Border or no border with a ceramic subway tile back splash?
happy2learn
11 years ago
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heidia
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Comments (12)hi jillsee, do you see your backsplash as being a focal point or "accessory"? whether they are in or out doesn't matter if you want that spot in your kitchen to make you smile every time you walk in your kitchen. you've probably seen doonie's lovely backsplash. i think it makes her very happy, regardless if anyone says this or that is in or out. so maybe that will help guide your decision in how much bling to put into it, or how simple you want to keep it. glad you decided on the crackle subways, though. whether they are in fashion or not in the future won't really matter, imho, because they are so pretty. :) Here is a link that might be useful: doonie's handmade tile backsplash...See Moreporcelain or ceramic subway tile for backsplash?
Comments (3)Actually, in the current usage, the words "porcelain" and "ceramic" don't mean much where tile is concerned. The manufacturers use them interchangably. Honest to goodness porcelain bisque is a bit stronger than ordinary ceramic, so get porcelain dishes. :) As long as you have a durable glaze, any kind of fired tile, correctly installed, will be a lot stronger than your dishes, no matter what, because the mortar behind them, and the wall behind that, prevents the pushed place from breaking the plane....See MoreNew pics: help me decide border or no border with subway tiles!
Comments (31)I just put in the Horus Art Cristalli tile in biscuit and I love it. I am awaiting the grout (which I will do in a matching color). I have honey/toffee maple cabinets in a Shaker style door, Crema Astoria granite (a creamy granite with white, black, and garnet areas, and with some subtle but not overpowering gray/silver movement). Even though I love clean lines, I chose this tile over the Tiffany (which is a straight subway) because it has a handmade appearance (the lines are kind of wavy, which go with the movement in the granite). It also has a little sparkle, which my granite does as well. I did not do a border or accent in my backsplash; I used only the HA Cristalli subways. I don't have a big kitchen - it's 10x10, only 15" from cabinet to counter. I chose to leave it plain as I want the focus on the granite and not the tile. I am so happy that I did! When I get a chance I will post some pictures....See MoreRetrofit a Strip of Tile on Back Splash?
Comments (9)It actually depends most on how the tile was installed in the first place. If it's easy to remove it's an easy job although there is an issue with the symmetry above and below as noted above. If the tile was sunk into concrete.... Maybe you could tell by looking at it how it was installed but probably you can't. So what does that mean for you? If you start breaking the tiles and then realize after breaking one out that it will be an enormous, awful, horrendous job... Or worse yet you realize that you may be unable to control the demolition process well enough to remove exactly one row. But with one broken tile what are your options? Leave the broken one broken-that will probably look awful. Continue and accept that it is a really frustrating job to complete. Realize that because of the way it was installed, the only way it's coming out is if you take out the entire backsplash. Before you start any demolition, mock up the tile that you are thinking of installing on a board first and see how the fixative shows through the tile (a common complaint of people who installed the glass tile is they hate how it looks when it's attached to the wall) and whether or not you can match the existing grout color. Be sure to calculate the cost of redoing the entire backsplash if you elect to proceed, you may not end up having to redo everything but you should financially be in a position to do so should the need arise. Are you aware that they actually sell stickers that go sit on the top of tiles just for this purpose? You might be much better off looking into an alternative instead of undertaking a job of unknown complexity. (My tile was sunk in cement. At one point that method of installation was a common building practice; they made things to last forever. To remove it, significant pieces of the wall came out in addition to the backsplash.) I personally don't like the idea of one line running around the entire kitchen. I really preferred the original tile in the Young House love sample above. The same visual line could be accomplished by adding a small layer of contrasting trim to the bottom of the cabinets... I think that you will realize that it wouldn't look that nice... I don't think the line of tile would look that nice either....See Moreangel411
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