The purpose of a backsplash is primarily functional. It protects the wall behind the sink against water damage from inadvertent splashing. In the kitchen, backsplashes cover other parts of the countertop beside the sink area.
If you are looking for an easy way to instantly increase the value of your home, then adding a kitchen backsplash is a great idea! A backsplash will not only add charter and charm to your home, it increases the value of your biggest home asset—the kitchen! The good news is that tile doesn't have to be expensive.
Backsplash Tiles Make a Kitchen Look Bigger and Brighter
Just changing the color of the backsplash can drastically improve the look and feel of your kitchen and turn it into a brighter, airier space versus a dark uninviting one.
One of the biggest cons of a 4-inch backsplash over a full-tile backsplash is that the design is a little outdated. Though still a popular design, many kitchen designers tout the more modern and trendier full-tile design.
For years now, the 4-inch backsplash has been standard in most spec homes and continues to be a popular choice.
Subway tile is the most enduring choice for a backsplash. Avoid bold, trendy colors, and instead look for white or neutrals. Keep it simple, and bring in color elsewhere in the kitchen, with more easily replaced items, such as dish towels, art, bowls of fruit and rugs.
Backsplashes should go behind the stove and between the countertop and the bottom of the upper cabinets, but not behind the fridge. The backsplash should be wherever there will be food and water splatter, but not where it can't be seen.
Kitchen Backsplash Cost. The average cost for kitchen backsplash is roughly $400 to $600 per 16 square foot, excluding labor. You could pay about $300 to $400 per 16 square foot for cheaper ceramic variations, or between $650 and $1,000 per 16 square foot for high-quality types.
Unless you have a pedestal sink that doesn't rest against the wall, you do need a backsplash for your bathroom vanity. The reason is practical: a bathroom backsplash protects the wall behind the sink from rot, mold and mildew. Beyond that, a backsplash can provide a lot of design appeal.
Closure of facilities – public services, employment, amenities; if any of these services close, it could impact the value of your house as they're often appealing to buyers. Low school ratings – buyers pay to live in areas with good schools because they want their children to have access to the best education.
As mentioned earlier, cabinetry usually tends to be the most expensive part of a kitchen remodel. It can cost up to $15,000 even in a relatively minor remodel with a budget of about $30,000. In an upscale remodel, choosing kitchen cabinets can take up nearly 20 to 40 percent of the entire budget.
Having white cabinets in your kitchen will make your home more appealing to potential buyers and could increase its resale value by thousands of dollars. If you're thinking about selling your home and want to make it more attractive, white kitchen cabinets are a great choice.
There are many dangers of having a bathroom vanity without a backsplash. Some include: Wall and paint damage: Water can seep and sit behind your bathroom sink. And, even if you used waterproof paint, you'll still have issues and damage can occur with constant water contact.
No, you don't need a splashback behind your sink, but it can be a smart idea to include it in your bathroom design. The splashback serves to catch any spray from the tap as you wash your hands or brush your teeth. It protects the wallboard from being damaged by water.
If you're in a kitchen, and you're doing the countertop-to-upper-cabinet-18”-high-backsplash, it's best not to wrap that around to the side wall if you don't need to. As I always say... Transitioning materials on an inside corner is always best.
Average Cost to Install a Backsplash
On average, expect to spend around $1,500 on your new backsplash. According to Fixr, the price range for this project is $900 to $2,500, with the price largely dependent on the type of tile you use. If you install your backsplash yourself, you can save money on labor costs.
As long as your wall is smooth and flat, you can install a ceramic tile kitchen backsplash directly over drywall or plaster with no problem. Start by cleaning the wall to remove any grease, then apply thin-set adhesive, and set the tile. After the adhesive has set, apply grout, and you're done.
A tile backsplash can really change the look of a kitchen and isn't that hard to install. A tile backsplash can really change the look of a kitchen and isn't that hard to install.
In terms of how high your kitchen backsplash should be, that's up to you. Many homeowners stop their backsplash level with the bottom of their upper cabinets. However, some choose to take the tile all the way up the ceiling. This can make the kitchen feel taller, drawing the eye up the wall.
According to our friends at hunker.com, a standard backsplash measures four inches up from the your countertop surface. In most cases, it is an additional piece of the same material that you select for your countertops.
Ceramic tile is the most popular option for a kitchen backsplash. Ceramic tiles are incredibly versatile—they come in many shapes, sizes and colors and can be installed in numerous patterns.
When looking for kitchen color ideas, you may be tempted to opt for a classic all-white palette – but according to designers, this desired tone may have fallen out of favor. The hue has endured for decades, however, changing paint trends suggest that this neutral shade is no longer in vogue.
Even though there are some drawbacks to white kitchen cabinets, they will never “go out of style.” The shapes of the doors or the layout of the kitchen may go out of style, but white in a kitchen will always look good.
There are many timeless options for a kitchen backsplash such as hexagon tiles, picket tile, penny tile, and square format tile (just to name a few). Timeless Backsplash Tip: Opt for a natural stone like marble or slate for a more traditional and timeless look. For example, marble or slate mosaic tile!
It isn't imperative to tile behind a vanity unit and whether or not you choose to do so depends entirely on your own preferences. Some homeowners choose to begin their bathroom updates by tiling the wall and then adding the vanity unit, simply because it suits them and it's how they would like to approach the project.