dezedarin, fortunately the fabricators/templating guys were top notch. They told me they couldn't do the splash in one piece, wanted the Wolf hood installed before the templating.

did a fantastic fabrication and installation. The material was large enough so maybe they were concerned about breaking it if it was one piece or that's the way the appliance installers want it. I didn't ask why and told them I was fine with that. You're hard pressed to find the seams.

I absolutely love the quartzite counters and the porcelain splash and of course my BS rangetop.

If only I could get my dishwasher, wine cooler and refrigeration drawers I would be finished..

I've tried to post a picture without much luck.

I have bought Cambria back splash and bosh 800 series 5 burner gas stove.

Is it ok to install the Cambria behind the stove and what could be done to avoid scorch

I have read the stove manual nothing is mentioned about installation
How to prep the wall or the clearance?

@msourial15193 sourial: There should be an installation guide. If you didn't get one, try finding the appliance on a web site such as AJ Madison, Amazon, or perhaps the manufacturer's website, and look for a link to the guide.

"Is it ok to install the Cambria behind the stove and what could be done to avoid scorch?"

Follow the appliance manufacturer's instructions please.

"I have read the stove manual nothing is mentioned about installation
How to prep the wall or the clearance?"

There are very specific installation instructions; you haven't found them yet. A person at a desk in an air-conditioned office preps the wall for the clearance, not the GC or the fabricator/installer.

I'm glad to have found this discussion with so many homeowners and pros. I have exactly the same question as OP. In my situation, I have an LG viatera quartz counter and ordered a Thermador 30" pro harmony gas only range, which exhausts hot oven gas in the top vent right against the backsplash. I'm trying to decide on the backsplash.

I very much like the looks of a quartz slab backsplash. From what I have been reading on houzz, that oven exhaust can spew close to oven temperature hot air (more than 400F), which points to two options: either go with a fired tile backsplash that surely can withstand high temperature; or install a matching quartz slab but modify the range to prevent staining/scorching the quartz (buy a backguard/diy a metal deflector etc.). Does that sound right or did I miss any option? I don't plan to have mixed backsplash material on the oven and off the oven - it'll be just one uniform material throughout.

For reference, Thermador'sinstallation manual says on p.7, in "Rear clearance requirements," that "to avoid staining on the back wall, high temperature, non-porous construction materials suitable for use in a cooking environment are recommended." While the next sentence says my model (PRG304) is "suitable for 0'' rear clearance to combustible surfaces," I read that suitability as more of a fire safety notice, and does not absolve Thermador's warning there can be staining on the back wall if the bs material is not "high temperature, non-porous construction."

Buy the required backguard. Problem solved.

What did you end up doing with your backsplash and appliance? Has there been any damage?

We have had no damage or any problems at all (we do a lot of cooking) but we do have a back guard - see photos in my prior posts above. We have a regular (not pro) cafe range.

Hi Maria! Thanks for responding! Yours is the Ge cafe dual fuel, correct? I bought same one 36”. Your back guard doesn’t look very high in your post. How high is it? I’m awaiting my quartz slab backsplash but came across these posts and got nervous.

Mine is the 30”, not the 36” and I think that may make the difference! I think the 36” may need a taller back guard?

I think my back guard is the same height as yours.

But on a positive note, I just looked at the photos of the 36” cafe on their website and it’s right up against a quartz backsplash so that’s a good sign! Your back guard looks very similar to mine in height and depth.

Maria:

You cannot believe photos on websites. You have to believe in real life experiences as demonstrated here and in the manufacturer's installation instructions.

Interesting this is a continuing discussion about quartz, fire safety etc. Quartz is ground up stone.

The confusion comes with the word Quartz. Now Quartz means some ground up stone mixed mostly with plastic of sorts. I don't know if that was always the meaning, However, It is one of my ingredients for glaze making which is called quartz, It comes from the earth. We used to call them chemicals. Moving company came and informed me "we don't ship chemicals." OK. next moving company will ship "Minerals" same stuff ground up stone from the earth call it what you want. It is what it is.

In "The Potter's Dictionary of "Materials and Techniques" Quartz. Silica SiO2 The popular name for the mineral rocks specifically called milky rock. Both rock and crystal quarts measure number 7 on Mohs' scale. Quartz will therefore scratch window glass. Is this the stuff they are grinding mixing with plastics and selling as counter tops and backsplash material?

There was a brief discussion recently on backsplash tiles that were damaged from the heat. The "PRO" said terracotta was not a ceramic product. WOW!!! this was on HOUZZ what does it take to put PRO under your picture? Even on this well informed forum there are Pros who are clueless. Terracotta is fired to around 1000 F or red heat (thereabouts) one of the earliest ceramic products going back centuries BC and still used for a variety of things tiles for one cooking vessels as well.

Inga

@ifoco. Short answer is yes. Ground up sapphire (aluminum oxide -- Al2O3) mixed with a plastic (plexiglass) makes Corian. Quartz minerals (silicon dioxide with some trace elements) of various sizes in a plastic matrix has somehow become known as "quartz" instead of whatever trade name is specific to a product. It is the plastic binder that is susceptible to heat damage.

Kaseki,

Thanks, I have all of those ingredients in my glaze pantry - the minerals that make up the bulk of my glazes I purchase in 50# bags. Maybe I should go into business:))

kaseki, I admire your technical knowledge & appreciate your input based on that perspective. Do you know if there's any data concerning the durability of the plastic matrix for quartz composites? My concern when shopping for countertop materials 20 years ago was that the plastics might become brittle or somehow break down over time.

I don't actually have any "quartz" data, although I have a lot of Corian, some of which I installed in two baths ca. 1989 and another bath even earlier. It seems unchanged.

For plastics in general, one might be concerned over human lifetime periods about UV damage to any exposed plastic that is at the immediate surface of the material. If the "rocks" and "dust" fill fraction is high, only the immediate surface would be exposed to UV. So, unless used where UV lamps are present, or there are hazardous levels of ozone, or exposed to some chemical that can attack the plastic such as cresyilic acid or possibly xylenol, I think you will be safe so long as heat levels do not exceed ratings. A tour of manufacturer website brochures may be more informative.

Hi Maria,
I just learned about the potential scorching issue that may occur by installing a quartz backsplash behind a gas range. We have a 30” dual fuel GE Profile range but I’m having difficulty in finding a backguard/backsplash to hopefully eliminate this risk/hazard. I’ve seen GE products for the 48” pro models but not for smaller sized non “pro” ranges. Could you please share where you found yours and if it solved the problem?
Thank you!

I have had quartz behind my induction cooktop for three years now (which I’m told is hotter then both electric cooktops and gas) and I have to agree. It’s instant heat and instant shutoff. Anyway I do not have a guard and I’m Italian and I cook every single day. I have not had a problem with any kind of burning or staining. No idea it it’s too soon?

Your induction cooktop heats the pan base via fluctuating electro-magnetic fields interacting with the base magnetic susceptibility. How hot your pots and pans get is determined by setting and time and contents. There is little heat beyond the pan other than what is conducted or radiated back into the Ceran cooktop surface. An unintended flambé might cause a scorch.

Gas cooktops can have gas flames close to the wall, which is why the installation manuals direct a large offset spacing unless an approved back-guard (riser) is present.

Another risk to to quartz back-splashes comes from using a range, where heat from the oven is released at the back of the range. This is what the back-guards are also intended to ameliorate.

Island trim is for islands and peninsulas unless the wall is not combustible all the way through to the non-combustible picture on the other side.

Ahh good to know. Then I guess its safe to say I shouldn’t experience anything bad to happen to the back splash?

Given 3 years of no damage, your cooking style very likely will not damage the wall surface in the future. Note, however, that heavy splashes of hot oil near its smoke point could potentially cause some surface effects that might only be visible by variations in reflected light relative to undamaged areas.

(Sotto voce: Tina I think I addressed induction in this thread two years ago; please reread for golden oldie comments.)

Tina- I admire you checking into this thread 2 years later. Thank you for the update.

kaseki- I've read your comments with interest. We have an induction cooktop with edge installed 2" from the backsplash per manufacturer's specs. We're now replacing our laminate with quartz and are deciding between full quartz backsplash and tile. I have seen photos online of people who've had their quartz backsplash yellow, but I believe this was with a gas stove rather than induction.

At this point I'm unsure whether I'm repeating myself or not, but normal cooking on an induction cooktop will not impose much heat onto the wall behind, assuming that the pan edge is not abnormally close to the wall, such as overlapping the cooktop Ceran edge so that the pan edge is immediately proximate to the wall surface. I believe you can stir fry within the boundary of the cooktop Ceran and only end up with grease, oil, and moisture on the wall without scorching. However, your engineered quartz is not protected against a pan fire scorching it.

In many cases it is only a bit more expensive to make the cooktop counter deeper and set the cooktop away from the wall. E.g., use 28-inch stone instead of 25-inch. It helps to draw a side view of the cabinet, stone, cooktop assembly, and typical pans to, in particular, check that cabinet structures allow support without interference. Don't forget that the hood's function is capturing plumes from the pans and not from the cooktop surface or the counter surface. Deeper counters for wall areas may require deeper hoods.

Thanks for this information. Unfortunately we have a dual fuel slide in range (gas burners) which has been installed up against the back wall which I presume has been done according to GE’s installation instructions. Had we known about the potential “scorching” risk factor associated with installing a quartz backsplash we would have selected tile, quartzite, granite, or some other heat resistant material. Another challenge is that GE doesn’t make a back guard/riser for our particular model (GE Profile, 30” wide, residential use, not professional) so we’re trying to find out if one can be made. I’ve read that such a modification will protect a quartz back splash installed behind a gas range. The alternative is to select and install tile/granite, etc., for the backsplash and still install quartz for the countertops. The good thing is that this issue was discovered just before the fabricator was about to cut the quartz slab. That said the clock is running so I need to make a decision ASAP.

Thanks kaseki. Just adding some anecdotal information in case helpful to anyone else to illustrate your point. We used to have a gas cooktop with a 2” edge distance from laminate backsplash. It was there for 11 years. The laminate backsplash looks fine except for one burn mark where I accidentally put a large pot that overhung the burner and touched the laminate while simmering. I think we’ll go with quartz for induction but be wary of any pots overhanging the cooking surface. Grease fires, splatters also may alter as you pointed out.

Re increasing counter depth you make an interesting point. This was something I’d hoped to do but our lower cabinet only fits the cooktop in one specific configuration very close to the wall.

Beth, I wonder if it is possible to increase your counter depth as above. How much more expensive would tile be?

"...be wary of any pots overhanging the cooking surface."

Many appliance manufacturer's usage instructions prohibit using pots larger than the burner. Let's not blame estone manufacturers for the appliance customer's abuse please.

Fully admit this was 100% customer abuse/inattentiveness 🙃

This was put in a little over three years ago. Scorching was never mentioned by the cabinet people, back splash people, or appliance (mom & pop) store. We didn’t know scorching could be a problem. Maybe they knew since it was an induction cooktop they didn’t need to bring it up but I think it was more such a new thing to do and I bet none of them knew any better but who really knows. That being said I cook every single day with big pops and never blocked the back splash with anything and it cleans off immediately. Will I be more careful now that I know, yes of course.

I’ll add that because with induction you can’t put whatever pot you want on whatever burner you want, I end up using that back burner close to the wall all the time.

There is another thread here, where someone shows the scorching on their quartz from their range. It also talks about how dekton can take the higher heat. I suggest you search for it.

Most of the time the scorching is not from the burners on the top of the range. It is with the range venting hot air from the oven out the top toward the back. So saying you have an induction range so you are safe is not accurate, Sure the top of the range may not be an issue but If the range vents out the top back you can have issues. An induction cooktop probably not.

Here's 2 pics of where the range vents out the back and has scorched the quartz.

Tina do you remember what type of quartz you got? It looks very nice.

I should have mentioned it’s just an induction cook top. I tried to get my cabinets in the picture not sure if it showed. I have a wall oven.

@goldenseverywhere honestly I don’t. I really think it was so new to do a few years ago that if it were today I would inquire about the “best durable quartz” if that’s even a thing.

@goldenseverywhere: "Re increasing counter depth you make an interesting point. This was something I’d hoped to do but our lower cabinet only fits the cooktop in one specific configuration very close to the wall."

Ah! The key is to move a non-custom-depth cabinet away from the wall so its position relative to the cooktop is as desired with the deeper counter. The gap behind may be wasted volume, or it may allow a surface mount electrical box to be flush with the cabinet back. Induction cooktops of my experience connect by wire connectors, not plugs, due to the temperature rating of the conductors they use. You need a decent sized box even for large wire nuts, and particularly for the screw type connectors that I prefer at the 6AWG and larger size.

@kaseki That actually would have worked well with our current setup as counters and cabinets are recessed a few inches back from the wall edges and there is wasted space already. However, we just got a 220V electric box installed into the bottom of the cabinets. May be a good option for others!

My GE induction cooktop installation manual states: 2" min clearance from cutout to nearest wall or cabinet to the left and the right. I could not find any statement of required clearance at the backsplash edge of the cooktop.

Manual also states adjacent wall coverings should withstand heat up to 200 degrees F.

PentalQuartz states: may be used in wet areas, behind sinks and cooktops. However important that installer follow instructions of appliance manufacturers and building code.

Under fireplace section of Pental Quartz manual: should not make contact with surfaces exceeding 212 degrees F. Exposure above may result in localized seam separation or material cracking. Based on this, it seems to be OK to use with my specific cooktop.

Given those parameters, I tried a small experiment.

Large pan of boiling water on the largest burner on the highest heat.

Fan off: air temp at back wall reached 110 degrees, mainly at the higher back wall where steam concentrates.

Fan on: air temp of 90 degrees

Small back burner: small frying pan with grapeseed oil at max heat. Air temp of 93 degrees

** However, oil temp was 400 degrees. Therefore as previously mentioned, if oil would contact the quartz, I believe there would be a good chance of reaction. I would stick to high temp frying at the front burners and use a spatter shield with bacon.

In my setup there is a significant amount of condensation generated by boiling water, so I am glad to hear the quartz states it is safe for bathrooms and moisture.

This site is awesome. Timely conversation, as our designer recommended we move our range from a peninsula (that will become an island) to an outside wall, for better function. It is a GE Cafe dual fuel 30 inch range with the island trim, put in just over 3 years ago. After finding this thread, found an online install information, with the only recommendation to be 2 1/2 inches from the wall in the back and 3 inches clearance on the sides, and they had no recommendations for the wall behind the stove otherwise. I called GE and the service department there confirmed that this island trim oven was ok to use on a wall counter, and that to just follow code for the wall behind it. No recommendations other than the 2 1/2 inches from the back.

I discussed this with our designer, who had just recommended only 24 inch counters, and the quartz backsplash, who was pretty noncommital about needing any changes. When I did say I cook sourdough bread at least twice a week, with 500 degree ovens for warmup, she said to get tile or real stone, but didn't need to change the counter depth as the tile was the fireproofing.

It will be fairly easy for us to deepen the counter about 3 inches, I will just need to have a 30 inch sink rather than a 33 inch sink on the counter that will now be 3 inches less wide. But that will be just me and our countertop/cabinet group, not sure if it is worth it to convince our designer of what is common sense to me.

Now we get to work on backsplashes.

This range has the simmer and smaller burners in the back, with the larger speed boil burners in the front, so not sure what the fireproof wall in the back needs to be.

"...as the tile was the fireproofing."

Not according to the National Fire Protection Agency. Installing a noncombustible surface over a combustible surface does not make that surface noncombustible.

I think the issue is the heat from the oven rising at the back and impinging on the wall. Evidently, GE thinks that will be OK if 2.5 inches are available. However, it is not too helpful to say "follow code" when the code IMC 308.4.2 has various demands on wall construction vs. distance vs. back-guard design.

I think Joseph above meant to write: "Installing a noncombustible surface over a combustible surface does not make the combustible surface noncombustible." In any case, we still have the issue of internal wall structure being distilled of critical resins that provide structural strength and likely a higher resistance to fire.

My guess is that if the non-combustible surface is put onto a non-combustible sub-surface, and the gap is at least 2.5 inches between outer surface and range (all the way to the floor and up to the hood), you likely won't do much wood stud distilling. The oven riser heat temperature should be lower than the oven temperature.

You need to think about what the wall dimensions can be. You could use metal studs, or you could space out the outer wall surface from existing wood studs, or a number of other things. See the IMC comments in the section noted above. They are dealing with a range of gas flues and other hot objects and, lacking installation instructions to the contrary, one needs to get a feel for what might be sufficient to provide needed margin over doing conventional wall construction with only a 2.5 inches gap. Sorry for the fuzzy directions. Usually, the process of gaining UL approval leads to installation instructions for gap and/or back-guard heights.

"...as the tile was the fireproofing."

We have tile behind our gas range top. Even though we don’t have a range, our GC fully fireproofed the wall…steel studs, and some kind of fireproof board in front of the studs. There is also a 1 1/2” strip of counter material…soapstone…between the range top and wall.

Tile by itself, does not protect combustible materials, like wood studs, behind it.

Yes, we are planning replace studs with steel and a fireproof board also. I found out the info late last night, and speaking to my DH this morning he was all into making it safe.

I am reachng out to this forum because I had quartz installed behind my LG gas range and it has definietly scorched and now I'm trying to find out from LG if they have a heat guard to protect the effects from the gas range heat. Of course,,,,,, once you purchase, they ignore you and pass you off to this person and that person who never return your calls. Does anyone have any suggestions to elimate or minimize the heat. I want to keep my quartz to keep unity but now have to have it replaced. All my kitchen is quartz counters and backsplash, I just dont want to break the flow with something different behind my stove. Please help if you can

I’ve had quartz behind my stove for three years now and haven’t had that problem probably because I have an induction cooktop and they say almost all the heat goes to the pot instead of escaping. I don’t know if they sell anything. maybe a thick decorative cutting board behind there would look nice and do the trick?

HB Interiors:

You'll want a stainless steel heat guard installed about an inch off your splash with a gap at the bottom to make an air wash behind. The stainless will get heat marks, however, your home won't burn to the ground. Have a metal fabricator make one with returned ends so it will stand on its own and be easily removed for cleaning.

Your cabinets should have been pulled forward to accommodate the appliance manufacturer's requirements. It's a design failure, not a product flaw.

Design failure by the kitchen designer/contractor or LG? We have a similar situation with a GE Profile gas range. GE doesn’t make a heat guard for this model. When we inquired about installing a custom guard GE said that it could harm the functionality of the range. Open to other suggestions. Thanks!

@HB Interiors can you share which quartz and which LG range?

Megan:

The brand of engineered stone is irrelevant, as it's all virtually the same stuff. As long as you follow the appliance manufacturer's installation instructions, you can have a tissue paper backsplash.

Too often, posters get their hearts set on a certain design combination and when they find out that it won't work, they hope that their particular estone and/or appliance will be an exception to the rule. You can't "brand" your way out of the laws of physics.