It looks like you have granite so IMO to trade that for plastic counter would be a down grade IMO the backsplash is the issue so change it and BTW quartz cannot be a backsplash behind any cooking appliance .

@patricia , quartz cannot be a backsplash? Here almost every quart supplier I have spoken to is putting quartz as backsplash! What is IMO , and why plastic counter? I’m looking into quartz

Quartz is a man-made combination of quartzite (natural stone) and “plastic” resin. Quartz is heat sensitive due to the resin used. I love my Quartz counters and protect them from hot pans with metal racks. Many people are gang-ho for all natural products but if you understand the pros and cons of each and hire experienced installers should be happy.

IMO is short for “in my opinion.”

Thank you Sharon & Riz… would you say I shouldn’t go for quartz as my backsplash?

unless you use a heat resistant material behind your cooktop, id say no. There are so many stunning tile options out there. The right tile makes your quartz even more beautiful. Good luck jazz:)

I'd be worried about the counters being too close in pattern and not close enough in pattern to the floor. Once you change to a solid light backsplash you may love your counters again. Otherwise a solid counter might work better with the floor.

ps. quartz does not look, feel or handle like plastic. weird comment.

She hates quartz and always makes it a point to call it plastic.

P Banos makes a good point about the quartz looking too much like the floors. I'd either keep the same countertop you now have and opt for a plain, solid color backsplash or go for a nearly solid, dark and contrasting countertop and a plain light backsplash leaving the floor the star of your kitchen. You've got three busy elements now-floors, counters and splash and that's a couple too many.

Thank you Riz & P Banos, we’ll be changing our counters to a quartz white/grey veining countertop like the picture above , just contemplating on what to go for the backsplash… I want to go with Riz’s advice but the countertop supplier we are dealing with only put quartz as counter and backsplash they don’t do tiles. We’ll have to see our options!

I got really confused with the plastic comment! QuarTz was more expensive than granite in the past, I remember that!

Sometimes people are just negative, it irks me when they are purposely rude to a person just asking a question. Find yourself a good tile guy. Good luck;)

i would not pair the quartz you are considering with your floors. A quartz with a different pattern (without the large grey veining that your floor has) could work though.

I have a Formica backsplash behind my stove that has been there since the house was built (the old Formica when they slid it into the metal guides that are attached to the wall). Not scorched, stained or melted.

I think these two videos are the best I have seen comparing granite vs quartz heat resistance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIo1QAJmtEU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUYYjVb6hRM

“Quartz is a man-made combination of quartzite (natural stone) and “plastic” resin.”

This is not accurate:

Quartz countertops are man-made and consist of quartz chips or quartz dust bound together with resin. Usually, the composition is about 90-95% quartz to 5-10% resin.

Quartzite countertops are an actual slab of natural quartzite stone. Quartzite is a metamorphic rock that starts out life as a quartz-rich sandstone that transforms under intense heat, pressure, and metamorphic activity. Over time, these factors cause the materials to recrystallize and reconfigure the quartz grains into an incredibly strong, interlocking structure.

Quartzite had its beginings as grains of mineral quartz, but the end result, over millions of years of metmorphosis, is a much harder, stronger rock. Two different animals. Quartz counters are not stone, and the resin binders give the counters a plastic look. Quartzite is real stone, and has a visual depth that quartz will never have.

Can you post a pic of your kitchen from farther back? Are you planning to replace the backsplash only, or the countertops as well? Agree, grey veined backsplash with your current flooring is not a good idea.

BTW, we have quartz slabs behind the ranges in both our kitchens. The ranges have integrated backguards and there has never been an issue.

Next question - is your granite slab impregnated with resin?

https://ctasc.com/expert-answers/is-it-normal-for-granite-slabs-to-be-impregnated-with-resin/

I have no idea if my granite top is impregnated with resin as we got this from the builder but they didn’t have much options! Our plan was to pick something temporarily and Change it later however I made a huge mistake while selecting a busy mosaic backsplash that you see on my picture and now I’m not liking anything in my kitchen and it’s driving me crazy! At first we wanted to change the backsplash only but not I’m getting comments about my countertop being too busy and too outdated! If I’m going to change something I might as well change everything but now I’m sooo confused as to what to go with! White & gray counter were my # 1 choice but because they are too similar to my floor I have no clue what to do. The other option was to go with a black/white countertop . Will attack a picture in a bit! Here is a picture of my current kitchen

I have no idea if my granite top is impregnated with resin as we got this from the builder but they didn’t have much options! Our plan was to pick something temporarily and Change it later however I made a huge mistake while selecting a busy mosaic backsplash that you see on my picture and now I’m not liking anything in my kitchen and it’s driving me crazy! At first we wanted to change the backsplash only but not I’m getting comments about my countertop being too busy and too outdated! If I’m going to change something I might as well change everything but now I’m sooo confused as to what to go with! White & gray counter were my # 1 choice but because they are too similar to my floor I have no clue what to do. The other option was to go with a black/white countertop . Will attack a picture in a bit! Here is a picture of my current kitchen

I also like something like this which means going with a darker black color countertop, but looks like here it’s also the backsplash… but I’m told not to use the same backsplash due to the cooktop… I’m so conflicted!

Yes, it’s common knowledge that fabricators use resin to fill fissures found in a granite slab. Some granites have more fissures than others. That’s hardly the same as having resins mixed throughout a heated mixture, used to form a manufactured product.

Ill bet you that most people here would just take out the backsplash and replace with something without a pattern. Your kitchen is fine except the buisiness of the backsplash. For a couple thousand dollars your problem will be solved.

Seeing the larger photo, I don't find the counter to be outdated. I'd say it is more timeless. But the backsplash is the oddball. A simple tile in a light grey from the countertop would work out. With all the $$ you save by keeping the counter you can get a full size fridge :-)

Agree with @M Riz. New simple tile backsplash. And maybe a little color in a few accessories? Guessing that the cute little refrigerator is temporary. Nice kitchen!

But I don’t like my countertop either,,, what if we keep the backsplash and change our countertop, what color would you recommend in that case?

Tlynn1960, can you send me a picture of what your vision is as I’m very visual and will never understand what you’re trying to say lollll

Hahaha P Banos, that was a good one! I forgot to mention this is a new built and due to covid our appliances are all delayed, still waiting for our fridge & dishwasher, it’s been over a month now!
Wish I chose a better backsplash option, oh well lesson learned :(

Thanks flopsycat, & yes fridge is temporary as our appliances are delayed due to covid! It’s been hard with the tiny fridge, can’t wait to complete the look & work on the decor once I make up my mind what to do with this kitchen lol

Finding kitchen images with white tile floors isn't easy-wood floors abound in white kitchens. Here's a kitchen with white floors, though non-patterned vs your patterned floor.. Some type of dark, contrasting counter which reads as mostly one color in the horizontal plane. Then a one-color backsplash which is interesting, yet subdued in pattern/color. Your white/gray quartz is too similar to your floor that I think it will look like a mismatch of veiny patterns so look for something that contrasts with the white floor and cabinets. The backsplash you have now tips things into overly busy territory with the thin ribbons of glass tiles-a redo would be an easier fix than replacing both the splash and the counters and may well give you a more cohesive look.

Tlynn, I agree with you! Thank you for sharing the picture! We are going to redo the backsplash and that might fix my dilemma here and we’ll keep everything else the same!

And 1 last question Everyone please be honest, is my countertop “outdated” ????

Outdated is a loaded word. Like everything else there are trends. right now , and for the last few years, marble look is everywhere. I personally would go by what looks good. You have a brand new home with a brand new kitchem, nobody (except for probably 1 or 2 people on this forum) would tell you that your kitchen is outdated.

Ps I am also finishing up a custom build that going on almost a year and my appliances that were ordered in Feb & March arent here. Well really, my ovens made it and thats about it. 🤞🏻that we get the rest by mid December. I hope yours arrive soon.

remove the backsplash ...clean up the wall..prime and paint it. then in your time bring in samples of backsplash tiles. keep the counters right now. But keep going forward. the splash has to go, so just do that. the lighting could be improved. I'd pivot to that. Recessed lights in the ceiling...do you have under cab task lighting...how about one single focus pendant over the peninsula. then the "look" at the backsplash will come to you when some details are straightened out. Its a pretty nice space overall....just some adjustments but no I would not tear out the counters.

I think your kitchen looks nice. While I may not pick/install that counter today, I also wouldn't replace it or consider it "dated", it looks fine. I agree it's your backsplash that isn't working -- 2 busy patterns together don't play well. I recently replaced a similar counter with Calcutta quartz (we re-vamped the island and had to change it) & while I love it, it's so popular now... that I kinda wish i picked something different that I don't see all over town. Oh well.

I am sure doing this new build during COVID is making an already stressful event even worse. I think the idea of a black stone (like the photo you posted) as the countertop will break up the white-floor-white-kitchen look. I actually love the look of the photo posted. But I would not use the same stone for the backsplash.

I understand your stone person doesn’t do tile. Most don’t. Just get a new countertop from that contractor, paint your new wall after removing the busy tile, and take a breath. The right countertop for this kitchen will not necessarily be a good backsplash. A simple tiled backsplash, with a dark stone countertop, will look great with your white cabinets and white floor.

Hi Riz, thank you for the reassurance, I kept getting some negative comments about my countertop on other posts and then quartz being called plastic lol I’m already so confused with my kitchen & keep going back and forth on what we really should do! And yes covid has made lots of delays… we still have no dates provided for the appliances so I’m hoping it doesn’t go into 2022! Our house was also delayed by 6 weeks due to covid. It’s been stressful to say the least. Thank you for being so kind and supportive, I’m new to “houzz” and only regret is I wish I had visited this app before I purchased my backsplash lol!

I wish you all the best as well.

I would try to move away from the gray-and-white craze. Add some color to your kitchen: towels and potholders, large cooking utensils, curtains for the windows, ceramic canisters, a rug or two. Many many kitchens we are seeing seem to have the same look. Be unique!

Thank you herbflavor for some awesome ideas! I really need to work on the decor & lightning. Ive been so fixated on my backsplash that I haven’t thought of doing anything else with the kitchen!
I will be looking into light fixture over the island , that would really add some life to my now boring looking kitchen lol

Thank you Paula! The builder really didn’t have many options on stones and they were all granite and all of them were just as busy! I opted for a darker color which on the sample looked black/white .. as we got the kitchen in person it’s cream/gray/black so I was a little disappointed how different it looks once installed!
Our plan was not to spend extra with builder as the price was inflated and to wait a few years before re-doing it.
Looking at different backsplash options now! Thanks for the support

Thank you RedRyder, I personally also love that black/white kitchen in the picture posted! We were initially looking at black countertop but then I don’t know if it will be too black or do I go with something just a bit darker like darker gray for counter. We looked at this black quartz for the countertop, we have a waterfall so we would like to keep the waterfall design as well…. and if I add this specific black stone, I think it will go nicely with our floors and white cabinets . What do you think ?

While your granite is not on trend, I think it looks great with your cabinets and floors. Before you go through the expense of removing and replacing (risking damage to your cabinets or floors should a mishap occur), I would do as others suggested and remove the backsplash, repair the drywall and paint for now. You may find that you like your grante just fine. Then you can take your time choosing a backsplash. I usually wait a year to tile because I have decision burnout by the time I get to that point. (We got a lot of negative feedback when using granite in our new beach house kitchen but I didn't want quartz because I do like to put hot pans directly onto the countertop.)

How about this countertop, would it match my floors or am I crazy ?

I think kitchens and homes need some color to really come to life and help reflect the personality of the owner.

You already have the white floor and white cabinets. Usually you add some warmth with either wood cabinets or wood floors, but at this point in the game I would embrace the white and use a counter that that is also light and then add a bit of color with the backsplash and stools.

The other option is to do the black and white or gray and white theme. I would tire of either quickly.

Here is a kitchen with white on white on white with just a bit of blue.

Kitchen of Belle Meade · More Info

The blue really could be switched out for whatever color you love.

The white quartz with the gold veining IS too close, in design, to your floor. If you go white, with a solid color backsplash like @Jennifer Hogan suggested above,you need pure white counters. I like contrast so I would go for the black stone, but with a white backsplash. Maybe you need to just remove the backsplash to see if you fall in love with your existing countertop - and take a break. (?)

'Everyone please be honest, is my countertop “outdated” '

I didn't read the other responses to this question, but- do you like it? That's the real question you should be asking yourself. Unless you're fixing this up so you can sell it. Otherwise... do you like it?

Regarding calling quartz countertops 'plastic', M Riz was spot on with their comment "Quartz is made out of resin, but if for some reason, you want to make someone feel bad or stupid about their choice, you call it plastic." I have quartz in my house that I love. In my new kitchen, I'll have granite. I was going to choose quartz, but the granite I liked was much cheaper.

Back to the other question... is your granite outdated? I wouldn't choose it. But if I had it in my house, I don't know that I'd replace it. Functionally, what kind of person are you? I have a beautiful white (plastic :P ) quartz counter in my bathroom. I learned that we must wipe it down after every use, because it shows the outline of every water spot. Also, I currently have a white laminate countertop (actual plastic) in my kitchen. Every bread crumb, every poppy seed, every coffee ground, every cat footprint (no, he is NOT allowed on the counters!), every breath you take, every move you make, will be showing up on the countertop. White quartz countertops are gorgeous. I'd never want one in my kitchen.

I spent the last 20 years in a house with fake butcherblock laminate counters. Honestly, I detested the counters, they were ugly, but not enough to consider spending money to replace them as they weren't broken. Your current counters are pretty, sure they aren't "trendy", currently. Trends are created to help talk people into spending their money on stuff they don't necessarily need. Who is behind these trends? Companies with stuff to sell and people with enough money to throw around wherever they want. "Regular" people come to places like Houzz and see fancy stuff and feel they are missing out, feel the need to do something other than what they have and are constantly bombarded by suggestions whether well meaning or not that what they have isn't good enough. The old phrase "keeping up with the Joneses" was and is a real thing. The internet simply mushroomed the need to keep up with the Joneses into a multi-million dollar phenomenon.

I agree with most everyone here that the backsplash is too busy for the counters. Pull it out and paint the drywall and wait. One of the sensible things I've read on Houzz is to wait till you live with things before you go throwing money at it. Most of us are not made of money.

As for plastic being a bad thing. It's laughable. Plastic is everywhere. I suppose all those millions of people living in houses with Vinyl (OMG. PLASTIC) siding should hang their heads in shame. I gave up worrying about stuff made out of plastic when disposable diapers became all the rage. (where is the outrage about plastic against precious baby bottoms?) There is nothing wrong with laminate counters, quartz, quartzite, wood, granite, glass, solid surface whether it's veined, particulate, etc, if you LIKE it. Who cares what others think. Let's not get into the resale thing either, these days if your buyer doesn't like it enough to not buy your house, then they weren't serious in the first place, and just needed an excuse. Why the heck are we supposed to make our houses into something someone else in the future is going to like rather than what WE LIKE NOW?!!

I do not consider your countertop "outdated" (another word to convince you to spend your money on this and make someone else rich word). The only thing I don't like about it is the waterfall. To me that's just something to stub your toe on.

As for the counter material behind the cooktop, AFAIK the real worry is for those high BTU professional stoves which require steel or something similarly fireproof behind them. I can't tell what your cooktop is so you need to read the manufacturers instructions and the codes for your area to know what can go behind it.

Finding the look you love isn't about trends. The current countertop is a small pattern and the backsplash is a small pattern - one or the other has to be replaced. Replacing both is the other option.

Only you can decide how you want to spend your money and how much you can afford to spend.

You have to weigh the cost vs the length of time and amount of joy the expenditure is going to provide.

I am renovating my home from stem to stern, doing most of the work myself. The kitchen and laundry will be the last 2 rooms. Until then I am living with pretty awful cabinets with 50 year old Formica.

I would not choose either your backsplash or your countertops. It wouldn't work with my personal taste. I love MCM, solid colors or large patterns and I love actual color. I have teals, purples and reds throughout my home with a neutral that works with these colors for the main living area (living room, foyer, hallways).

I have landed on a countertop that really works for me, but wouldn't work in most homes. That is okay, because it doesn't have to work in most homes. It only has to work with the overall feel of my home. I am pretty sure that I will be painting my cabinets purple. Again, not great for many homes, but will work with my home.

Here is what I am planning for the kitchen with a red laundry room next to it (not my kitchen, used one with the countertop and photoshopped my colors)

Here is the kitchen with my current foyer and many of the other design choices I have made. Art that I love, area rug that I purchased, over all color scheme.

It fits with everything else. A bright white kitchen may look out of place with the other colors. Your countertop wouldn't work with my other design choices.

How does your countertop/backsplash relate to the rest of your home? Does it fit or does it feel wrong? If it feels good with the rest of the house it is the right countertop.

I hate seeing worries about brand new choices being "dated", especially when we are talking about a fixed element. I am with you on the backsplash. It needs to go. But I implore you to wait until the backsplash is gone for awhile to change that granite counter. I am seeing comments on blogs that the white marble-look is falling out of style so if you're worried about the trends, it's really hard to keep up. What is touted as "timeless" is rarely so.

Also, I had granite in my previous home. Sometimes when I'd clean it, I'd run my hands over it and just marvel at how beautiful it was. We built a new house in 2019 and went with quartz. Now, I wouldn't call it "plastic" by any means. It's a very nice and durable counter. But there is a difference that man-made just cannot recreate.