they make quartz in 10mm thickness as well. This can be good for a backsplash. Silestone "Sierra Madre" is busy. Some people have a large sheet of glass as a backsplash.

We did (paint that is, with a 4" granite trim). It made the most sense given the other elements in our kitchen renovation. Our cook top is also on the island (part of the existing footprint we retained in our MCM home) The kitchen already had a huge fireplace adjacent to the kitchen. Add granite counter tops, a stone veneered wall oven enclosure and tile floors and anything but a simple coat of paint for the back splash would have been too much.

I adore tile, glass, SS etc... back splashes in other kitchens. But they can be too much of a good thing. Oh, and don't underestimate the aesthetics of a painted back splash. One of the most frequent comments we get on our new kitchen is how much they like the back splash color. (an orangey gold called "cajun shrimp") Go figure :)

Hope this helps.

Does anybody get a 4"-6" strip of countertop quartz as a backsplash (and paint the area between the top of the backsplash and below the cabinets)?

This will make your custom quartz counters look like prefab countertops.

No,not everone does tile.

Sheets of SS or Copper.

Wall Paper or Fabric behind Acrylic Sheets.

The aforementioned sheet of glass is popular in Europe.

Thin brick.

Pebbles or other stones.

I have seen people use laminate flooring as backsplash.

The list just goes on and on.

"This will make your custom quartz counters look like prefab countertops."

Not necessarily IMHO. Particularly in a period home such as ours, a contemporary backsplash would have looked out of place.

I think the appropriate backsplash for a kitchen depends on a number of factors, including the other elements in the room, how much square footage there is for a backsplash (very little in our open concept kitchen) as well as the style of the home. Depending on the kitchen, a painted backsplash can be a great design choice OR a missed opportunity.

Swanstone makes 3' x 8' x 1/4 inch sheets of solid surface material in 29 colors. Might be something you'd like. Its heatproof and extremely durable.

Pebble

Geometric

Beadboard

Tagier

After agonizing over tile we couldn't afford or didn't like, we decide to just do a 1" stainless splash on our stainless counters and paint the rest up to the cabs. Since our cabinets will take up almost 2 walls and go to the ceiling, it seemed like a good way to pull in color without committing to a tile that I would have to pick cab and wall colors around.

Tile to the counter seems very popular right now, and very "clean" looking, but I see plenty of high-end kitchens on the Crown-point or Plain English websites that have a small backsplash. It can work in a traditional-looking kitchen, if that's what your looking for

Here is a link that might be useful: Plain English Cabinets

Oh, Maxie -- you are a *mind reader*. I was just about to post a question with precisely this topic. Though I was going to ask whether people would show theirs if they have one. I've been perusing the backsplash pictures from starpooh's FKB searching for this. I was even contemplating asking boxer to wave her magic wand over the problem.

And then, angela, there you go and post some pictures. Thank you!!!!

I've been thinking about adding just a 4" backsplash except in the range area and I hear *everyone* saying not to do it: folks here, tile designer-guy, tile maven. Yet it is what I see in my mind's eye. It's so helpful to see those published photos.

Those English kitchens are stunning and a bit severe. (Did you notice the ones without range hoods? Yikes.) I think the short splashes work in those kitchens because of a few reasons. They're English. ;) They all have inset and painted cabs. The counters aren't quartz or granite (or at least the handful I looked at weren't.) The bs strip is shorter than the builder-grade 4" strip Deeageaux must think of.

When I think of throwing up a 4" strip of counter material on a remodeled 1960-2000 kitchen without the period reference mentioned by MCMesprit, I agree with Dee in most cases. IMHO, it's dated and looks prefab. I'm also not a big fan of how it breaks up the small area between counter and uppers. It puts a pretty noticeable horizontal line across the room, and you then have to add another element, usually paint, to fill the gap between 4" strip and uppers. It usually looks busy to me. As I get older, I'm getting fussier about my spaces being busy. I need simple, clean, quiet lines and surfaces. Thats just me. :)

With a busy quartz and you being overwhelmed, I suggest keeping the bs tile very simple. No pattern. Also, you don't have to pick a tile this week, do you? Take your time and relax. Browse kitchens on the Finished Kitchen Blog or design websites like Houzz and Decor Pad to get a sense of what you like. For example, do you like tiles that pull a darker or lighter color from your counter?

I didn't do one. I still think it has to do with your particular kitchen and what else you have going on.

I do think the 4" strip of counter matierial looks dated.
However not every kitchen needs a backsplash. We don't have one-the drywall comes all the way down to the counter. We have had no issues. 99% of our prep is done on the island. Worse case scenerio is that we have to touch up the paint in 5 years. You can always add a backplash later.

We ordered the extra high stainless steel backsplash for the range in an island configuration. So no, not using a tile backsplash. FWIW, our other counters where there is a backsplash we are going with 2" and it looks very elegant IMHO.

We originally planned to run the countertop material up to the cabinets, but it was cost prohibitive. Plus, in retrospect, it would probably have been too much. A little bit of contrast is nice. I know several people who decided to forego traditional backsplashes and just painted the walls above the countertops with washable paint. It looks very nice and it's practical, plus you can easily change the color any time you wish.

I am doing a 4" soapstone backsplash in our kitchen. The cooktop is on the island (we did not change the kitchen footprint of our mid 90's kitchen) and we have large windows that overlook a mountain view in front of the sink and below a few cabinets. I chose that instead of tile because I wanted simplicity and I wanted the view and soapstone to be center stage. I didn't want distraction from those elements. The original kitchen had drywall down to the counters and because the prep work and cooktop is on the island there were no visible signs of stains. BM makes a paint type good for kitchens and I seem to recall a previous thread this issue. I'll try to find it.

I am not a fan of short stone backsplashes in most kitchens, although the look can work in some kitchens, IMHO. I like the look in the Plain English kitchens because the BS is shorter and the counter and BS are a simple dark stone, so it is a clean, narrow line above the counter. The look would be completely different with a busy granite or quartz. Smallbone of Devizes in another British company that shows short stone backsplashes in some of their kitchens, but again with solid color or relatively quiet stones.

I agree with Breezygirl that I personally prefer the look of a single material used in the 18" space between counters and uppers. That material can be tile, sheet glass, stainless steel or other metals, or just paint. I am thinking about just using paint on the BS of one of my kitchen walls, with a very simple white glass tile on the range wall.

"I do think the 4" strip of counter matierial looks dated. "

I agree, in most cases. It doesn't look custom to me... It looks like something the builder did as a minimum....... generally speaking. It can be done right,.... countrygirl217 sounds like hers is a great example of being done right.

I opted for the normal, 3x6, white subway tile in a full backsplash.... because it is neutral. If I hadn't done that, I would have probably just painted the area or used some sort of antiqued metal.

One consideration I am not hearing is whether or not the room design NEEDS a horizontal belt to connect disparate elements. We're going to use a short band of 2.5-3 inches of maroon pattern to do this right above the countertop and under the shorter windows. Won't match the laminate below or the paint above. Could probably achieve the same result with stencils or tile or whatever. I'm looking forward to getting this part done because my eye sez we NEED it. I don't think that lots of tile on the wall would serve the same purpose nor would a backsplash made of same product as countertop.

I lived for almost a year without a backsplash and I've got to say I really liked the simple look. Very European! The only reasons I think I went ahead and put in a BS are 1) I've never had a tile BS and 2) my walls had been a bit damaged and you could see the repair work (they weren't flat!). So IMHO why don't you just get your countertops with no splash and live with that for a while. You may find you love it and if you don't you can always add something later. Just not a matching stone splash as it won't look the same.