Why white IMO the counters have no white in them that I can see so I need to see the whole kitchen. BTW that little short piece of counter is a backspalsh and IMO tile above that is not a good idea . You need to remove that piece and those dated tiles and retile with something that works with the counter if you are keeping it. Yes you can paint tile , it always looks like painted tile is that the look you want?

Thanks Patricia for your insight. I’m not sure I understand what you mean about the short piece of counter- are you referring to the piece of counter that joins the counter and the backsplash? And what you’re saying is I should remove that and tile right down to the surface of the counter? Your insight is much appreciated.

As for the colour, I was thinking white as I feel any other colour would darken the kitchen too much as the counters are grey, walls are grey and there is no natural light in the room. The window was above the sink but an addition was added on the house and the window was removed which is why that tile kind of goes up like that.

I’d tear out the tile and the vertical backsplash, repair the drywall and paint it. You’ll save time and money, which can go to any future renovation. We just bought a condo where they painted the tiles in the shower, and it’s a mess.

What did you decide to do? I have similar backsplash and am thinking about painting it

Hi Sonia, we ended up keeping the tile for the time-being as I got scared painting would not turn out good and then we would be forced to replace the tile. The more I thought about it, I wasn’t sure if that tile pattern would look good painted all one colour. I think painting it all white would look better with a subway style for example. If you do decide to paint it, let me know how it goes!!

It sounds like you don’t want to invest too much in this right now. For this reason I would consider peel-and-stick “tiles.” It might be interesting for the time being and you can always dive into a bigger reno later