Kitchen Backsplash Tile Dos and Don’ts
Your kitchen backsplash takes a lot of abuse, and it can start looking dingy and less vibrant over time. Is it time to update your kitchen with a mini project? Here are some kitchen backsplash tile dos and don’ts.
Do Consider Your Budget and Take Good Measurements
While incorporating a huge and intricate mosaic tile design as your backsplash is certainly a gorgeous addition to your kitchen, it may be out of your budget – both in time and in funds.
Luckily, most kitchen designers, like the professionals you can work with at Anve, are used to working within a certain budget and letting you know if there are wishlist items in your dream kitchen design that are going to fall outside your approved financial plan.
As a second step, it’s important to measure where you’ll want that kitchen backsplash tile to go. If you want unique borders or specific patterns that include a variety of tile shapes and sizes, you’ll need to make sure that:
- you have the space to create the effect you want,
- your budget accounts for the cost of all the materials, and
- the backsplash will have the intended effect you want in your kitchen.
There are tons of great resources online that can help you figure out how to measure for your backsplash yourself, or you can leave it up to the pros at Anve.
Don’t Use Textured Tiles
Textured tiles are gorgeous and can add depth and elegance to a kitchen space, but the endless amount of scrubbing you’ll need to do to keep all those little nooks and crannies clean will have you tearing your hair out in less than a year after installation.
The kitchen and bathroom are not the places you want to take big risks with materials that aren’t specifically made to withstand the high traffic and messy areas you will be putting them in.
Do Tile Behind the Stove
You may be tempted, as we all are, to only include your kitchen backsplash tile to the edge where your stove meets the wall, but that’s not how most experts would recommend you do it. By putting backsplash tile behind the stove, you can protect your walls from the stove’s heat.
Adding backsplash tile behind the stove also creates fewer areas where the grease and oils from cooking will stain your wallpaper or ruin your paint.
By extending the backsplash tiles, you can keep your kitchen looking new and clean for longer.
Don’t Forget Your Kitchen Backsplash Tile Maintenance
Every few years, your kitchen backsplash tile should be resealed. Grout is porous and the repeated heavy cleaning these tiles go through can quickly remove any seal that was put on when you installed the backsplash.
Do Think About Your Grout Color
Grout color in your kitchen backsplash tiles is another thing you will have to think about. As dynamic as black grout looks between white tiles, for example, that large contrast is only going to spotlight any imperfections that exist.
We know – if you are hiring a professional or meticulously following expert advice when completing your kitchen backsplash DIY project, you want the result to be perfect.
But unless you know your kitchen walls are perfectly straight and symmetrical, and the tile placement can be done without any interference, creating high-contrast backsplashes will have you staring at the small flaws rather than admiring the beautiful big picture.
Take some time to do research or talk with a professional to find the best tile and grout color combinations that will suit your space and fulfill your vision.
Anve – Experts for Your Kitchen Backsplash Tile and Much More
Anve Kitchen and Bath is your kitchen remodel and design expert. You can check out our approach to tile design here, or check out our full range of kitchen design services.
Have questions? Contact us today.
