Yes, Weissman, you are correct. I guess I didn't describe the kitchen set up clearly and unfortunately my kids have taken every digital camera in the house so I cannot post pictures as Stoxie wisely suggested. So, I will try to describe my set up a little better and pose my questions more clearly. The section of the kitchen I am concerned with is an L shaped peninsula. There are no upper cabinets. The back of the 80 inch side of the peninsula has a breakfast bar and the room it opens into is a playroom. There are no concerns for this portion. The other part of the L is 89 inches long. The cabinets face into the heart of the kitchen. The backside of this part of the L is a walkway from the playroom into the kitchen. Currently there is a 30 inch down draft range installed in this section. I will be removing the old range, putting a 36 inch open burner range in its place and extending the countertop 6 inches. New countertops will be granite. THE BACK OF THE CABINETS ARE COVERED BY A FORMICA PANEL. THIS IS WHERE THE NEW RANGE WILL BE PLACED. IT WILL BE BETWEEN 2 CABINETS AND COVERED BY THE SAME FORMICA PANEL. If I have to put granite on the back of the cabinets, I would have to do it on both sections of the L and the breakfast bar. The cost would be prohibitive. I cannot put the back of the range 6 inches away from the back of the cabinets as that would look ridiculous. The lower cabinets that are next to the range are 25 years old and are made of MDF and covered with formica. At the time of installation, they were considered top of the line - but they are really poorly made - but that is another issue. My questions: 1. Can the back of the open burner range be covered by a formica panel? I assume wood is under the formica. 2. Should their be some sort of insulation material placed between the sides and back of the range and the cabinets and back panel? If so, what would work? 3. Mojavean, how high above your counter is your range? Could you please post a picture. Thank you all for your advice. My husband sends a special thank you to all of you for your help and advice. He is so tired of discussing kitchen issues with me!! The input from all of you on garden web is truly appreciated.

I did something very similar to yours, which I love. If you don't like the rhomboid shape, it is probably not going to appeal to you, but I will describe it. Sorry, no working digital camera at the moment. My insert behind the cooktop is all glass rhomboids (same Tantrum from Sonoma). I used the same burgundy and khaki colors that you selected, and I also used green. Those three colors are randomly arranged. The field tile is a yellowish limestone 3X6, which provides a nice contrast to the sparkly niche. As you have done with the small decorative squares in your field tile, I used the 1X1 tantrum glass squares in the same khaki, green and burgundy colors, to spread the color and sparkle around the room. I remember that the tantrum glass tiles also came in larger squares (2X2). Maybe you could use those in burgundy in some kind of simple pattern behind the cooktop. Of the three class colors you've chosen, the burgundy stands out. I love the burgundy liner and how it looks with your field tiles. Definitely keep some color or sparkle there for a bit of contrast. Good luck. Tile options are endless, making it tough to decide.

Here are some products that give more protection in high heat situations. This was in regard to wood stove hearth and wall protection. Sweepy Sweep's Library: R Values of common hearth materials Q: My new woodstove's installation manual calls for a non-combustible hearth (floor protection) extending so many inches beyond the rear and sides of the stove and in front of the loading door. This much I understand. The manual also states this floor protection must have an "R" value of at least 0.800. This part I don't understand: what is an R value, and how do I ensure that my hearth material meets the minimum requirement? Sweepy R-value is a measurement of the insulating properties of a given material at a given thickness. Here's a chart showning the R-values of several common hearth materials: Material Thickness R-Value Ceramic Board ( Micore 160 ) 1/2" 1.270 Ceramic Board ( Rescor 360 ) 1/2" 1.110 Ceramic Board ( Fiberfrax Duraboard LD ) 1/2" 1.100 Ceramic Board ( Micore 300 ) 1/2" 1.030 Common Brick 4" 0.800 Common Brick 2-1/4" 0.450 Gypsum or Plaster Board 1/2" 0.450 Cement Board ( Wonderboard ) 1/2" 0.200 Cement Board ( Durock ) 1/2" 0.200 Cement Board ( Hardibacker 500 ) .42" 0.200 Cement Board ( Hardibacker ) 1/4" 0.130 Limestone 1" 0.153 Cement Mortar 1/2" 0.100 Slate 1" 0.100 Concrete 1" 0.095 Marble 1" 0.090 Granite 1" 0.083 Ceramic Pavers 1" 0.080 Flagstone 1" 0.079 Sandstone 1" 0.079 Ceramic Tile 1/4" 0.020 Sweepy As the chart shows, you can achieve the required R-value of 0.800 with 1/2" of Fibrefrax or Micore, 8-1/2" of poured concrete, or one layer of 4" brick. You can also meet your requirement by stacking layers of the materials listed: ie, 4 layers (2") of 1/2" Durorock would give you the 0.800 R-value you require.

Hello! This is my first time posting, and I would really appreciate some guidance/inspiration on what to do with the remainder of our kitchen. We recently bought a 70's brick ranch as a flip--we might stay, but we're also looking into selling it in 3-5 years. What I'm getting hung up on is that our shaker style cabinets feel simple/modern, while the granite feels more rustic, and so I'm feeling stuck on where to go with backsplash. We like an earthy inspired feel but not too rustic. That said my boyfriend's pick is 110% the Picasso trav, his second pick was ceramic beveled. What I'd like help with: Style of backsplash: plain subway, beveled, crackle, tumbled? We would like to be under $10/sqft. Should we keep the stainless backsplash? I know it's easier to clean, but what do people think looks best or most appealing to buyers? Are behind the range tile accents now dated? Would you put shelves on either side of the window? Should that area be left open? Inspiration for lighting over the island. We're doing can lights throughout kitchen and dining room. We'd like to eventually swap the cab hardware to oil rubbed bronze, something with clean, square lines. All other lighting, fixtures, hardware in open area are ORB. I'm open to any design advice in general! Please excuse our mess as we are still renovating, but here are some photos. The floors are dark brown oak. The kitchen: Close up of ceramic cream beveled, Essenze Greige, Essenze Bianco, Rixi Noce (which is too dark). The last 3 are crackle although the photo doesn't show it well: Picasso, and a honed trav subway: Poitiers, ignore the molding style it's just for color: The photo that made me interested in glass bevel subway, which is surprisingly hard to find in beige/cream!: https://st.hzcdn.com/simgs/b5e29c6a03d5ef78_8-9406/home-design.jpg Better view of island w/ dining room in background. The fixture in the dining room is from Kichler's Barrington collection.