no sense tiling behind something you can't see. can't you just tile down to the top of the stove as it sits against the wall? why would you go behind it?

Slide ins are supposed to have the doors sit proud of the cabinets. And you are not supposed to block the vent.

I can't imagine thickness of tile making a difference. Speaking from experience of removing ranges for repair or replacement,wall get's very dirty and greasy behind,if that matters.

Beth H! What happens when the next person wants to install a different or new stove that doesn't exactly match the dimensions of the current stove? I can't imagine not installing tile at least four inches past the top of the stove's burner level for just that reason.

hsharrington----leave a few rows of extra tile for them or include your stove when you sell. why on earth should I worry about a stove with the next people who buy my house?

when we did my mom's house, her stove had a higher back portion and we did tile behind it a bit so you couldn't see the wall from the side. but her stove also sat away from the wall by an inch or two. This OP said hers wouldn't. So, if you can't see the actual space behind the stove, and it would cause an incorrect fit of the stove if you do tile behind it, then why should she? oh, yes,,,for the next owners 20 years from now.

Actually, in order to properly answer this question, a picture of the stove and space should be posted.

Quote: "why on earth should I worry about a stove with the next people who buy my house?" Because you're a nice person?

yes I am. but it's my house and my stove. And I don't worry about how the next owners will like my tiling. i'll leave extra tiles and the stove,,,that usually gets sold w/the home. thanks.

The next person who buys my house may have trouble finding a refrigerator that fits in the custom cabinet built for my refrigerator. It happens - heck, it could happen to me when this refrigerator dies. One does the best one can do.

It is normal to go down behind the stove a couple of inches. That way if the stove does need replaced and is not an exact fit you would be covered. Or at least keep an extra couple of sheets and grout to be able to fix later.

Thank you Belk Tile.

Live in the PRESENT.. The next person will probably rip the entire kitchen : )

The point is that the range is probablynot installed correctly if there is zero room to the rear. The tile goes in first. Then the range. Then the doors of the range stock out of the cabinets properly, and thet is maybe 1/16 gap at the rear.

well lets just say for sh*#s and grins the range installed correctly. now what?

How "far out" does the stove project beyond the cabinets? Look at photos of other ranges installed and you will see that more often than not, the stove projects out a few inches beyond cabinets (especially standard depth cabinets). As a side note, we have installed hundreds of backsplashes and have never once NOT tiled down a couple of inches.

Can we just agree to disagree on this particular issue? Obviously there is no right or wrong here--personal preference and professional experience are on both sides of discussion. You could even call it a philosophical discussion. Those are best when there's a glass of wine and some good pizza on offer!

How about looking at the instalation instructions on the slide in range? And if the tile is 3/4" thick then trim around windows will be buried in tile and outlets need to be moved forward and there are other added issues that need to be considered.