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young_2008

see my tile samples for new backsplash & comment

17 years ago

My hubby wants to keep the granite behind the cook top (because it cleans easily) but will let me do tile around it. No tile looks good next to the granite! Here are some of the best samples I can find. Will the sample on the left work? Wish I could just tile all the way across.

Comments (11)

  • 17 years ago

    p.s. I'm taking down the existing granite back splash everywhere else.
    p.s. I want to stay married so taking down the granite behind stove is not an option.

  • 17 years ago

    First, your granite is beautiful and compliments your cabinets. Your selection was a good one IMO. Please share the name of the granite. Is it yellow river?

    I'm not wild about any of the choices of tile you pictured. Perhaps something with more contrast to the cabinets and granite but still in a neutral would be something to consider. Perhaps pick one of the darker colors in the granite or white to bring in your appliances?

  • 17 years ago

    LOL, love the second PS. ;-)

    I vote for the middle square on the far left sample. Has the right golden tones to bring out the swirl in the granite and provides just enough contrast to make it less blah than the others. Can you get more of these to see what it's like over a larger area?

    Good luck!

  • 17 years ago

    Of those choices, I like the diamond patterned board, but without the too busy border tile. It's light enough to provide contrast(actually very close to wall color now) with the darker colors to tie in with your beautiful granite.

    Having said that, if none of those tiles wow you then you should keep looking.

  • 17 years ago

    I vote for the diamond square pattern with the little insets. Does that tile take a sealer? I know some sealers make the tile a bit darker. However, I agree that if you are not definitely sure you love it, then keep on looking. There's no rush for the backsplash if you're able to use the kitchen without it.

  • 17 years ago

    I would go neutral, coordinate with the walls and let your granite shine.

    I just noticed Franki1962's backsplash on another thread. They did the same thing and it blends in beautifully. Look for franki1962

    On my monitor, the tiles in the 2nd picture, on the right, look good, but the diamond pattern on the left looks really washed out.

    HTH.

  • 17 years ago

    i don't think any of those choices work. with your granite, especially since it's also going on a vertical span of wall, you should avoid any tile that's not completely uniform. ie, i wouldn't do any natural stone on your backsplash. you don't need any more texture in that area, since your granite has so much already. you need smoothness from your backsplash to balance the texture of your granite.

    it's nice granite--lots of colors in there to play with. pick out the lightest color you can find in your granite (probably a light tan or cream) and find a ceramic tile in that color.

  • 17 years ago

    I don't like any of these with your granite. I am no decorator, but to me that goldish tone in all of your samples overpowers your beautiful granite and cabinets

    If it were me, I'd look for something light and creamy and maybe do accents of the darker color in your granite (is that brown?) or maybe even bring the gold in with the accent pieces.

    Anita

  • 17 years ago

    Thanks everyone, your comments are very helpful. It was worth the two hours it took me to figure out how to post a picture!! I guess I wanted the majority of the kitchen to have a beautiful back splash and was sort of trying to ignore the granite behind the stove. I guess I will keep looking. Thanks so very much.

  • 17 years ago

    Your backsplash will be all the more beautiful if it works with the granite rather than trying to ignore it. We moved into a kitchen once that had horrible gold appliances and sink. The former owners tried to ignore them and painted the walls rose and added a blue and rose border. It was sickening. We redid the decor and worked with the gold, which actually made it recede into the background and the kitchen became bright and lovely. I am not saying your beautiful granite is comparable to the awful gold appliances, but when things ALL work together to form a whole, each thing becomes more beautiful and interesting. There WILL be a tile that will go with the granite, and it will all be beautiful together. Best wishes.

  • 17 years ago

    I am going to take edlakin's advice and see what I can find in a ceramic tile because I can get the color I need to compliment the granite instead of ignoring it (thanks rhome410, great advice). Back to the tile store!