When we had our house built we put in a Vulcan pro range. The Building inspector made us leave about an inch gap between the range and the cabinets. The formica cabinets are flush with the cabinets as well. They also made us put metal flashing on the sides of the cabinets. Over the years a lot of stuff has fallen down, but we try to keep it clean. I'm sure we'll be shocked when we finally pull the range out this month to install a new range hood and take of the tiles that have been there for 20 years. Ew! I am thinking when we have new granite put in, we can have that installed closer to the stove and help solve the stuff falling in issue. At least with a 1" gap, most stuff didn't get stuck. I would think you will have to watch to make sure stuff doesn't stick on the way down.

Why not? What kind of caulk are you all using that doesn't peel up with a minimal effort? I want that! Dork, if you don't want to glue your range in (and of course you don't! You just want to keep crud out of the crack), use whatever it is I keep using on my icky old kitchen sink--kitchen 'n' bath caulk. It comes right up whether you want it to or not. But normally nothing goes in the crack. If you DO go rogue and caulk it, TEST the caulk on a counter sample to be sure it won't leave a stain and that it can in fact peel off when it's time to refresh. As far as counter to cabinetry panels by the fridge, I personally (and probably incorrectly) would caulk it because I do NOT want spills dripping back there. Yeah, I'm a rebel. But we're not talking heavy duty stick-it-down caulk. Just the wimpy cheap stuff.

I like your attitude and advice, Jancy. I do love my choice of countertop (Silestone Cemento Suede), which I paired with natural cherry shaker cabinets (3" wide rails and stiles) with orb hardware. I was going for a simple, warm modern farmhouse look. The kitchen is around 7' x 12." Three straight sides, no corner cabinets: a pantry wall with fridge (approximately 7'), an island with sink (approximately 7'), and a wall with range and otr microwave in the middle (approximately 7'). So my range wall is of similar length as yours, Jancy (90'). That wall is the only one with a backsplash and like you, I didn't want to deal with grout. I also liked the simplicity of the full-height backsplash... and, as a bonus, I had the extra material available from the countertop slabs, so I only needed to pay a bit extra for installation. Also, another consideration is that the kitchen is part of a great room and is visible as soon as you walk in the door, so it felt as if the stone backsplash would give the cabinet more of the look of furniture. I definitely don't want tile (even though I said earlier that might be an option). I would consider a stainless steel plate with brushed finish because it feels as if that would tie the range and microwave together... as if they were all one unit. However, the wall may be too short and the stainless too industrial for the look I'm going for. I do know however that I will not be happy if the stone gets chipped if I have to replace the microwave. In answer to your question, prosource, I believe the microwave will be fairly level with the bottom of the cabinets. The opening is 18" high and the microwave is 17 1/2" high. Also, I don't want to get off subject, but at some point, Jance, I would be very interested in knowing if you used plug mold and, if so, what kind. Or did you put outlets in backsplash? All thoughts welcome.

If I am visualizing this correctly, I think that a shelf is a great idea. Whether this is a range with a back or a slide in with a level top, it should work. SS would be my first choice, easy and readily available. You also might be able to find a scrap of matching pre-fab granite either at a local yard/shop or online, if yours is one of the common granites. If you have more of your tile, you could also tile a piece of wood for the shelf and bring the wall tile down to counter level. Edited to add: Can not your plumber move the gas outlet closer to the wall? Mine was moved with little difficulty, but he had access from the basement.