Today is a different post than I have ever written. The title of this post is an actual question for you to answer. I don’t have the answer. I don’t really think there is a right or wrong answer…or maybe there is. I am willing to be educated. Confused? Let me explain. This week I tiled a backsplash for one of my friends. She was out-of-town on vacation and her hubby asked me and my hubby to tile their kitchen backsplash while they were gone. What a great guy! They had already purchased and picked out what they wanted for their tile, but couldn’t find a time in their busy schedules to install the tile. Lee and I were happy to help. I love tiling and I love surprises…how could I say no? The tiling project was pretty straight forward as a whole but we spent some time debating how to start. This picture will help you understand. This is Lee holding up tile for me to make a decision.
The countertop went past the kitchen cabinet. Do you start the tile where the kitchen cabinet ends or where the countertop ends? We debated it for a little while before we began. This side of the kitchen had to have the simple cuts and finished edge so we had to start here and go toward the wall. If we started at the wall and tiled to this point then we were not guaranteed a clean and “exactly where we wanted” finish.
So, what do you think? Where do you think the tile should stop?
In my house, I tiled by backsplash past the cabinet to where the countertop ends:
In my friend’s house, we started the tile where the cabinet began leaving a little countertop “un-backsplashed”.
I like both. In all honesty, I was leaning toward starting at the end of the countertop. My reasoning simply was because a backsplash purpose is to protect your wall from splashes. Splashes happen from things on your counter not in your cabinet. Then,
a voice in my head reminded me that my friend wanted to start the tile where her cabinet ends so I tiled it the way she wanted. I found that I
liked it just as much as I thought I would the other way.
Please comment, please speak up. Educate me, ramble on and lets discuss. What do you think? (note: My friend loves her kitchen and so do I. This is not a venue to be snarky but instead to give your thoughtful opinion. I welcome it if it differs from the final product….of course if its done respectfully)
I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of the final product (after grouting and cleaning the grout covered tile) but you can get a feel for my friends new backsplash by these pictures.
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Do you like this tile? My friend purchased it at Home Depot. The border is just extra tiles bordering the edge. I found this Subway Tile from Amazon
Thanks for Reading
Jennifer
I’m a fan of both and don’t think you can go wrong either way
I agree Erika! I really love how it turned out.
I think I’m captain over kill. I just painted faux back spash and ended up doing my entire kitchen wall. yup. Anyhow, being that I might be a more is more person, I like going to the end of the counter, but I also like how your clock hangs at the end of yours, I feel like that adds a nice balance
I’d do it to the end of your counter and then next to the upper cabinet, do a series of corner shelves that extend the illusion of the upper cabinets going all the way to same end as the counter top. It’s tricking the eye!
Great idea! Any ideas how to match stain or would you do the shelves a different color?
I’d go to the end of your counter as well. It draws more attention to that dead space when it doesn’t end at the counter.