I'm interested in hearing your answers, as this is exactly what I plan to do. I've chosen a honed marble subway tile inset with Azul diamonds, to go over my soapstone counters, under my marshmallow white cabinets. I plan to seal it, then keep it clean, so I'm not too worried, not like I would be about a marble countertop.
{{!gwi}}

I am interested in everyone's opinions too since I am contemplating the same thing. I have black titanium granite with white inset cabinets. I have looked at the venatino marble from Lowes. My thought was to seal it and keep it clean too!

It's a wonderful option. Marble tiles need to be sealed, but as they are on the vertical they will get very little splash back, so staining will probably not be an issue. Etching is possible, but again much less likely on the vertical.

mlweaving-love love love that. It's going to be stunning.

Lots of my clients have marble back-splashes and are quite happy with them. Some are polished, some honed and some even used tumbled, which you would think would provide more spots for dirt and stains. They all look great. I think you should get what you want.

The ununsed kitchen:

http://www.remodelista.com/posts/domestic-dispatches-the-unused-kitchen

ml that is beautiful - love it! Marvelous thanks you for the link, I actually loved what she did with the stainless steel and I thought her backsplash was so unique I loved it! It comes down to look verses functionality based on how your lifestyle is. I'm still trying to figure that out. I do know that I tire quickly of colors, and always try to go "timeless" .

Exatly the combo I have, and I love it. No issues after almost 3 years. Wiped backsplash down over the weekend and cleaned up like a dream. I got our subways at Home Depot. Just beware you have to over buy, pick and choose, and return the rest...identifying to them which are damaged, etc. But 1/4 the price of a tile store and nobody is the wiser.

I don't always have the bunny tray there, and seriously, no issues at all with staining.

fivefootzero, I just love your backsplash, with the pencil liner as subtle accent.

I have small Italian marble herringbone pattern and I like it. No bad issues.

Fivefoot thanks for the advice abt HD. I love your backsplash and the bunny plate! The pencil liner is a nice subtle addition I like it very much. Thanks for the photo.

I don't have a marble backsplash but I did put some large marble tiles behind my stove while I was deciding what tiles to put up. (They are left over from some floors.) The oil that splattered on the marble soaked right through. You can hold them up to the light and they are translucent where the oil has soaked in. That little unintended experiment demonstrates to me that the sealing and cleaning had better be religious. Little bits of oil build up over time....

I have Carrara subway and have no issues as well. My biggest issue was remembering to buff out the sealer with a dry towel before it dried. Perhaps I have an "unused kitchen", like the post above -- I think good ventilation, having the prep area on an island and using the simmer burner up front cuts down on issues. I'll admit I'm a bit terrified of putting messy things on the back burners and I wipe up any splashes.

But, I don't wipe it down all the time, I haven't sealed it in nine months and I once dropped a bottle of red wine and doused the entire BS. I wiped it up within minutes with no issues.

I don't think we ever sealed it after we put it in. We did put sealer on the tile pieces BEFORE we installed though if I remember correctly. Maybe that helped.

My husband is a sloppy cook, but our high power burner is in front. Still, 3 years of use, and it is absolutely still perfect. I cook almost every day at least dinner and weekends at least 2 meals...for 4 of us, sometimes more. My kids are not very tidy either when they pour chocolate milk, juices, and other things. Never a worry.

I have 3 x 6 honed marble subway tiles. They are not carerra, but I can't remember the name. There is a little brown in there with the grey and the white is not as bright white as the careera. The tile installer sealed it. We have had some sauce and oil splatter up onto it, but it has wiped right off.

I agree with the earlier poster who said to over buy and then pick and choose the tiles you want. You might find some chipped or with some coloration you don't like, such as a stark black line or splotch on it. And this also goes for tile from a high end store, not just HD. So it's a good idea to either pick through them ahead of time, or be there when the installed is working and edit the tiles as the work progresses.

But to answer your question about staining, we haven't had any issues. I love it.

fivefootzero-
your backsplash is beautiful- please can you tell my what kind of marble that is? I love how subtle yet interesting it is.

illinigirl - my backsplash is carrera subway tiles with a pencil tile accent...all from Home Depot.

I am a fan.....every time I see someone with a marble BS, I do admire it.

thanks fivefootzero! I didn't realize carrera could have the warm tones that yours appears to have. I love it.

fivefootzero, was that in store, or special order? I'm in Canada and they have special order, which I think is individual tiles and they have 2x4 on mesh which does not look that great, but I've seen photos where they do look good. Are these the mesh ones or individual tiles?

I need to decide on my backsplash soon, and it's between the special order at Home Depot or zipping to the USA to get some from The Tile Shop, which is more expensive, plus exchange, etc. but I don't have to wait 2 or more weeks for it. Thanks!!

Hi MGMum...

I got our tiles in store. The only reason I found them was because all the tile boards from the tile stores we were seeing didn't fit underneath the cabinets to get a true view of how it would look. So I wanted to see the individual tiles stacked, as they would really appear.

Home Depot had exactly what I wanted at 1/4 the price of what the tile store had to offer. He couldn't even come close to their price.

Thanks fivefootzero! My son has a soccer game in the US on Saturday morning, so I'll be hitting up the Home Depot. The store has a ton of them according to the online inventory. Every time I see something I want to check out in real life, I put it in my "Notes" in my phone, and those ones were already on my list! LOL

We had a honed marble tile backsplash in a subway pattern installed three years ago and still absolutely love it. We're about to move and it's on my list of eventual to-dos for our new house. No issues whatsoever with staining, etc. and our Keurig is tucked into a corner so it definitely gets coffee splashes a few times a day which, I'll admit, don't get wiped off all too quickly with a toddler underfoot.

We used Contempo White marble from Daltile and were very, very happy with the choice. It has a light grey veining, less than carrara, and was a great price (I think we paid around $7.50 a sf with my dad's discount?).

My dad is a GC and likes it so much that he's ended up recommending it (and using it) to clients. I seriously get comments on it every time someone new comes to visit. Love it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Contempo White Marble Subway Tiles