A kitchen redesign involves numerous choices and elements. However, a kitchen backsplash is the one piece that adds the most flare and personality. It can make a splash literally and metaphorically.
A backsplash might act as your favorite jazzy tie or a striking piece of jewelry (five percent, maybe). And sometimes with many annoying problems that are common to repair all of them. It serves purposes beyond those of a backsplash.
It makes a stylish statement that guests to your home can’t help but ooh and aah over. Kitchen backsplashes may be both a headache and a great design feature. These backsplash annoyances may have happened to you:
Cracks and stains in the grout joints.
The price of the materials makes you wonder, “You mentioned how much for that small area?”
Surfaces that are extremely difficult to clean.
Obstacles during installation, such as outlets and stoves, raise the “degree or difficulty” of selecting the ideal backsplash.
How can you acquire a trendy kitchen backsplash design that you want, one that is also simple to maintain and install and that won’t require you to take out a second mortgage or use money from your child’s college fund?
I’ll look at five bothersome issues individuals encounter while trying to select the greatest backsplash in this article. After that, I’ll provide you with some doable “solutions” for these issues.
The hip and fashionable alternatives to kitchen backsplashes are too pricey.
You adore the sleek appearance of the modern back-painted glass. However, when the glass supplier presented the quote, you nearly fell off your chair.
Then you consider a natural, minimalist kitchen with exposed brick or concrete backsplash. These entertaining options turned out to be too expensive for you.
If only you had a budget like Bill Gates, you thought.
Here’s a clever solution if you want a champagne look but can only afford beer or “fairly priced Merlot.”
Search for similar-looking materials. Materials that offer you the aesthetic without a significant financial outlay.
For instance, high gloss acrylic wall panels would be a similar option to back-painted glass without the expensive expense. They are easier and lighter to install and have a striking appearance. A “trifecta” of advantages!
The Cracked Cement Laminate Kitchen Backsplash is the ideal option for a simple, natural design.
The second issue with the backsplash in the kitchen is the difficult-to-clean tile grout joints.
There are many creative tile backsplash ideas available. Kitchens are great places to use ceramic, porcelain, and glass tiles. The main issue is that they are connected at the hip (or, perhaps, the tile) by one malevolent force. And as you are aware, these grout joints need to be cleaned. I’m sure you can do without that task if that person is you. Who specifically enjoys grout joints? That would be no one, I see.
The good news is that there are fashionable panel solutions that do away with joints and provide you with an attractive tile backsplash alternative. Panels consisting of glass, metal, laminate, and even high-gloss acrylic are choices. You can see that having stylish and grout-free alternatives is not incompatible with each other.
Kitchen backsplash issue number three: Even though backsplashes are modest, installing them may be very difficult.
When you purchased the ceramic tiles on sale at your neighborhood big box retailer, it looked like a wonderful idea. You believed installing them beneath your cabinets would be easy and affordable. You were then “schooled” in what you required.
You discovered you required a wet saw, a tile cutter, and far more glue than you could use.
So you decided to disregard that. I’ll find a contractor to take care of this matter for me. Four businesses declined to participate because they claimed the job was too small (one of these businesses even advertised that there was no job too small in print). Three businesses missed the appointment. What a waste of time looking for a contractor today, you thought. One business did come up and gave you an astronomically high quote.
What should I do next, you ask yourself?
Consider getting your hands dirty and DIY-ing this issue with two backsplash solutions that are straightforward to install:
Peel and stick wall tiles are the first system. Many lines of metal paneling are simple to cut and install. The thin and flimsy appearance of some metal backsplash panels is the only drawback.
System #2: Screw and glue panels Kitchen wall panels that are 22 12″ x 23,” and 3/8″ thick are a good choice. These panels can be fastened to a wood board or bonded to existing materials to provide a tile appearance.
Problem 4 with kitchen backsplashes: Choosing materials that are difficult to install.
Before your crew “tried” to fit the one-piece granite slab between the countertop and kitchen cabinets, it looked fantastic. What about awkward?
The outlet holes on the extremely expensive back-painted glass panel were precisely cut. You are now hoping that you can install the panel without damaging it.
While, in theory, cool, certain kitchen backsplashes can be a real pain to install (I could use some ‘choice’ words here, but this is a family-friendly blog).
If large, pricey slabs or fragile lengthy panels make you cringe, switching to “componentized” materials would be a better solution. Consider materials like tile, laminate kitchen backsplash panels, or metal panels to make your installation easier.
Problem number 5 with the kitchen backsplash: Avoiding “obstructions” (those pesky outlets and stoves)
Having many outlets is typically a pleasant sight. A stove is necessary for the design of a kitchen as well. When installed, outlets and stoves are PUBLIC ENEMY #1.
The type of stove (and the heat it emits) and the outlets play a key role in selecting which backsplash will function in a kitchen.
Installation of granite slabs or back painted glass must be done carefully since they must be precut and the outlets placed precisely where they should be, as was mentioned in difficulty #4. Typically, this necessitates expert templating and installation (which comes at a price). The advantage of these materials is that they function behind all sorts of stoves, notwithstanding the heat.
On the other hand, some items are simpler to cut around the outlets and are easier to install, such as DIY kitchen backsplash panels with a high-pressure laminate front. They can also be utilized around all kinds of electric stoves and behind stoves with back control panels.
Ceramic tiles, the most common option for kitchen backsplashes, are fine to use everywhere but cutting and filling tiles around outlets takes effort.
I wish I could say that there is a single product fix that makes working around all obstacles simple, but I am unable to. I’ll tell you that doing your research before spending money is the most crucial step in finding the greatest backsplash solution for you. It would be best if you inquired about the following:
What steps must be taken during installation to accommodate plugs? Are any specialized instruments needed?
Are there any thermal restrictions on your preferred option that prevent it from being used behind a stove? If so, what restrictions apply?
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