How do you Select the Ideal Backsplash for a Kitchen?
It's not easy to select the perfect colour and material for a kitchen backsplash if you don't know where to start, but here are a few pointers to help you.
22/06/2023
interior enhancement group
When designing and renovating a kitchen, homeowners are swamped with choices; which tiles for floors, and what colour for cabinets, what material for countertops? It never ends and then you have to throw the kitchen backsplash into the mix and it all becomes a confusing nightmare. Luckily, there are several designer tricks you can put to good use that will help you choose the right colour, perfect material, and stunning result.
1. Assess the Space and Budget
Although you should have done this before even reaching this stage, it is necessary to measure up the square metre of walls to be covered so that you can determine how much you have to spend on materials for the backsplash. If you don't have the budget for your dream backsplash, at least you can then concentrate on one you can afford and that meets your needs. Keep in mind that a backsplash grabs a lot of attention and is often the first thing anyone sees in the kitchen, so you want to make sure it fits in perfectly with the overall design.
While assessing the space you can decide whether to tile an entire wall or just the area around the cooking/prep area or sink area.
2. Pick a Design or Pattern
Go shopping for tiles whether or walls or floors and you will immediately discover for many different tile sizes there are. This doesn't make your choice any easy but it helps to have an idea in mind before you go round to tile suppliers. Do your looking around for backsplash ideas by checking out social media apps such as Pinterest and this will narrow down your choices of how many tiles you want to look at.
Tiles laid in a chevron pattern are very popular at the moment and you will find these at local suppliers countrywide but will need to shop around if you are looking for a specific colour.
Choosing the right orientation for the tiles is also a choice you will need to make. Why go for ordinary when you can lay tiles in so many different ways?
When trying to decide on horizontal or vertical installation think of how wall stripes can visually alter the appearance of a room. Horizontal tiles will make a narrow kitchen feel wider while vertical tiles will visually lift the ceiling. Keep this in mind when buying tiles for your kitchen.
3. Durability and Maintenance
Most homeowners would put this at the bottom of the list but if you know in advance the amount of maintenance required to keep a backsplash looking great will limit your choices and leave out tiles you know are not easy to clean, require constant cleaning of buffing, or scratch easily.
A backsplash comprising natural stone, pebble mosaic, stacked stone, or similar, may require additional maintenance to keep the surface clean of grease while a gloss tile is easy to keep clean.
Another consideration when selecting tiles for a backsplash is whether or not you want grout lines to be visible. The more grout you have the harder it will be to keep clean.
4. Complement the Kitchen Design
Any backsplash is an essential element of the overall kitchen design and you need to consider that the size, shape, and colour create a harmonious balance. For example, too much pattern in a kitchen can be overpowering. If you have a granite countertop with veins that run through, opt for a plain design tile.
Avoid having more than one pattern in the kitchen. More than one pattern means that they compete against each other for attention and confuse the eye, which is not something you want to happen.
Conclusion
Whatever style choice you make ensure that it is not a discontinued range or check that you can order extra tiles to allow for damage during installation. It is always a good idea to buy extra tiles for just in case.