style these days is a complementary tile backsplash- which we have no interest in doing.

Is this going to look weird?

[Violet]

You mean like this?



I think it's pretty and works as long as it's not going to be too dark or something.

[Mrs.flang]

Will it go all the way up to the cabinets or just be a few inches high with regular painted wall behind it?

[calico]

No, the current backsplash is only a few inches high. I don’t think our kitchen layout is conducive to extending it all the way to the cabinets, plus we have an elevated bar top on the side with the sink to deal with.

Let me see if I can find a similar picture.

[calico]

Not my pics, but layout is the same and the backsplash situation is the same.

[Deleted]

I think it would like fine to do it like in the pictures you posted. I'm not a fan of the matching backsplash going all the way up to the cabinets, it's what I have now and I hate it. Of course, my kitchen is from 1973 so there's that.

[Mrs.flang]

I don't think it will look "weird", maybe just basic. It's certainly not something you have to do if you have no interest in it! The quartz will be a really nice upgrade itself so you should do what you want for the backsplash.

[kittycatlove]

I guess it depends on much damage to the walls there will be when you pull the laminate backsplash off? I'd probably lean to adding the 4 inch if you never plan to do tile.

[Susie]

You will probably do some damage to the wall when the laminate comes down, so you will have to either do something else or do wall repair.  Just for washability sake, I would rather have some kind of backsplash.

I'm curious why you have "no interest in doing" complementary tile.  Is it that you don't like tile?  Don't feel like picking something else out?  Find it basic?  Doing quartz is likely to be quite a bit more expensive than tile, so if you are iffy on a backsplash in the first place, picking something cheaper than quartz has some merit.  

[sandandsea]

My preference is a coordinating tile to make the area feel more stylized and upgraded. At least do the 4 inches.

I think going up to the cabinets with the same material is okay if it’s a really light subtle countertop but generally prefer a contrast in material.

[calico]

Susie, With the layout of the walls (one by the sink and the one by the stove), there's not a good transition for tile. All the photos I've seen of other kitchens with a similar layout that have a tile backsplash, those two areas look...awkward. I really don't have the time to shop for a light, complementary tile, either. I agree that something needs to go on the wall, especially behind the sink, which is why originally we decided on just doing the couple inches of quartz. We are getting measured tomorrow, so I'm just starting to second guess myself, since this is a spendy purchase and I don't want it to look terrible.

[icedcoffee]

We have what you are talking about, but with granite instead. I HATE it. It gets so dirty and it can be hard to really get it clean. I really want to put in a tile backsplash, but we'll probably gut the kitchen eventually so it's waste. Also---I feel like the new popular thing to do is slide in ranges instead of freestanding and you'd need a backsplash for that:

[Susie]

Hmm, I wish I knew what search terms to use to try to find pics of a kitchen laid out like that, but I really don't see where the tile transitions would look awkward.  

I'm still not 100% clear on whether you are proposing to do a full height quartz backsplash like this:


or just doing a 4" backsplash like this:


The full height can be really pretty, but $$$$.  The 4", I'm not into.  Most of the pics I could find of the 4" version were with granite rather than quartz, I think because the look is somewhat "of an era."  

If your backsplash behind the sink is shorter or taller than exactly 4", I think that approach will not be ideal there since you can't cut the quartz shorter like you could with tile, and if it's too short, a narrow gap will look weird.  Even if you can execute it around the sink side, a short backsplash will provide pretty nominal actual backsplash utility in some of the places I wipe my backsplash the most (e.g. near the stove).  It also makes it difficult to later add a tile backsplash if you or a future owner wanted to.  You can do it, but I think it looks kind of funny:


If the big issue is time and picking something, have you google image searched the name of the specific quartz you've chosen to see what tiles other people have put with it?  I found that really helpful when I was picking tile to go with the quartz we put into our bathroom recently.  I confess I found more that I disliked than I liked, but it was helpful all the same.  Our quartz was Cambria Praa Sands, and I saw a lot of tile choices that looked too busy to me.  We ended up with white subway tile, which didn't compete with the quartz and was like $2.50/sf or something.

[kittycatlove]

I don't think the transitions with tile in your kitchen will look bad. I had a similar layout in my townhouse and did tile and it looked fine. You don't have to do it all at once. Get the quartz installed and take your time to find a tile that you like for your backsplash.

[calico]

Susie- here’s an example of what I mean by awkward tile transition:




Our original plan was to do a 4 inch backsplash, mimicking what is there now. But then I saw a photo of one that looked HORRIBLE and was really thick, so in comes the doubt.

I think a quartz backsplash to the cabinets on the wall with the stove might look nice, but then how do you deal with the wall to the right of the stove?

[Mrs.flang]

I don't think those pictures you posted are issues due to the galley layout, but rather, poor planning. If it goes up to the bottom of the cabinets it should be even all the way around, and you can finish off edges with either a bullnose tile, or a schluter strip, which create a nice finished edge where the tile ends.

ETA or you could leave the side wall open.

Here are some examples.

[kittycatlove]

calico, that example is just bad tile work. If they brought all the tile up to the cabinets it would look fine. Whoever designed those is crazy, LOL.

[Susie]

Oct 4, 2018 14:08:12 GMT -5 calico said:

Susie - here’s an example of what I mean by awkward tile transition:




Our original plan was to do a 4 inch backsplash, mimicking what is there now. But then I saw a photo of one that looked HORRIBLE and was really thick, so in comes the doubt.

I think a quartz backsplash to the cabinets on the wall with the stove might look nice, but then how do you deal with the wall to the right of the stove?

Ok, I agree that those pics look bad, but I think it's just the specific execution that is bad -- like it somehow wasn't finished, or they didn't order enough tile!  In the top pic, why why why is there that weird white strip under the cabinet to the right of the stove?  If the tile just went a couple inches higher, continuing in line with above the stove and right up under the bottom of the upper right cabinet, it would look perfectly fine!  Same goes for directly across the galley kitchen.  If the tile went right up to the bottom edge of the cabinet, the light switch would not need a special outline, and the whole thing would look more finished.  Tiling around the light switch the way they did took effort, I just can't figure out why that choice was made.  Same goes for the corner where the fire extinguisher is, the tile there should just come up even with where the tile stops under the microwave.

I agree with kittycatlove, I think a tile backsplash is the way to go, and I think you can take a little time to pick something out and have it installed after the quartz counters are already in.

[dutchgirl678]

We didn't have any options but what came in our new construction house, but I really like the white tile with our grey quartz countertops. I would either do tile or a small quartz rim, but you want something that can be easily cleaned after cooking or running the tap etc.

[calico]

dutchgirl678, is the wall on the right hand side of your photo just painted drywall from the counter up?

DH told me to stop stressing about this- said he found the perfect solution: www.thesmarttiles.com/en_us/tiles/white/subway-white-mosaik/

I'm not sure if he's being serious or not.

[rooster222]

calico, Have you considered doing away with that elevated bar top? We had an elevated bar and when we put in quartz we cut it down to make the counter all one level and it is amazing! I have so much more work space and it just makes the kitchen look really clean and modern. Hard to tell from your pics what is on the other side, ours is a bar with overhang so we have counter stools. Some people like the elevated bar to hide kitchen mess but I was desperate for more prep space.

As for the backsplash I think you can definitely design it to not have awkward transitions. Ours has an end point and it looks fine, just take it all the way up to the cabinets.

[dutchgirl678]

Oct 4, 2018 16:47:44 GMT -5 calico said:

dutchgirl678 , is the wall on the right hand side of your photo just painted drywall from the counter up?



DH told me to stop stressing about this- said he found the perfect solution: www.thesmarttiles.com/en_us/tiles/white/subway-white-mosaik/

I'm not sure if he's being serious or not.

That is another tall cabinet.

That looks very similar. When we lived in the Netherlands, my dad installed mosaic tile as our backsplash. It saves on grout and is very easy to install.

[calico]

As I was cleaning up after dinner, I begrudgingly began to agree that a tile back splash is going to be the way to go. I started remembering how often I have to wipe down the wall behind the stove, and looked at the tiny food splashes on it now that have stained the paint. I'll just have the sidewalls repaired and painted after the laminate comes down, because that seems to be the part that looks the most "off" with tile on it to me. I wanted to have all this done before Thanksgiving, but if it's not then it's not. Once the countertops are installed and I refresh the cabinets, I'll worry about shopping for tile.

Thanks for helping me realize the better way to go.

[thatgirl2478]

On the ends, definitely use the schluter strips! They make the ends look SO much nicer than the boarder/bull nose tile.

[ssmjlm]

I would not use the sticker tiles. The ones I've seen in the store look like stickers. I don't care what the bloggers are saying. I wanted to use them in my laundry room, but after looking at them, no thanks.

I would recommend using the simple mat tile backing instead of actual adhesive since it's not a hugely wet area. We've used them twice (once as a backsplash in a bathroom and once in a laundry room) and they really make things a lot easier. www.homedepot.com/p/Custom-Building-Products-SimpleMat-30-sq-ft-Roll-of-Tile-Setting-Mat-SMCR30/203919986

[dutchgirl678]

Oct 5, 2018 7:54:06 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

I would not use the sticker tiles. The ones I've seen in the store look like stickers. I don't care what the bloggers are saying. I wanted to use them in my laundry room, but after looking at them, no thanks.

I would recommend using the simple mat tile backing instead of actual adhesive since it's not a hugely wet area. We've used them twice (once as a backsplash in a bathroom and once in a laundry room) and they really make things a lot easier. www.homedepot.com/p/Custom-Building-Products-SimpleMat-30-sq-ft-Roll-of-Tile-Setting-Mat-SMCR30/203919986

I did not realize the other stuff was stick-on. I definitely mean to say a mat tile with actual tiles on them.