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Templating tomorrow - quick backsplash decision needs to be made

12 years ago

Hi everyone, thanks for all the help in getting this far. Cabinets got installed this week, templating tomorrow, granite install next Friday. Can't believe we're approaching the 1 year anniversary of our remodel. Details and pictures in tne next week or so when we wrap this up.

We're undecided on what to do about our backsplash. We think we want tile, but are concerned about the short term without backsplash behind the sink/under the window. Would it look odd if we had that 3.5 inch area up to the window sill be granite and a later date tile the rest of the kitchen backsplash?

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Comments (5)

sarapamela
12 years ago
I asked a similar question recently, and the general consensus was that it is preferable to have one or the other, not tile over a granite backsplash. I've decided to do w/o the backsplash for awhile, as I've been on decision-making overload! This is our winter home, so I can delay a decision until we fly south again next fall without worrying about damaging the wall near the sink...but perhaps painting that area w/ a water-resistant paint would buy you some time.
poohpup
12 years ago
IMHO it would look odd to have the short granite splash and tile above. Said it before, but it makes the tile backsplash look like an afterthought.

My kitchen will be done before my backsplash is installed. I'm not too concerned about hurting anything in the interim. If you have a gap between the granite and the wall, just add some caulk to make sure nothing runs off the back of the granite.
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I like the versailles pattern very much: the multi color helps give a balance of colors going on: did you know you can get quartzite 4x4 6x6 and 12x12 in different colors? Quartzite is stunning material! (A rock formed from the metamorphism of quartz sandstone: Quartzite (from German Quarzit[1]), not to be confused with the mineral quartz, is a hard, metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone.[2] Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to grey. Quartzites often occur in various shades of pink and red due to varying amounts of iron oxide. Other colors are commonly due to impurities of minor amounts of other minerals. In true metamorphic quartzite, also called meta-quartzite, the individual quartz grains have recrystallized along with the former cementing material to form an interlocking mosaic of quartz crystals. Minor amounts of former cementing materials, iron oxide, carbonate and clay, are often recrystallized and have migrated under the pressure to form streaks and lenses within the quartzite. Virtually all original textures and structure have usually been erased by the metamorphism.) fun facts! ~Happy Holidays~
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provolone
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks!! Do you think it would look odd if the only area to have the 4" granite backsplash is behind the sink - between the countertop and window? I'd have the granite bs stop with the window trim and tile the remainder of the kitchen's backsplash areas.

Decision overload is right, I'm pretty fried from this process!
dseng
12 years ago
I'm afraid that it would stick out like a sore thumb. If your concern about possible water damage occurring prior to deciding upon & installing your tile backsplash is driving this decision point, you can relax and take your time. Even if you managed to splash a bunch of water up there and didn't bother to wipe it up and the drywall got damaged - it would be a quick and easy job to cut and replace it when you're ready to tile.
anrol
12 years ago
You will be fine living without a backsplash at all for a bit. If you are trying to decide, in a hurry, for the sake of having one you may make the wrong choice for you. Don't go with the 4" backsplash. Paint the wall behind the counter the same color as your room for now and take some time to decide what you really want. Your wall shouldn't get damaged at all. Once the countertop is installed you might have a better idea of what you want. then you can post a picture and get some different ideas here. Slow down, take a deep breath, you have time.

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