Not having the 4" backsplash and just having tile down to the counter is a more up-to-date look. There are many people still using the 4" backsplash and many that tile above it, so it's not completely unheard of. If you can take it out, I would do so and just tile down to the counter.

How is it attached to the countertop. I have seen it attached with a caulk, but I have also seen it bonded to the countertop, which may not come off without damaging the counter...or at all.

There is simply a line of caulk between the countertop and the backsplash. A Corian guy confirmed it should come off the wall easily. It is not a molded backsplash which is what I have in our main bathroom.

My big dilemma is that we have a section of countertop that sites between the pantry and the cabinet that encases the fridge. The backsplash was installed on all three sides with the back on the wall but the other 2 sides glued to the side of the cabinets. The cabinet sides are as deep as the countertop. They didn't do this on our desk area so I have to presume it was done in this small area due to food preparation and wanting to seal the crack between the countertop and the cabinet panel.

If we pull the 4" backsplash off the wood we are sure to damage it. We could cover it up with tile, but is it even possible to tile the side of a cabinet? This introduces a whole world of complications that begged the questions of whether we should simply skip tile completely or just add to the Corian backsplash we already have.

Sigh, nothing is easy without a total kitchen redo which is out of the question.

Demarcation line 1 1/4" from the wall? Not sure I follow what you mean. The Corian appears to be about 7/16" thick. The tile guy thought all the backsplash could be removed and he could address the possible gap between the countertop and the wall (is that what you mean?)

Also, the Corian is actually attached to a vinyl side of the cabinet. For some reason, the builder only added a true wood panel to some cabinet ends but not to thee side of the pantry or either side of the fridge cabinet. I wonder if it's possible 15 years later to get a real wood panel applied after we take off the Corian backsplash.

I didn't remove it because it didn't occur to me, wasn't suggested by the tile co, and this was before I knew of this site. It's not awful, and I can live with it until time to redo.

{{!gwi}}

In our old house we added tile to the corian 4" backsplash. I think it looked fine and I had no problem with the way it looked. I was very happy to have tile vs the oil splashed painted dry-wall above it! I think you will enjoy having a full backsplash and hopefully will be happy with whatever decision you make.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_o4eKK5miBwc/TBYPLNDOaVI/AAAAAAAADBM/NRrwspLVhZs/s144/IMG_0781.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_o4eKK5miBwc/TBYPLZUvOFI/AAAAAAAADBQ/vmH_rSKWE24/s144/IMG_0779.JPG

Thanks everyone for the beautiful pictures. Countrygirl, your pictures were almost too small to view. I actually could see them a bit better on my Ipod Touch. Do you have larger versions of them?

I think I'm going to leave it on since there are SO many complications because of my Corian install and how the backsplashes were installed (there is my corner garage issue too). I might contact my Corian guy and ask him to make me some small Corian tiles as accent tiles which will coordinate my backsplash with the new tile. I just don't want it to look like it was done as an add-on (if that's even possible now).

"Demarcation line 1 1/4" from the wall? Not sure I follow what you mean. "

The portion of the counter covered by the back-splash thickness is very likely to look slightly different.

Years of regular cleaning alone can alter the surface however slightly.

You do not see the wear if the surface is uniform, but exposing a portion that was hidden away and protected with caulk is likely to look different.

It can be blended in usually but is another thing to consider (the color may have shifted slightly, especially if sunlight reached the counter).

Ok, I follow what you mean now, brickeyee. However, I don't' believe this is an issue with Corian. After the tile is done, I had already planned to have the fabricator refinish the Corian countertop to remove scratches, etc. Corian is pretty impervious to this type of thing and I don't believe sunlight affects it like it might Formica. Also, if I do end up choosing to remove the Corian backsplash, the tile that would replace it would be very close in thickness (most travertine is close to same thickness as my backsplash)so I would be safe there as well. If it wasn't for some of the idiosyncrasies of my Corian backsplash install, I don't think I would run into these issues if I decided to remove it.

So sorry about that! I'm still learning how to imbed pictures. If anyone can tell me how to do it right, PLEASE DO! I can't seem to get it right. I think you can scroll through with this imbed.

Sorry...it is still small and you can't see the other pictures. I'll learn one day :) Here is another link...

Here is a link that might be useful: corian with tile

Thanks, countrygirl, I can see it fine. It looks great. I still prefer a full backsplash of tile, but it's just not worth it. So when it's time, I'm going to put together a backsplash that coordiates with the Corian with possible a random Corian tile (if the fabricator can do that) that ties the entire thing together. I think in the long run it will mean more value for my tiling buck and certainly a lot less stress. Hopefully, one day I'll be able to redo the kitchen and then I can make all the decisions from ground up.