I have tile down to my countertops in most of my kitchen, so no 4 inch backsplash. I sooo want to redoo my countertops and backsplash and hopefully I will soon. The backsplash tiles are the cheap 4x4 white ceramic tiles that you can get at any big box store (builder installed). They have held up pretty well, but the grout is starting to get a bit hard to clean (it looks kind of dingy) and the silicone between the countertop and the end of the tile is cracked across the whole length of my counter. It doesn't look like there's any water damage there yet (especially behind the sink), but I think it's just a matter of time. There is one small corner of my kitchen where the builder did put the 4 inch backsplash, probably as an afterthought as it is a separate piece of laminate attached to the counter. I hate that backsplash! It gets dusty and takes up uneccessary space. I also think the no backsplash look is a much cleaner, neater look.

Hi mysterymachine & all, thanks for the good info. I'm in the same conundrum. I am a little confused by the photo though. You said that you have standard depth counters, which I take to mean 24". With a 1 1/2" overhang, that would give you 25 1/2" of countertop. The ticor 112 is 18 1/2", so that would give 7" to be divided between the granite in front of and behind the sink. From the photo, it looks like it's almost 7" from the wall to the back of the sink. How much granite is in front? Am I missing something? Thanks in advance for your time, I'm just embarking on this whole remodel odyssey myself!

Ginny20 - You asked "Does the 1" rim of the undermount sink overlap the base cabinet front edge under the counter"? ... Answer: It's not optimal to have the sink rim sit on the edge of the cabinet because you'd then have to remove the granite to remove the sink. To get a true understanding of how much space you have to work in you need some more #'s/info: * What type of sink are you thinking of purchasing? I'm assuming it does not have pre-drilled hole(s)for the faucet. * What is the depth of the cutout hole? The "with lip" (18.5") is important for understanding mounting space required and what you have left after for a faucet hole (which is normally 1 3/8"). The cutout hole is important in determing how much granite is left after you cut the hole out. You don't want the area in front or back to be too thin as it makes it fragile, although I just recently heard that fabricators can install a steal bar/pole to aid in strength for thinner runs. * Total depth of counter, including the overhang. This tells you how much granite you have to work with. Fabricators have a limit of how much they want to keep (for granite stability) in front and back of sink cutout. * How thick are your cabinet bases (3/4"?) and what is the total interior dimension? 24" is the outside to outside dimension and doesn't tell you what you have to work with inside, where the sink will be mounted/sitting. * How much interior space does a tip out tray need to function properly? Your cabinet dealer should be able to tell you this. This along with the outer dimensions / placement of the basin will determine whether or not a tip out tray will work in your space. Lots of questions, I know. I just went through all of this myself til I went cross-eyed. Make sure to work closely with your fabricator and mention all of the details that could effect things BEFORE they cutout the sink hole. I was able to have my fabricator move my sink hole forward a bit (not much) to give me a "little" more space to work with in the back. Counters are scheduled for install tomorrow so not sure yet how things will turn out. good luck!

You didn’t know what you didn’t know. And that's pretty much the rule for every project where a home owner works with a professional. If the home owner knew everything, they wouldn't have to hire anybody. If the professional asks an ambiguous question, and then deliberately skips the industry-standard step of visually confirming the layout with the client, then it's inappropriate to blame the client for not communicating well. This is a question that comes up with literally every single job the fabricator does. They should know how to verify instructions. We have had all sorts of counter tops installed over the years. Every single time, the fabricator would come to the house to do precise templating. And then they'd require that either the home owner or the general contractor sign off on the template before they'd make the first cut. These processes are in place exactly to avoid this type of issue. Yes, there have on occasion been mistakes. But when that happens, the professional eats the cost or finds a way to fix things that is acceptable to all parties.