Backsplash advice

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

I'm looking for help for both my main bathroom and powder room. The main bathroom will be 6' x 7' and the powder room will be just 33.5" x 67". (We carved out a space under the stairs.)

. The porcelain tiles we were planning to use is Koru Apricot (pic from the manufacturer), on floors and in the tub surround. Tiles are 8" x 48".

Our fixtures will be a bit more basic/ordinary than in this pic, but we might use a paint colour like this for the painted wall. And this is the vanity light fixture we like (3 bulb version for main bathroom; 2 bulb version for powder room).

But I just realized that I will need some type of backsplash in the main bathroom and maybe in the powder room as well. My hubby and kids are pretty splashy when washing their hands, so it's not a question of whether they will splash, but how much.

For the main bathroom, my vanity will fill much of the wall area (but not all), and will likely go either all the way to the floor or most of the way. For the powder room, it might be smaller-scale, possibly attached to the wall.

There will be a medicine cabinet above each vanity. Something large with 3 sections above the main bathroom vanity (48") and a 24" medicine cabinet above the 24" vanity in the powder room.

Do I need a backsplash for the entire wall above my main bathroom vanity? Does the size of my tiles (8" x 48") change your thoughts at all?

My contractor thinks my powder room will feel too closed in if I do a backsplash in the powder room and suggested a vanity with a built-in backsplash. I haven't found a lot like that where I live in Canada, so my choices seem extremely limited (found 1 in glossy white, and the backsplash was only 2" high, which doesn't seem enough.) Just wondering if anyone has a cost-effective suggestion to protect my walls, and that would work with my floor tiles? Thank you!

Featured Answer

kandrewspa

4 years ago

Beadboard would not be appropriate with the style of the rest of the bathroom. Personally I would only tile the yellow area and would use something else other than what you have on the floor and shower walls - an off white subway. By subway I just mean a rectangular tile - there are many sizes, it doesn't have to be the old standard size. Or put the vanity counter material there.

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Comments (6)

PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
4 years ago
IMO wood look tile is already dated and never meant to be used where you would not actully put real wood so not on shower walls . When asking about yoyr space show your space or at least all the other elements in the space . IMO you are to much in a hurry right now so slow down and really think about what the spaces should look like when all put tigether . I like 12 x24 porcelain tile in a plain color for both bathroom floors and shower walls then if you want a bit of accent choose a glitzy tile that works with the 12 x24 use it as an off center srip in the showe wall and as backsplash for the vanity . So now you have choices made that we need to see
evelynsmom
Original Author
4 years ago
Thank you, @Patricia Colwell Consulting. It's a new bathroom, so there's nothing right now to show in the existing room except studs and subfloor and rough-in for the shower, sink, etc. (I think you make a great point about slowing down and thinking about the entire room. Unfortunately I don't have very much time to do that thinking in, as I have to make my flooring decisions within the next week and place my flooring order soon, as my contractors are starting drywall now and they say flooring installation will be next.)

I know the wood look tile isn't to everyone's taste but we do like it, so I'm looking for ideas that work with using this as our floor tile and tub surround tiles.

Beadboard is inexpensive, but I'm not sure it would look good with wood-look tiles. But adding another wall of wood-look tile behind the sink may be too much even for me (although my husband is fine with it, liking the idea of the bathroom looking like a sauna). I'm not sure what other backsplash options I can consider that might be cost-effective.

I'm attaching a pic to show the different areas that I could protect my wall above the vanity (not my vanity; just a sample pic).
1. Just the yellow area?
2. Add the green area (there will likely be about 5-6" of wall between where the vanity ends and the tub begins)?
3. The entire area of yellow and green and blue?
Thank you!
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evelynsmom
Original Author
4 years ago
Thank you, @kandrewspa. I think the off-white subway tile is a great idea.
sugarcakes2
4 years ago
I have my mirrors go all the way down to my countertop and they act as a backsplash. I really hate those 4" applied backsplashes. Someday I may tile the wall and choose smaller mirrors, but for now I love huge mirrors and the simplicity.
evelynsmom
Original Author
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Hi @sugarcakes2, I like your idea of a giant mirror too. Unfortunately, we need a lot of storage and so I'm planning a big mirrored medicine cabinet above the vanity.

I don't have strong feelings either way about the appearance of a 4" backsplash, but I know for sure my family would splash water higher than 4". So from a purely practical POV, that definitely wouldn't work for us. I was thinking of going up about 20" from the countertop. That would end part-way behind the mirror. What do you think of that?