I had seen your post a few days ago and am happy to hear that you are making changes. I think you will be so happy! I prefer the first picture without the inserts. With granite having so much "action" in it, I like a calmer backsplash. Can't wait to see what it looks like when it is done!

I vote for the top choice, no inserts. It is going to look great!

I still vote for rich paint, which is cheaper and easier than a new BS :OP Just try it....come on what's it hurt! (And that bs is not busy!!! keep it diagonal...you need an interest point).

I agree that a good paint looks just great. I would choose a tile with the most white in it along with warm golds. The white would tie in to the window, sink, appliances.

ok... are all 4 sections in the first pic 1 tile? looks like 4 different ones to me. same with pic 2.

Thanks for your feedback, everyone. springville, glad you can learn from my expensive mistakes; no use two of us making the same one. desertsteph, the tiles in each photo are different pieces put together to show the variation when ordering "silver sands" slate, for example; there will be small tiles that vary this widely. As you guys said on the other thread, it's not expensive so I can buy some extra tiles and pick pieces I really like. And you know, DH said a few days ago why don't we try painting it first; nothing to lose, the old tile is going to break when we take it out anyway. I'd forgotten that, and so had he, a great idea. thanks for reminding me! If anyone wants to make paint suggestions, please do. Also, the appliances are different now, they're SS with a slide-in range, so I could do a mural or some kind of interest point over the stove (if just paint doesn't look the way we want and we do retile). Should I try that, or is that, again, too busy? Thanks for your help, everyone.

I know you are unhappy with your backsplash, but it really coordinates well wih your granite. Sorry, but I am not seeing how your new choices relate to the granite. Nor does it seem to relate to your cabinets. I am afraid it could look a bit "off." Maybe the photos aren't accurate. I agree with the other posters who say paint first and see what happens. Really, if you took a vote I think most of us would say to keep the backsplash!

Thanks very much, ellendi. The kitchen is just so dark, not at all what I wanted. We are going to paint first, though, to see what that looks like. The quartzite and lighter slate I think will work well with the oak cabinets, as the stone has a kind of honey gold, the white will brighten the room, and I hope the slate will have a few pieces with a bit of green/gray like on the lower left which will tie in with the counter. That's my hope but, of course, I've been wrong before! I also do think in the current colors the dark slate is what's noticed and the granite doesn't stand out at all; I'm thinking the new stone might fix that.

I LIKE the current backsplash! It works great with the countertops and the cabinets. It just needs bold color (and more lighting) to work as is. Paint it RED! Behr's Antique Red is a good one. Not too orange and not too purple. Or a dark brown with red tones like Revival Mahogany.

I like your tile with your granite too. I agree with live wire oak about the red color. A deep barn red would so warm up that space and really make it cozy! I really do think its the wall color when I really stare at it. Just my opinion. Good luck.

Oh, my gosh, you guys make me feel like a wimp for sure. Red? Wow. As I write this I'm looking at the kitchen and it makes me laugh out loud to think about it. I might do it; as Janis said, "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose!" I did paint our bedroom wall purple, and when DH was gone on a business trip had the windows taken out and made bigger, so I'm capable of painting a backsplash red, I know. I have to cogitate on this one, what an idea!

Susanka--You must have misunderstood me. I meant painting the walls ,not the actual backsplash. I think the pale wall color is what is throwing it off. I would start with painting first. Bet it would look good!

Oh, I did misunderstand. DH and I had said we might as well paint the BS to see how that would look. I'll have to go back through the thread and the other one I posted to see whether folks are recommending painting the wall or the BS! Thanks for clearing that up, as far as your post at least. The paint in the photo isn't the current paint, and the appliances are also different. We have SS appliances now, and the wall is a yellow just a little deeper(not much) than the yellows we were sampling around the window.It does seem to me like a deep wall color would just make the whole room darker though. I wanted light and bright, just wimped out and took what the tile guy brought after I had given him a photo of what I wanted. Thanks again for your thoughtful suggestion.

See I don't think the current backsplash coordinates with the granite at all. But I'm not sure about the new choices either.

I do agree, though, that the paint color is a big problem right now too and you should fix that first and then reassess.

Otherwise, I was envisioning something more like these kitchens (dlosapio and ovenbird, respectively):
{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

I vote for the lighter backsplash that you chose that has variation but much lighter than what you now have. The backsplash you have now is beautiful but way too dark for the kitchen in my humble opinion.

Do not paint the tile, I, have seen a house, where they painted the tile, and it does not look good. It looks like it is painted. It takes the beauty out of the tile. I, would first paint your wall,s, and maybe that will do the trick. sharaz

These were both done quickly (and sloppily!), but I thought they might help you envision what it might look like with red paint, and with the lighter backsplash. I also "painted" the appliances a dark gray (SS) color. Doing this really helped me when I was trying to pull the pieces together for our kitchen. Hope it helps...

Personally, I think the light backsplash looks great AND I would paint the wall a deeper yellow, I think.

It's not the granite or the backsplash that's throwing you off on that mission statement. It's the cabinets. "Light and bright" is hard to achieve with medium to dark wood cabinets. They are the dominant element in the room and they just aren't going with your mission statement. You either need a LOT more light (recommended whether or not you do anything else), much lighter cabinets, or to change your mission statement. The counters and backsplash work with the medium wood cabinets (and a darker wall color like the red) to say, "Warm and Cozy". But, warm and cozy isn't "Light and Bright", and it will never be with medium to dark cabinets. Cabinets are the major vertical surface in a kitchen, and they determine the overall "feel" of the room. Horizontal surfaces are accents, and they can move the eye around the room, but even dark accents don't make a room feel dark when the dominant feature is light. Your dominant feature isn't "light and bright". You either have to decide to change that dominant feature, or change your mission statement.

I love your currant backsplash. But if you saw my kitchen you wouldn't like it. I have mahogany stained cherry cabinets, Dakota mahogany granite countertops, and black solid tiled backsplash. Adding pops of color through accessories and paint color really helps. I would definately try that first.

Thought I would throw out another humble opinion. I think the red walls do look better than the yellow and are beautiful with the tile, but the kitchen is very dark. I also think that the backsplash has so much texture and the cabinets have visible grain, and the granite has character, so there may be too much going on. (Red paint would kind of compete too).
I prefer a lighter kitchen, so keep this in mind with my recommendation. I would look for a backsplash that doesn't stand out. Then paint the walls a shade of the color of the green pitcher you have on top of your cabinets. It is a beautiful shade of green and it looks like it compliments your style and would compliment the granite. Then add a few maroon colored accessories to bring out the specs in the granite.

Thanks again, everybody.

Megsy, we have repainted, don't have a pic but will post one this evening. It's a bit deeper yellow, and it doesn't help the too-dark feeling (for me). The backsplashes you kindly show from dlosapio and ovenbird are not that far from what I envision: lighter, and tones that go better with the cabs. I do like the 3x6 look also, and we may get that if I find it in the quartzite or light slate I'm currently planning on.

chipongo, thanks very much for doing my repainting! I totally get the red, dark, dramatic look that livewireoak and sis2two recommend; beautiful, but just not me, and it won't go with the rest of the LR/DR the kitchen is open to. Seeing the light BS you posted makes me sure I want the slate choice I showed with the green/gray variation; I think that will tie it into the counter and the majority of it in honey gold/white will lighten and go with the cabs.

livewireoak, the cabs are really not "dark"; they're a natural oak. Probably the best rep of them is in the very first photo I posted.

I think my best bet is the silver sands slate (or something very very similar), more lighting, and I have a hunch our current yellow paintisn't going to look right with the new look either once we get it up, so probably repainting. The LR and DR are SW "sagey", and maybe that will be the ticket after the slate is up. Thanks, everyone. I'm going to post a pic of our current color later this evening. Thursday we're off to a 10-day drive through CA, MT, and WY, hoping to buy the tile on the way home through the bigger cities in northern CO. You've been a huge help. WIthout you I might not have been able to decide to make some major changes. Yesterday I found a tile guy who said if DH would tear out the old he'd do the tiling for $200, including travel to our rural area, so my next problem is likely going to be worrying about whether he'll do a decent job. He's in the yellow pages and no bad vibes from the BBB, so I'll probably give him a try.

just saw your posts, betteratthelake and fleur. Bet I would think your kitchen is gorgeous. Do you live near a lake?

fleur222, you'll see in my post above I'm already thinking green might do it. I recognize there might be a too-much-stuff going on problem, and was considering subway tile but DH just can't see it. I know I don't want a glazed look because the granite is polished and it would all look too hard with two polished surfaces together, I think. The slate isn't expensive, think we'll bring it home and set it up there with tape or something before we tear the old BS out just in case I'm making another bad call. Thanks very much for your posts.

Susanka, I like the idea of going lighter on the color of the backsplash, but I suggest you look for a ceramic tile with little or no variation in the color. Your cabinets have a strong grain and your countertop has a lot of movement. Please pick a backsplash that does not add more visual excitement to the room.

If you're looking for a mission style, maybe you'd consider a glazed tile with a "hand-made" look.

karen, you know, I love to stand in my kitchen and realize the age of the stone I have. I regret having porcelain tile on the floor, even; wish it was a natural stone. Our fireplace marble has fossils in it I'm still not tired of looking at. Even if it's weird to everyone else, I think I have to go with natural stone. I'll keep amount of movement in mind, though, and thanks for the reminder.

Your kitchen is very pretty, but I do agree that the backsplash is too dark, esp since you're wanting a lighter feel. Based on your above posts, I think you will be much happier w/ a lighter one. Can't wait to see it when you're done!

I agree with your DH about subway tiles.
I promissed myself that I would never have any subway tiles in my kitchen...guess what I'm having...subway tiles!!!!!
I want my backsplash to be omnipresent.
I want my granite and cupboards to be king and queen of the kitchen and fresh flowers to be their subordinates. Does that make any sense? I think I've been in my renos too too long!

I really don't like the yellow BS as photoshopped into your kitchen! could be that it's such a 'set' pattern.

I do think the first thing to do is get your lighting done correctly. Have you tried changing the bulbs in your lights? Then paint the walls and the BS.

you could try different colors in different areas of the BS for a time to see what color direction to go for paint or for tile if you decide to go that way. Try a section in a light grey and a section in another light color pulled from your granite.

I don't like the red as shown with your dark BS. It might look much better with a light grey BS area tho.

I also agree with those who think there is too much pattern going on between the 3 major areas - cabs, BS and counter.

Be sure to post a pic with new paint color and new appliances.

my sister's cabs look much like yours in color and pattern in the wood. Her granite is a lot lighter than yours tho. She still went with a plain, light BS so it wouldn't 'fight' with the wood grain or movement in her granite. the BS 'design' over her stove was a last minute change when her original one came it at over double the original estimate. She's hoping to change that in the future. The wall paint is Navajo white.

Susanka, that lighter quarzite is exactly what we're putting in. Have you seen it enhanced? OMG, it's gorgeous. I have not read any of the comments, just your post but I definitely think it's the way to go. I am biased though, as I mentioned in your previous post I have oak cabinets, dark granite and around 8 boxes of tile sitting in the basement for our installation!

I don't like the combinations but that's just me. Though I must say chopongo's choice of red with your current backsplash is brilliant. I wouldn't want that color in my kitchen, though --I think red is supposed to encourage appetite-. I would prefer backsplash to be solid.

Susanka, we also have a bunch of boxes of quartzite waiting to be installed in my kitchen (which also has medium tone alder cabinets and a dark countertop)! I love the lightness of the quartzite, the subtle color variations, the slight sparkle, and the fact that it is real stone. I also love natural stone, and I think the quartzite would look very nice in your kitchen. It would definitely brighten it up.

If you hate the dark backsplash, take it out. It doesn't sound like you will be happy unless you follow your gut and get rid of it. Whether that means painting the backsplash, or completely replacing the stone is up to you. I love the current slate on its own, but I agree that it makes your kitchen very dark. I was also contemplating a darker slate for our kitchen, but decided against it because I knew it would make the kitchen feel too dark for me. If your heart says to change it, then change it. I think the quartzite would be beautiful!

lukkiirish and alicia, thank you both. I sure have lots to think about. If I can find a few minutes tomorrow while DH is at work and before we leave for vacation I'll get out a few sample cans we have left and paint the BS; that way, plumberry, I'll see what it would look like in a solid color, and then we'll know whether we want to buy the quartzite or light slate on the way back home, as we had planned to do. I'll keep the enhancement possibility in mind also.

You guys are great, and every one of you has been a help. Thank you so much.

susanka - I really like the silver sands for your kitchen. Have a great, relaxing vacation!!

have you checked out the thread about a tile site where you can do a mockup of your BS? it's on the first page here. I also linked it below. AZ tile.

give it a try with that new tile you want and see how it looks.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tile thread

I did try it, desertsteph, and emailed it to myself, but it never arrived. I'll try it again tonight. Thanks very much.

I got the arizona tile page to work, what a cool site. Thank you, desertsteph. I put six different combinations of tile on two Word document pages, with the first three mimicking my cabs above, white tile underneath, and then green counter. Did the same with mixed tile (gold,white,green) in the middle. Couldn't figure out how to attach the Word pages to this message, but I have to say that in the abstract the plain white tile combination is a much better design. This is leaving out my love of natural stone, etc., etc. Now I'm really confused, all I know for sure is I want to get rid of the dark slate. Going to show this to DH when he gets up at 3:45 a.m. (he's a pilot), see what he thinks.

I just removed my backsplash as part of a kitchen update. The back splash was floor tiles that the builder put in. I suspect the floor tiles were 89 cent specials. The tiles were laid on the dry wall. There is no way to get the tile off the dry wall and have the dry wall usable. The dry wall is destroyed when you take the tiles off. I used a multi-tool (the vibrating kind with a grout cutting disk) to cut through the grout along the counter top and under the cabinets (yes grout not caulk) then I used a cutting blade to cut through the dry wall. A hammer drill broke up the tiles and I could remove the entire back splash to the studs. This did allow me easy access to wire in undercabinet lights and move the outlets for a nicer appearance. Then I put blocking between the studs and replaced the dry wall. It was a lot of work!

BTW.. what is "enhancing" the tiles? Does this mean applying a sealer? I've seen this term used once before on here and don't know what product this is refering to.

texaskitchentoo, I googled "enhancing tile" and this was one of the sites that came up, with instructions for different types of tile:
1 Enhance color on stone tiles with a purchased stone color enhancer, which you can find online at Glaze 'N Seal. When you enhance natural stone, you can bring out its grain and other subtleties. Do a sample with stone color enhancer on a scrap piece of stone to see if it's right for the project.
Step
2 Apply marble polish to marble tiles, which adds higher gloss to the tile. You can find a selection of marble polishes at Google Shopping.
Step
3 Buy sealant for unglazed ceramic tiles. This gives the tile a wet look that enhances its color. It also protects against dirt, oil and other stains that diminish tile color.

I think the guy in HD who sold DH a cold chisel and said the tile would pop off was probably too optimistic.

I agree about the red. I think it works much better. Before you rip it all down maybe consider lightening the grout up and use the graphic element of the grout to liven it up. Here's how it will look with both. you're kitchen isn't as glooming as your dark photos make it out to be.

Gosh, blondelle, I agree the red is beautiful. Here are old photos of our LR and a bit of the kitchen: sort of one big room. We have completely different furniture now and the LR walls are sagey green, but I can't seem to put the red kitchen and this room together in my head. It would be so much easier! DH will crack up if I paint a splotch of red on the now newly-painted yellow walls. He'd thank me in the long run, of course, if it worked. href="http://s138.photobucket.com/albums/q265/susangk/?action=view&current=livingroom-1.jpg"; target="_blank">

I don't know how you feel about more red, but you can just do an accent wall in the red too in the living room.

blondelle, are you willing to chip in for my lawyer? We just painted it sagey green a short while ago. I already have a purple wall in the bedroom; DH will be in the (divorce) court with me for sure if I tell him I've got to have red splashed all around his nice soothing living room. I have to admit it doesn't look bad, although we now have a bright rust-colored couch and chair and red walls would be over the top for both of us I think. You made me laugh out loud though, what a surprise!

Sorry, I didn't know all the rest of the details. OK, no red livingroom...LOL! I have a sample of a gorgeous 2 x 4 quartzite subway tile from Crossville called Oracle that would be gorgeous with your kitchen. The photo doesn't show the gorgeous rust colors in it. It has the colors of your cabinets and counter and is much lighter than shown. I would love to use it but I realized it's too busy with all the glass cabinets I have in a small space.

Here's some more choices in it. Scroll down.

Here is a link that might be useful: Crossville stone subway

Crossville Modern Mythology - Oracle that blondelle is talking about is in the link below. I could not find out quickly from the link she posted so I did a little search for you and found the exact link that goes right to the pretty stone.

Here is a link that might be useful: Crossville Modern Mythology - Oracle that blondelle is talking about

Chipongo, I love the lighter backsplash pictures you posted using your creativity. I really feel, that the dark backsplash must go and the wall color needs to change.

See, when I've been saying DH doesn't like subway tile I meant the white tile like used to be in the Tube (as I remember). I didn't realize these brick-shaped tiles are also called "subway". I love quartzite now that so many of you have shown it to me, rust is my favorite color, and I think a bit of it wouldn't hurt, and I found 3 Crossville dealers less than 40 miles away. On the way home from vacation we'll look at this one too. Thanks, blondelle.

lynn2006, thanks for the link. I did find it. I think I've got it narrowed down to a 2x4 in silver sands slate or a quartzite in the golden white or oracle. I think the brick shape is a nice medium between the diamond I have now (and like the shape of) and 4x4 squares I don't care so much for.The store we hoped to buy it at (prices are great) doesn't carry Crossville, and that's where we'll be stopping on our way home from vacation, but I really want to look at the Oracle too so maybe we'll have to make an another trip to the Big City. Thanks very much to you and to all.

I'm so disappointed. I checked on the price of the Oracle; it's $33.98 a sf. I just can't justify that in this little house. But I now know about quartzite, and have settled on a subway shape, and I know I'll find something I like in a price that's reasonable for us. Again, thank you all. My too-dark-for-me kitchen is going to be on the way out when we get back.

I haven't read all of the follow up posts, but sort of in the red family, how about a terracota color? That would blend really nice with the sagey green color you have in your other room and it would work well (IMO) with your backsplash and cabinets.. I have used this color combo in many of my homes (the terracota and sage green) and I LOVE IT.. It is just a very soothing combo to me.. Just a thought (hopefully new and not one someone else has already mentioned)

susanka, I also love the Oracle but at that price, I could not justify it for my home on my budget either. I feel the quartzite tile in the subway shape will look great in your kitchen and lighten it up. Please keep us updated.

gillylily, thank you so much. Yes, terracotta is in the "rust" family I like, and maybe I'll see something that looks perfect with that in it when we go looking again. Nobody had mentioned it. I think I can be happy though with the gold and white quartzite if that's what we end up with, and something very much like that will probably be the answer.

lynn2006,thanks for the company. I very much appreciate it.