I'm more concerned about heat: isn't that the issue with the requirement of 6 inches of non-combustible space for the lower trim? The oven vents out of the island trim, correct?

Sorry to hijack...I have a Costco RCS and I'm thinking of getting rid of the 6" backguard to put in island trim. Is there any advantage to keeping the 6" trim?

To the OP: You should have a fireproof backing installed before you cook on the back burners. You probably wouldn't have a problem with the 15k burners BUT I'm one of those safety first kind of people. If you need to use the back burners put up a inexpensive piece of stainless temporarily.....

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking, we'll err on the side of caution. Thanks!

A few years ago, I had to deal with a kitchen, where the previous owner never bothered to install a back splash. It wasn't really a safety concern, but it was certainly a problem with trying to keep the drywall clean.

I went to my local metal yard, picked out a piece of stainless steel sheet metal, and asked them to cut to size. They cut it perfectly (to within a tiny fraction of an inch) and I then went home and attached it to the wall with construction adhesive. Makes for a beautiful and very functional backsplash.

And the best part is the price. It cost me only about $30 for the entire project. I am always surprised this isn't done more commonly.

I later asked my dealer how much this would have cost, if I bought the same thing from a well-known brand. He looked it up in the catalog (I think, he found that Viking carries something like this, but I might be mistaken on the brand name). He then quoted me more than $600 before taxes and installation. Ouch.

OP just install one of these temporarily http://www.lowes.com/pd_53093-14-SP3004___?productId=1092009&pl=1&Ntt=stainless+steel+backsplash

Oh that's an excellent idea, thanks!

Do you need fireproof drywall if putting a tile backsplash over it?