Monday, October 24, 2011

Backsplash Tips - Don't Do This!


No.


One of my pet peeves with kitchen backsplashes is this side backsplash hanging way up in mid-air for no apparent reason.  This is a bad detail.  You see it in many builder homes and it's primarily the tile guy just making a decision on the job site of where to stop and start the tile.



No.


The only reason to have a side backsplash like this is if there is a water source close by where the wall will get repeated dousing on a regular basis.  Of course the other reason is if the countertop installer was not very good and didn't scribe the counter to the wall so that a tight joint sealed with a small caulking is impossible.  Many contractors use this side backsplash to "cover" the large gap between the counter and the wall.  Even if the wall is uneven or is tight at one place and wide at another, a good countertop installer should be able to cut the counters to butt tightly to the wall. 


Yes.


If you MUST have a side backsplash for any of the above reasons, make sure the tile is the color of the wall so that visually it doesn't call attention to itself and please use either a tumbled tile with a rounded edge, or get the tile guy to bullnose the edge pieces for a finished look. 



Perfect bullnosing of the tile at the unfinished edge.


Otherwise....DON'T do it!  My basic rule (which sometimes has to be broken) is to always try to die two different finishes in an inside corner. See how this works with backsplashes?




One of my "Before" kitchen remodels. See the backsplash on the left hanging in mid-air?




Close up.




"After" - See how there is no need for a backsplash on the far left and how neat and tidy it looks?

I don't have many hard and fast "rules" that I use, but this is definitely one of them.

11 comments:

  1. Thank you! Looks horrible! The last thing you want to do is let the builder's crew decide.
    Have a nice evening, Carla.
    Teresa
    xoxo

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  2. I hate it when the tile guys make their own decision!!!

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  3. Couldn't agree more - SO SO much better without the unnecessary overhang!

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  4. The overhang looks really bad and ridiculous. You can't let the tile guys make design decisions. Designers are there for a reason. :)

    Jessie
    www.mixandchic.com

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  5. Carla, your so right. It makes such a difference.

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  6. isn't it amazing that a simple detail like this if overlooked can have an awful outcome for your kitchen design?...such a good point to bring up as I'm sure many people building or remodeling their home/kitchen would just assume the contractor would know better..(ok, I would just assume the contractor would know better) but so sadly, that's not the case..
    another fabulous post..
    best,
    maureen

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  7. Wow what a difference it makes and thank you for pointing it out.

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  8. Thanks for the very frank and direct design lesson. Appreciate it!

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  9. Oh wow! It makes a really fabulous difference! Enjoy the rest of the gorgeous week, Kellie xx

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  10. My husband and I were just debating this topic for our backsplash... thanks for settling it for us! :)

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  11. Answered my question perfectly. Thank you for taking the time to post this.

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