Backsplshes of the same material as the counter have been commonplace for well over a century for obvious reasons: a painted plaster wall cannot take the abuse of repeated cleaning no matter what kind of paint is used. The "trend" you are observing is more likely that the entire wall between the counter and cabinets is the same material and the traditional short "backsplash" is omitted although this was common in Victorian kitchens behind the sink. I often find that men want a short functional backsplash and a plain wall and women want the full space covered with a decorative material. Since the cost difference can be large, it can be a tough issue to resolve. I'm dealing with it on a job this week. It all starts with a visit to an "appointment only" tile shop. The only caution I would give is to not allow ceramic tile to touch a counter. If the joint is filled with grout it will be difficult to clean and it will crack and discolor eventually. If the joint is sealed with silicone it will also be difficult to clean and it will discolor unless it is dark. Other sealants might work better if the tile does not expand and contract more than the counter. This would be the case if the counter and tile were the same material. When I have the floor space, I usually pull the standard 24" deep lower cabinets out from the wall 6 inches and put a bullnosed maple shelf on top of a 4" or 6" backsplash. The counter remains 25" deep. This creates a raised space for the things that collect on a counter top, allows easier cleaning of the work surface and reduces the need to decorate the wall with incredibly expensive hand-painted tiles that you will probably get tired of within a year (I can't help it, it's a guy thing). The deeper counter also allows the cabinets to not be right in your face and allows more overhead light to reach the counter. The upper cabinets can be lowered but if they are kept at the original height, it is not more difficult to reach the upper shelf because it is easy to lean forward 6" against the counter. I've even run it behind a range but the material changes to stone for that distance. I've done it in at least a dozen kitchens and it is the detail I get the most compliments about after occupancy.

Yes, that would be easier, but I would really like the look of the liner between the granite pieces. The finished ends will only be on the vanities, and I can disguise those with grout or matching caulk. There are no exposed edges at the tub... it is in a niche that butts up against each of the vanities. So, in your first scenario, why do you say to use caulk and not grout between the top and bottom of the tile and the granite? I was thinking of this order: 1) put up cement board 2) set the decorative tile (being careful about making sure it is the correct depth for the backsplash) 3) let the thinset dry completely 4) glue on the backsplash 5) let the glue dry completely 6) grout the decorative tile (????) 7) caulk the top of the granite backsplash What do you think?

Thanks,Mountainme. That is very pretty slate- is it your kitchen? Do you know the name of it? I never knew slate could be so gorgeous or that it came in so many color combinations until lately. I'm going to try and post a photo of the slate I found and my granite coutnertops. The slate seems to look busier in the photo and my granite less busy than in real life. Go figure! My cabinets aren't that orange in real life, either! I'll post sort of an overview of the kitchen so you can see how different the granite looks from a distance- it looks more white or off-white and gray. You can't see the golden veins much at all when you step back. This is what is part of what is driving me crazy trying to find a backsplash to go with it.

Chemetal has some very cool looking products. My MIL loves her Corian BS for ease of cleaning, but she has an island cooktop. I would be nervous using Corian in a high heat area. You mentioned large format tile, so I am going to throw out another idea -- really large format tile. I don't want to clean grout in the shower, so we are using large sheets of Kerlite Plus on the 2 side walls. Each of the walls will be done in a single piece of material, so no grout lines! Kerlite is a porcelain stoneware tile that is 3mm thick (3.5 mm for the plus version which has a fiberglass backing and is recommended if you need to do cutouts, like for faucets). We paid $200 per 100x300 cm (39-3/8"x118-7/64") slab (about $6.15 sq ft) for the Kerlite Plus in Via Tornabuoni from the Elegance series (one of the more expensive color series they offer). It is a really pretty medium gray that looks like limestone. They have several different different series that have patterns that look like different types of natural stone, wood, concrete or solids. Our color was a special order from Italy that took several weeks, but the local distributor also had some colors in stock. The Buxy and Colors lines have some lovely cream, tan and gray shades that would probably look good in your kitchen, depending on the countertops, and my local distributor had several colors from those lines in stock and they were less expensive than the Elegance line. You could probably do the back of your enclosure with a single seam, and the sides and top with no seams. Kerlite can also be used for countertops with a mitered edge over a plywood base. It is heat resistant. Kerlite comes in the following sizes: • whole slab, 100x300 cm (approx. 39-3/8"x118-7/64"); • slab, 40x100 cm (15-3/4"x39-3/8"); • slab, 100x100 cm (39-3/8"x39-3/8"); • slab, 50x50 cm (19-11/6"x19-11/16"); • border tile, 4.9x100 cm (1-59/64"x39-3/8"). Our shower should be tiled in about 2 weeks, and I am really excited to see how it turns out. Here is a link that might be useful: Kerlite colors