I would center the tile behind the stove and the cuts land where they land.

6"x12" is really large for a kitchen backsplash. are you using bathroom or floor tile?

Thank you.

I believe they used the plastic blue boxes nailed to studs. This house was completely gutted, so the electricians had no excuse to not follow codes. It would have been easy to move the boxes since the originals were not to code. Drywall and insulation in exterior wall was gone and they had the plans for the kitchen.

6"x12" glass backsplash tile staggered. I started by centering the tiles within the 42" vent hood space. (3 full tiles and 2.5" on the left and right side.) As for the cuts, I am trying to stagger them so that I don't have U shaped cuts which will probably break. The problem is the receptacle covers are 4.5" tall and the tile is 6" tall. That leaves a 1.5" strip that will probably break.

I asked GC today, and the receps can be moved a little without removing the drywall, but the light switch on the left of the sink, is going to have to be moved. Triple switch is 2nd circle from the left on the picture. That one is causing the problems with the tiles. Even if I use the next smaller size tile, 3"x9", I would have the same problem.

Seabornman, you said, " It doesn't look like you have a receptacle within 24" of the edge of the sink on the right side which is code."

Does that mean I MUST have a recep within 24" of each edge of the sink, or does it I CAN'T have one within 24" of the sink edge? Do I start measuring from the interior edge of the left and right sides of the sink? I don't have 24" on the left side.

I would bet NOTHING is to code. We have spent over $100K fixing this house. It passed inspection when we bought it! HA! No permits, no city inspectors, you can't really even call our "town" a town. We have one gas station, a dollar store, and a post office. That is it! Volunteer fire department saves every concrete slab!! LOL

I have already paid once for the outlets /switches to be up to code. This time, I will know the answers and will measure myself. I hate doing that to contractors, but I guess I will have to.

Please tell me where to move receipts and switches so they WILL be up to code. Thank you!

Every point along a countertop that's next to a wall that's wider than 12" needs to have receptacles placed so that no point along the wall is more than 24" (horizontally) from a receptacle. He's saying it looks like there's a space from the sink toward the first receptacle that's MORE than 24". (I assume he's talking about to the right of the sink).

To answer your other question, the required receptacles may not be more than 20 inches above the countertop.

Just some thoughts here.

First, You're going to do a LOT of work to move those receptacles. If you leave them alone, I'll bet that not 2 people in 100 will notice that they're different heights, and one of the 2 is you. If your guests are staring at your electrical receptacles, you need to rethink the ways that you're entertaining them! :)

Second, I'm not a decorator, but I think that 6x12 tiles are going to look kind of big in your kitchen. IMO, smaller tiles will also be easier to cut around the boxes. I've used a Dremel Moto-tool with tile bits (note the plural) for such work with reasonable success. Actually, I'd probably just paint it and be done, but that's me.

I just finished a backsplash with (cheap) 4x12 tiles and I was able to make u-shaped cuts with a wet saw. A bunch of cuts then finish with end nips. Under our code (based on 2012 IRC), an outlet must be not more than 24" from edge of sink. Make sure your tiles are flat enough to offset without lippage.

Ron, thanks. 20" above the countertop.

David, I just wanted less grout, but I may have to choose 3"x9". The glass tile has to have round corners so it will be a pain to cut. My oak cabinets have a lot of movement (the grain) and my countertop (veins) does too, so larger tiles will be better if we can make it work. Less grout to compete. Smaller tiles means more lines and more movement.

Seabornman, glass tile or ceramic? The tiles require very slow cutting (30 seconds or more per inch). Rounded corners, too. It will be a tedious tile to cut. I may need to keep shopping for tile.

I won't be installing them, but I will be buying them. What does "flat enough to offset without lippage" mean? How would I know?

The recep on the right of the sink is exactly 24" from the edge of sink to the left side of the cover, so I am not sure if that counts if I am supposed to measure to the center of the double recep. I thought it meant they were too close to the sink.

It was ceramic. Yes, glass is slow. The manufacturer will tell you what patterns are acceptable. Some tile is not recommended to be installed 50% offset as they are not flat enough to match. Glass is usually very flat but you should verify.

Patterns? Do you mean like a stacked tile or staggered? That never occurred to me. Thanks for letting me know. So far, I have only asked about going behind a Bluestar rangetop. They have assured me that they can go behind the rangetop.

Yes. Stacked or staggered. The tile I used warned against installing in a 50% overlap, and recommended stacked or maximum 30% overlap.

I sent the company an email so hopefully they will respond. It didn't say anything on their installation manual. Thanls