Tell me how to finish my counter/backsplash!

13 years ago

Alright. I haven't done a thing to finish my kitchen in almost a year. I have no backsplash behind my cooktop, I have no window sills on my two windows, and I have a large section of counter topped with linoleum remnants which really should be padding my drawers.

The original plan: slab marble. Problem: anything up against the hood will trap it there for eternity. Oops. But hey--it's been working for a year. Who cares? If I eventually have to replace the hood I'll just saw out the front of the cabinets. There. Done.

Old pictures because everything is grubby now...

I need a big slab here for baking center (there's even more junk on it now....):

Do I make the edge the same as the adjacent counter? Squarish? Do I have it sticking out the same distance? Have the overhang also wrap around the neighboring cabinet?

Yes, that probably IS a banana peel.

More slab here behind stove. One fabricator said they would have to cut the slab to get it in this hole. I really wouldn't want a seam. My kitchen is too small for seams. If I go with a white marble I could probably find a similar tile to work into it to avoid a seam, but really, don'tcha think this could be seamless? Or, got any tile style design suggestions? Something better than pink Corian rectangles? (It's been a year--they're gettin' dirty!)

Annnd one last question. There is a 4" brushed stainless splash on the sink wall. The window over the sink is supposed to get a marble sill. Painted wood would be OK too, now that I think about it, except I'm getting too much splashing. How goofy would it be to have an apron on the stone sill go down to meet the 4" metal 'splash? It's a 5" gap, and wouldn't be weird except that there is the metal strip below it. Or, if I use matching tile elsewhere, I could tile the spot, but then I might have to tile the whole sink wall backsplash but maybe I should anyway.

Blah. Can someone just come finish my kitchen for me before it's ready to be replaced? Thanks!

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Comments (7)

bmorepanic
13 years ago
No. I will not tell you what to do. :)

I'd like you to think about ~ 8-12" of marble as wings on both sides of an arched marble slab top that does not touch the hood.

OR one solid arched piece. Fabricator still gonna freak out, but not quite as badly.

OR stainless backsplash for hood with two marble slabs on the sides

OR black marble mosaics.

I'd probably do squarish eased edge. I have a feeling it would seem too precious with something more ornate.

As always, I am the Sargent Shultz of decorating.
Fori
Original Author
13 years ago
I like the wings 'n' curves. (Segbrown--I think?--has an inspirational butler's pantry backplash.) I guess I'm a little worried it'll look too bathroomy or like I was trying to be frilly when it's sort of a no-nonsense utilitarian kitchen.

But why should I worry about that? Every once in a while my dad asks me, "so, does your counter still match your floor?". Shouldn't THAT embarrass me? ;)

What about a straight piece the height of the lowers with a rail or something above it?

I'm THIS CLOSE to ordering the boomerang Formica.
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bmorepanic
13 years ago
I like that idea too!

You could also do it with other shapes - like strips that carry down the stile width from top to bottom - maybe a little dimensional. Turn the seams into part of a design?

Bump it, baby.
dianalo
13 years ago
I like the stainless behind the cooktop because if the Corian is looking "dirty" at this point, marble back there will also. The stainless sheet will be easier to clean, easier on the budget, easier to fabricate and would look nice. I think it would make your hood look like a custom built unit. You could even do one with a built in shelf if you want.

I'd stay with the eased type edge too. Your kitchen is not frilly and would not call for the fancy styles. It would be nice if it did wrap the nearby cabs.

A tile splash may be the easiest and of course, marble tile would be a good choice. I just would hesitate to put it behind the stove if the Corian experiment has not gone great.
remodelfla
13 years ago
What about a stainless strip to the bottom of the uppers on the cooktop wall and then marble?.... though I don't understand why they can't do a marble slab without a seam there. Then again... if you do stainless to the bottom of the uppers a stainless strip on the sink wall might look pretty cool (that is if I'm understanding you correctly). I like squareish and utilitarian personally.

My mind is a little fried cause school just started up again and I've been working non stop from dawn till dusk. So... if I make no sense, that cause I have none!!
Fori
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks y'all. Good ideas!

The Corian is only dirty because it doesn't show dirt so it doesn't get cleaned (it was a great countertop aside from being so darned ugly). I think we'd be OK with marble there, but would still want to keep any grouted bits (tile) up high or away from the cooktop. I WILL check with other fabricators before ruling anything out due to a seam.

I'm too lazy to clean my kitchen to get a picture of the sink, but here's an old one. If you squint you can sort of see how the stainless 4" backsplash goes along the wall, and you can see the spot under the window over the sink that I'd want to cover with an extra large window apron. Or I could tile the entire sink wall--if I use tile on the cooktop wall I could see doing it on the other side.

It's not a big room and the fridge might end up being stainless so I'm not sure I want to put even more stainless on the walls. (If the pictures aren't clear--they aren't--the main counters are stainless steel.)
Fori
Original Author
13 years ago
I was going through my samples (over a year old of course) and hmm. Would a dark green serpentine or soapstone be too dark in there?

Tell me how to finish my counter/backsplash!

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bmorepanic

Fori
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Tell me how to finish my counter/backsplash!

Comments (7)

bmorepanic

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dianalo

remodelfla

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