I have always had a tile backsplash and it looked good as new
after 7 years when we sold the house. I don't think he is
well informed. I have never even read anything or heard
people complain that their tile backsplash was not holding
up.

Instead of grout, use clear caulking in that spot, problem solved.

Insist on the tiling, he'll back off.

Actually, you can get caulk that matches your grout to use where the tile meets the counter.

tell your contractor that it's your kitchen and that he works for you. thank him for his advice and then tell him to do what you decide on.

My 20 year old cream colored tiled blacksplash looked as good as new when we ripped it out. The same could not be said with the counters that were tiled the same!! Looking forward to my new tiled backsplash behind my new soapstone counters - counters being installed today. Yipee!!

Tell your contractor to go to Bill V's How To Do It Right school :)

Your contractor has probably seen a lot of old kitchen with yucky tile backsplashes. I know I've seen a lot in my day. A well done and maintained backsplash, though, should give you many years of beauty and enjoyment. Get what you want.

You never grout in the line between the granite and the backsplash (reason number one that you don't want him to do the install of your backsplash). That change of plane need matching caulk always.

He obviously can't tile...or he wouldn't be talking you out of it (reason number two that you don't want him to install a backsplash).

I'll agree with him on one thing...if he does it, the backsplash will probably look like crap, so in that case, I wouldn't do it. But if you want to finish your kitchen design the way you designed it...I'd do a backsplash...and then hire a professional tile person to install.

I have a brick surround here in this kitchen and tile backsplash...they're both lovely. You can seal the grout just like you seal the tile :)

I had a tile backsplash that met my formica counters in my old kitchen, and I never had any problem with it looking crummy. They were only 8+ years old when we began the remodel, so I can't speak to the really long haul, but anyway, both looked as good as new.

I wonder if this is the same contractor we interviewed; he told me exactly that when I said I wanted white tile down to the granite counter. "The joint will get stained and you won't like it." Or maybe this is what they learn in "contractor school" I'm going with someone else for that among other reasons.

What Igloochic said. Your Contractor is misinformed and ill-equipped to install this. get someone else who can do so

I agree with the rest. Your contractor is trying to talk you out of doing something that he knows he doesn't know how to do correctly. Don't let him talk you into a cheesy 4-6 inch piece of granite in place of a quality tile backsplash.

Our kitchen is pretty darned old, but the previous owners did a light "makeover" in the 1980s, which included a tile counter and tile backsplash. The grout in the tile counter has definitely seen better days, but the backsplash (although not my style) looks good as new -- even behind the cooktop.

What IglooChic, BerryBerry, Sarschlos_Remodeler, etc. said! (Just in case you needed more support!)

When I only had an OTR microwave over my range, the grout lines for the tile behind the range DID indeed get greasy and dirty. OTR MW's do a poor job at exhausting grease and smoke, and I actually had one of the best OTR MW's, with 300 cfm's exhausting on a short run to the outside. But those tile lines behind the range were, in fact, gross. I subsequently replaced the OTR MW with a proper hood, and also cleaned the dirty grout lines with a toothbrush and Oxyclean (thanks Bill V. for the cleaning tip - it worked). Since the time I've installed a proper hood, the grout lines have stayed clean.

So the OP's Contractor is right about the grout lines behind the range if the OP has an OTR MW, or a recirculating hood. If that is the case, I agree with the Contractor and advise installing a slab of granite behind the range.

Tell your contractor to TAKE A HIKE!! If he doesn't want to install the backsplash, tell him to leave it painted sheetrock, and you'll get someone who WILL.

Epoxy grout isn't the cure for the joint where it hits the countertop. You want that to be a pliable joint, so the countertop can move independently of the wall, without the joint cracking. If you use epoxy grout and grout that joint, what happens then is there's still going to be movement, but because the grout will actually be stronger than the tile, guess what's going to crack instead? That MUST be caulking, and preferrably a siliconized latex caulking made to match the color and texture of the grout, by the same manufacturer as the grout.

WHAT A JERK!!

one other thing-- that 4" backsplash is NOT required, if you don't have him tile it. All that's needed is to seal the joint between the countertop and the wall with silicone. Then, at your leisure, you can go ahead and install the backsplash.

I agree with my Brother Bill Vincent...

sounds like your "goober" contractor is a rank amatuer...

Find somebody else that KNOWS the trade and can
do the job... this is NOT rocket science...but your
current contractor seems to be wanting to make it so...

There's MANY different types of tiles that you can use and
have a WAY COOL look ... stick to yur guns and like Bill says:

Tell "Goober" to "take a hike"

just MY opinion - respectfully

kevin

Get another contractor!

It makes me sick when people like him think tile is only limited to those 4" square ceramic tiles.

Expand the horizons and go with a nice tumbled marble or travertine with some beautiful rope trim to tie back to hardware.

What a ditz!

If he makes up stories about tile backsplashes being bad. It means he might be a lousy tiler.
Find someone else for that part.
He sounds like a drama mama.

Everyday life is a drama.
You don't need anymore.

I am so sorry to hear that your contractor is both ignorant and opinionated, always a bad combination.

To add two more data points, my father's tile backsplash (nothing fancy, just plain old 4" square tiles) which was installed in 1965 and the one in my old house (same cheap square tiles) which was installed in 1992 have held up just fine.

Of course one would end up with a greasy dirty mess behind one's stove if one did not clean the kitchen regularly, no matter what sort of backsplash material it was that was not being cleaned.

What I always find intersting about this sort of statement is an apparent ignorance of the fact that glass and tile are practially eternal, and are likely to be here long after we are gone.

My tile guy just finished a job on an 1850s house, where he needed to match the new tile to the original, including the grout. He did it perfectly, the GC told me. So, apparently if the job's done properly in the first place, it can evidently last over 100 years . . . .

I've seen beautiful tile backsplashes in many, many historic houses. And I really, really dislike having a contractor tell ME what I will and won't like. It's what I'm paying for - just make it happen please

It's what I'm paying for - just make it happen please

BINGO!! We have a winner!! That's about as succinct as it gets!! If you can't do it, step aside, and I'll get someone who can.

My experience supports your contractor's warning, though it's still no reason not to have a tile backsplash.

I have to take out and replace the 2 feet of caulk behind my sink every 6 or 8 months because it gets nasty looking. I use the only caulk I could find to match my tile/grout - "CeramaSeal Tub & Tile Caulk, unsanded one part siliconized acrylic latex caulk". Maybe this is poor performing caulk or I'm doing something wrong.

I don't know what you're doing, because the brand name may be different, but the caulking I use on every countertop is siliconized latex, and I've yet to get a single call back from it.

I have to laugh when I hear of anyone that says that back splashes get greasy, nasty, grout lines gross, and so on... ALL that I can restate time and time again is the OBVIOUS: the person responsible for cleaning the kitchen doesn't or does not know how to clean. Period. If someone fries a lot and does not clean then WHAT do you THINK any kitchen would look like? It's just utterly ridiculous. The majority of people on this web site probably are the upper echelon of fanatics on kitchen cleanliness and appreciate a beautiful kitchen. And we do know what it takes to maintain a clean kitchen. Some people just do not.

And I'm with everyone else: if someone is trying to steer you into a direction that you don't want to go in, then don't go with them! I'd be thankful that they gave you a clear forewarning of your imminent unhappiness to come if you hire them to do a specific job they had no confidence in performing. Some wonderful building talent out there just don't come out and say, "I'm not good at...(whatever), so you would be better off hiring so and so."

Sherilyn;

Concerning cleaning, you're right. My faucet leaves little room to get behind it to dry the grout and so the area gets neglected. Still, it'd be nice if a wet area was designed to handle the wet conditions. Then again, according to so many posters here, either they're all good cleaners or grout can handle wet conditions well. I really do think the grout I'm using is inferior somehow.

Bill

"use clear caulking in that spot,"

DON'T USE CLEAR CAULK!!!!

Did I stop you in time?

If you use clear caulk ANYWHERE, it will look as if you never caulked, as if there is an untreated GAP.

I know--twice. Two different contractors used clear caulk in places where white was clearly called for, and in both places there was a black, black line--well, not truly black, but it looked as if it had never been touched w/ caulk.

And once you have the wrong color of caulk in there, esp. if it's silicone, it's a pain to correct, bcs new silicone won't stick to the old.

We are in the midst of a remodel at the present time. The old tile back splash was 42 years old and it held up fine and although the grout was not as bright as when it was new a little scrubbing with a tooth brush would help.

a little scrubbing with a tooth brush would help.

Along with some oxyclean. Best detergient you could use. Even better than bleach, and won't harm the grout the way bleach will. :-)