How about a sheet of clear or tinted glass or plexiglass behind the sink? I remember seeing some people use them for contemporary kitchens.

Or a sheet of solid surface material?

Can you post a picture of the sink you are considering?

This post was edited by numbersjunkie on Fri, Feb 6, 15 at 19:07

Numbers junkie, I'll try to post pics below of the style of sinks we have in mind. I'm afraid that just mounting a rectangle of glass behind the sink would give kind of a "choppy" look. But tiling the whole wall behind it will also add more expense than we had planned. (Plus, that would cover a lot of in-wall plumbing from a bath on the other side of the wall -- meaning there'd be a lot of tile to remove/patch if we ever had to get access to fix anything.)

Here's a different option with a bit higher resolution photo.

I think the first sink, along with a carefully sized rectangular piece of colored plexiglass would/could look like the plexiglass was designed as part of the sink.

Another option might be to just tile a horizontal strip across the wall like this pic from Houzz

[Traditional Powder Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-powder-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_713~s_2107) by Ottawa Design-Build Firms Design Cube Inc.

Or use coated beadboard - either the whole wall or just up high enough to serve as a backsplash. Or vinyl wallpaper.

If you haven't already, check out Houzz for more inspiration pictures,

This post was edited by numbersjunkie on Sun, Feb 8, 15 at 17:37

My son has a pedestal sink which is right up against the wall like your wall mount sink will be. He does not have a backsplash of any kind and has had no issues with the wall becoming stained or water spotted. This sink has been installed in his main floor bathroom for about 6 years. He did use a very good quality paint on his wall.
Perhaps you could actually get by without a backsplash too.

The sink is contemporary but I think you could use a beadboard wall covering if you don't mind mixing more traditional w/contemporary--
or maybe a vinyl wall paper -- depending on how large the wall space is--which would give you some design impact--
depending on the pattern you might luck out w/something that would add depth to the room...

numbersjunkie, badgergal, loves2read: Thank you for the suggestions. Using numberjunkie's idea, I looked into just a band of tile that would come out from the shower and run along that wall right at the sink level, to function as a backsplash. But it looked odd with no tile or wainscotting below. (Our house is a little too contempo for wainscotting.) Vinyl wallpaper is one thing I hadn't thought of. We spent so much time/money removing wallpaper when we moved in (think 60s psychedelics), I'd have to talk my wife into tryiing it again. But I like that. Or maybe, as badgergal suggests, I could get by with a quality paint (semi-gloss probably). You've been quite helpful!

I think you'd be OK with just good semi-gloss, especially if you use sink 2 because it has a lip behind it that would keep water from running down behind the sink. Not sure about the first sink. If you go with wallpaper, that should probably be hung before the sink is mounted for maximum protection, and also to avoid having to trim around the sink. Also, I would make sure there is no seam behind the sink. Of course, you would have to pull the sink off to remove or change the paper if it goes up before the sink.

Since our boys won't be using this, I suppose we can keep spashes to a minimum anyway. I should've noted that the new wallmount sink is being added to the toilet/shower room of our master bath. It's always been weird and annoying not to have a sink in there. There is a large vanity sink just outside the door, in the dressing area. My wife will probably continue to prefer that vanity sink after it is replaced as part of the reno, but at least now we'll have two sinks to use in the mornings when we're both getting ready.

My son's plumber did run a small bead of caulk where the pedestal sink basin meets the wall, so if water does get splashed it will not run down the wall behind the sink.

After I posted originally about my son's sink I realized that my powder room sink is also a pedestal sink which is right up against the wall without any backsplash. Unlike my son's set up though, I do not have any caulk between my sink and wall. My powder room doesn't get used a lot but it is about 25 years old and at least for the 12 years we have lived in the house, there have been no issues with the wall behind the sink.

You could, perhaps, frame a mirror with a border (on all four sides, or top & bottom or on either side of the mirror) with some tile that would compliment your bathroom.

Our pedestal sinks attach to the wall and have only painted walls. No problem in 14 years. I would opt for a pedestal. People tend to *lean* on sinks -- and a pedestal would cover at least the drain plumbing.

Looks great! Very nice of you to post the update.

I like it!

Wow, does that look great! Thanks for coming back to post the resolution to your question. I wish everyone did (including me.)