I have a granite bench top and splash back and I really am very happy with it. Keep it as plain as possible if you decide on tiles. I think subway tiles would look nice.

Choose between tumbled tiles and the granite. Not together.

When leaving the granite in, small glass mosaic in the colors of the granite would be a good choice or just a new coat of paint (I'd say charcoal/black if the black appliances stay).

I also would remove the granite.

I think keeping the granite is a good idea. Once the tiles are in place, the area above the stove will not stand out as much.

Thank you all for the input. Much appreciated.

@Rocky Mountain -- can you clarify your thought a bit? You are thinking keep the existing granite and add the stone?

@Rinqreation -- thanks for the tips. Months sure about the mosaic idea. We taped a couple things up there and the mosaics got super busy. Simple seems much better

IMO, I would remove it ...the "squares" of subway tile would forever bother me.

A nice cream, back-painted glass would look awesome ... or a glass subway tile.

Mike. I'd leave the granite to save costs and select a paint color that works well with that. That effectively will make all that granite disappear.
It mystifies me why people continue to put any granite at all on walls above the counter tops. It's overkill and completely unnecessary. I think you're not loving it too much either.
Adding stone or tile or anything else to what's already there, will make the kitchen look like a heavy industrial space which is not what I gather that you're trying to achieve.

Thanks for a great discussion thread this is a common problem I see frequently. Luckily through my years of experience I can tell that you are somewhat on the right track. My advice is more like educating people of their options. Most likely unknown to you there is another option which enables you to have your cake and eat it too. Using imitation stone panels will give you the great stone look you are going for and it will only take about an hour instead of days. Using natural stone veneer is sloppier and more expensive due to skilled labor and time expense. Simply apply the panels to the existing walls and you will have a stone backsplash to compliment the granite panel. Do not take it off it is going to big a bigger headache then it is worth. Trust me I have tons of personal experience If you want more info on imitation stone panels check out this site, anticoelements.com

I think removing the 6"backsplash would create wall damage and costs that may not be worth it. Ya know? I don't think you need a backsplash higher than the one you have! IMO it's the paint color on the walls that is making it appear you need to add something. First, I'd try a few paint choices that complement the granite and the cabinets.

https://www.houzz.com/photos/2010-colorado-homes-and-lifestyles-home-of-the-year-traditional-kitchen-denver-phvw-vp~247425

Either option will work and really it comes down to personal preference and available funds for the project. Yes, removing the granite splash will be more money, but at the end of the day, this is something you're likely going to be looking at for a very long time, Is it worth the extra money to get the look you really want, or is it not as big a deal and in two or five years, you won't say 'we should have spent the money.' Another issue you would have to consider if you kept the granite is the depth of the stone you plan on using. Depending on the thickness of the durango you choose, and the granite in place, you may end up with a variance that could be an eyesore. I definitely see that happening with a glass accent used next to the existing granite.

Short on time at the moment, but wanted to add one point.
Regarding the material height / thickness, we have considered that and the idea has been to float the less-than-perfect wall to the right depth so everything lines up nicely.

Thank you all for the comments and ideas. Please keep it coming and I will add more feedback ASAP

Forgive my misunderstanding, but let me see if I understand correctly. You have already approached the faux stone panel approach and the wall is out of line so it isn't even?

I'd agree with the previous comments regarding leaving the existing granite in place; it not only will save money not to replace a perfectly beautiful, functional element, but is well suited to your kitchen's use of it throughout on the counters and island. From a practical standpoint (which should always be considered just as important as the aesthetic ones), that smooth surface offers the best cleaning options for above a cooktop.

The remaining backsplash area would offer a great location to treat in a horizontally installed material; this would add a nice complimentary element to the strong vertical lines of your cabinetry. If you were to add under-cabinet lighting, a highly reflective material such as glass tiles on the backsplash would lighten up the space and give you unlimited design/color options. A pleasing design idea would be to select a suitable grout color for the tile that corresponds to the existing granite; it would help tie in the new material to the existing.

Please keep us posted on your solution of this dilemma; we'd love to see after photos of your decision

The horizontal panels of faux stone or faux brick will give you the best result. Check out our page for more information.

"float the less-than-perfect wall to the right depth"

As in stucco or drywall (and then paint) on the painted areas? Great idea! But stay about 3 or 4mms deeper than the granite, easier to caulk and paint and looks better too.

But, how are you going to finish the walls on the side and around windows? Pack the entire side wall?

Why do either just paint. A tumbled travertine would work to. It will start to look to busy. I prefer the paint. Put pulls on your cabinets.

i always say either or, but never both. if you can, remove the 6 inch backsplash and bring your new backsplash all the way down to the counters. the 3x6 size should be fine with your busy granite. putting the stone on top of your existing granite would visually shrink the space between counter and cabinets and make your beautiful stone work look short, dumpy, and minimal. If its too much work to remove the existing backsplash, then id just paint it the same color as the rest of the kitchen. save your $$

Rinqreation, I believe the floating of the wall is referring to the thinset used to apply the tile to the wall. If the wall is wavy due to the 2x4 studs being bowed in or out and the drywall not being shimmed properly to compensate, than a layer of thinset mortar must be applied to the wall to "float" it level and even. That being said, I strongly discourage removing the granite back from above the range. A polished flat surface is many times easier to clean grease and tomato sauce off of than grout or porous stones. I may not be a designer, but if Tiles, weather they be glass, ceramic, stone, or metal, look good as a splash against a granite counter, they should still look good along the current 6" splash. If you took them to the ceiling it would almost turn the existing 6" splash into a baseboard like trim. Just my 2 cents...

defiantly remove the back splash

It just looks odd as is...remove.

Thanks JSM, english jargon is not my strongest point :)

I vote to try painting a colour to blend in with the existing granite. Its cheap and you can spend more in another place in your home. My goal would be to blend in the piece over the stove so it doesn't jump out as much. It is very functional as it is. I think it's the greenish tone of the paint that is throwing
things off

I would also like to add that removing a granite backsplash isn't as hard as you think. They are almost always only set in place with a bead of silicone caulk on the counter, a bead on the wall, and maybe a small amount on the back every foot or so. It doesn't seem like you will be diy'ing this but there are several tutorials online that could give you an idea of how it works. A utility knife can be used to score the caulk along the wall and counter, and a simple putty knife used to pry the backsplash off. Any damage should be minimal if this is done carefully and only require a bit of spackle and sanding to skim coat the thin layer of drywall that came away with the silicone caulk. I actually recently diy'd this in my kitchen. Unfortunately in my situation, my contractors were shotty and the counters underneath the backsplash were damaged because it was "going to be hidden anyway" so I'm just going to replace the granite backsplash and paint the color I choose for the rest of the kitchen.

Granite typically comes in 2cm & 3cm. 3cm = 1 1/4" the thickness causes kind of a ledge and doesn't transition very well from splash to wall. The easiest thing to do would be to add a tile pencil trim to help transition the granite to the wall.

Another thing is if you keep the 6" tall splash there is only about 11" more inches to tile. Doing only 11" of tile might make the area a little squatty and crowded.

It looks like your granite is Giallo Santo.. AKA Giallo Ornemental AKA Amarillo Ornemental.

I have a very strong opinion on this subject;
Travertine tile is what I would recommend. An incredibly pure and light color or a mushroom or walnut color to play up the grays in the granite.

There are lots of glass mosaic mixtures that match really really well especially with that granite however.. the patterns really fight with each other. (I strongly urge you to take a sample of the tile and temporarily place it where you intend on setting it.. Keep it for a day. Give yourself time to look at it under the different lighting that happens from day to night)

With travertine there are lots of designs.. My favorite is Harlequin Diamond because it adds length to the wall. I also like Subway / brick pattern.. but you can do whatever. ie hopscotch kios basic grid small mosaic grid.. etc.

What makes Granite so great and desirous is the depth and glow. Granite is a natural stone made up partly by quartz crystals. The crystals cause that depth and glow. They also do a fabulous job of picking up and reflecting surrounding colors allowing granite to act like a chameleon and tying itself to whatever it's surrounded by.

Travertine is a natural stone made up partly by calcite crystals that have a similar reflective quality as the quartz crystals.

Granite has so many wonderful qualities; that for me.. tile doesn't cut it and that's why I prefer travertine tile.

For me this is too much pattern:

This is a mosaic with 4" granite splash.. See what you think.. This is typically how that scenario plays out.

This is Harlequin diamond travertine... (NOTE: Harlequin diamond is not the same as a square put on a diagonal)

Here's a quick example of a tile mural in that space

htpp://www.Aliciatappdesigns.com
Any image on tiles

I think it comes down to personal choice. If it were me, I wouldn't do a tiled backsplash above the existing 6" granite. To save money, I would do as suggested and find a different paint color for the wall. Personally I don't understand all the fancy textured back splashes. The purpose is to provide a smooth non-porous surface that will be easy to wipe down. For that reason, I would leave the granite above the stove. Many back splashes I see in today's kitchens are impractical, albeit pretty, IMO. But if you do decide to do a tiled back splash, then I would remove the 6" granite but leave the large piece above the stove. And choose a tile that can be easily wiped down. Good luck with your project!

I have a similar backsplash in Cambria quartz and love it. Easy to clean, no grout. Quartz above the stove goes up to ten foot high ceiling. I agree, before you make any major changes, repaint the wall so that it does not compete with the granite

I agree with your designer. Tumbled stone would make for a good back ground to make the granite pop.

Wow...so many fantastic comments here! I can't tell you how much I appreciate you taking the time to offer your insight. Thank you all very much. As of now, we are leaning towards either (1) stay with what we have and update the paint color to one more complementary to the granite. We would probably add some type of trim to the hard edges of the granite to give it a finishing touch. 1/4 round or something else...not sure. I've done a couple photoshop edits to see the 3x6 on the wall and don't like it at all. The color I used was wrong to start with but the look is just not working for us. @Adrianne, thank you for your great ideas. I especially like the thought of a Harlequin stone but the 6" will need to come out first. More to come, but thank you all again.

Here are the PS mock-ups I did to see how the 3x6 would look. I'd call it a fail.

I would do 1" glass tile sheets. I think tumbled stone would overweight the walls

JoAnn-- could you explain overweight? Do you mean in actual weight of the material?

Good choice, Mike. Will you post results? :)

I will certainly post results. Thank you all for the fantastic advice and opinions.

visual overweight not physical

What did you finally do with your backsplash? We are facing the same thing.

@schiel - I'm a bit embarrassed to say this project has not gone anywhere yet. Life always seems to get in the way while I am making other plans. We got a bathroom done (which I need to post an update on) and will be doing another soon. For the kitchen, we are starting to lean towards a rustic/vintage paint job on the cabinets using Annie Sloan paints. It has not been the highest priority but still on the radar. Wish I had a better answer for you

I have the granite with the tumbled marble. It looks fine.