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gillylily

HO-HUM... Where would you start/stop backsplash?

16 years ago

We have just ordered our travertine subway tile backsplash. I am so excited, but nervous about the only place in the kitchen where it might look funny.

Our upper cabs. and countertop are not exactly aligned.. something I NEVER noticed until the tiler asked me where I wanted to stop the stone.. The upper cabinets come out about 1/2 in. further than the countertop,

Where would you start the backsplash? Aligned with the uppers or countertop?

Thanks for any suggestions!! Two more weeks until i have a 99% finished kitchen-- (painting and new light fixtures to come within the year..:) )

Comments (13)

  • 16 years ago

    Looks great so far from what I can see.

    I personally hate the look of tile sticking out beyond the cabinets. I know others on this forum disagree with me on this, but I think tile should end where the cabs end. Therefore, I would use the counter as the stopping point.

    Be sure to post pics when its done (even if it's just 99%)

  • 16 years ago

    Uppers.

  • 16 years ago

    Another vote for using the counter as the stopping point. I think it would look funny to have the backsplash extend past the countertop. Plus, it's the way we did ours, so I like it best....

  • 16 years ago

    Sorry, I didn't notice that the upper cabinets went further out than the countertop. In that case, I would start the backsplash at the counter edge.

  • 16 years ago

    Congratulations on ordering the tile. I would use the countertop to start the backsplash. Hope to see pictures soon!

  • 16 years ago

    How about stopping the tile at the end of the countertop but adding a bullnose molding coming down from the edge of the cabinet to meet the outside edge of the tile.

    Otherwise, I would stop at the end of the countertop.

  • 16 years ago

    Thanks for the suggestions. i will call the store in the am to find out if it comes as a bullnose molding. i am wondering if this is what you are talking about? (the molding in this picture???).. Not sure exactly what bullnose molding is..

  • 16 years ago

    I would say the counter, not the upper. A back splash is for for protection of the wall behind the counter so for me it makes sense to align with the counter. But if you prefer aligning with the upper - it is a small thing that only you will notice so do what you think would work for you.

  • 16 years ago

    Counters.

  • 16 years ago

    Gillylilly - that narrow piece molding in the middle is exactly the type of bullnose molding I was talking about. You could run it vertically down from the outer edge of the cabinet. I can't really tell the exact amount of space you have from the end of the counter to the end of the cabinet from the picture but it looks like the bullnose molding would fill that space without having the tile awkwardly ending past the end of the counter.

  • 16 years ago

    I would consider using the BASE CABINET edge as your stopping point. You would have a little countertop edge sticking out from the backsplash and your uppers would stick out as well. Draw a line and see if you like it.

    One option (more expensive) would be to tile all the way to the edge of the corner and down to the baseboards. You might have enough scrap to make that happen. That way you won't even realize it is not lined up.

    good luck!

  • 16 years ago

    I also think counters. My uppers were shorter than my counters, so this was probably an easier decision for me, but perhaps this picture might help:

  • 16 years ago

    My current backsplash is like skoo's, where the upper cabinet is in lightly compared to the countertop, so the backsplash goes up around the cabinet a bit. Whenever I get new countertops and backsplash I will do it the same way.