Please show me your backsplash...

[junebug17]

@Arcadian, beautiful kitchen and I think an island will make it perfect! LOVE all your space.

OK so more backsplash has been added today. We have an issue...not enough tile. Don't know how this happened because we had more than enough so I just don't know. Greg is taking care of it. So stressful.

Here are the progress pics. Adhesive is drying and that accounts for some of the darker areas. Should all dry to the same shade.

Wow Missy, that looks fantastic! Love it. Ugh to running out of tiles, try not to stress, it will work out.

 

[missy]

Wow Missy, that looks fantastic! Love it. Ugh to running out of tiles, try not to stress, it will work out.

Thank you sweet Junie! Greg called up Mondial and they have tiles left from the same lot so he is picking them up and driving to the beach tomorrow AM and giving them to the backsplash guy for him to be able to finish the backsplash tomorrow. There is another problem but Greg is home and it's dinner time. Share with you another time. Haha it is always many something right? One or two problems would be too easy.

 

[missy]

Looking great Missy!!!
And :roll to the missing tile. I had to order some more as well, when we also bought 25% more than the surface we needed to cover. .. this time AND last time. I don't know what those tile people do.

Aww Kipari I am sorry you dealt with a similar issue. And I know right? Maybe they eat it LOL I mean we had extra as per the instructions to allow for breakage but apparently it wasn't enough. :roll
Oh well as long as money can solve a problem it's not really a problem right? And not worth stressing about. Just a mild annoyance. On top of many annoyances. Can't blame them for my biggest frustration (my itchy swollen eyebrow skin) though oh if I could haha.

Thanks so much for chiming in and letting me know we aren't the only ones who didn't have enough backsplash. Made me feel a bit better.

 

[Arcadian]

It looks great @missy, just enough to provide a contrast to all the white.

I always had a gas hob @Arcadian but when I had my kitchen redone, I opted for an induction hob, and I can honestly say it’s every bit as controllable as gas, and so easy to clean. I love that it’s just a sleek piece of glass in my island.

@Austina your kitchen..... Are those cream or white cabinets? I admittedly am not a fan of stark white because my OCD would have me cleaning it all the time. I wouldn't mind doing induction. If I could find a reasonably priced induction STOVE I'd be set (they are not reasonable however... otherwise it could mean an entire redesign. I'd say screw it and not have a kitchen, just a hotplate...lol

 

[Austina]

I went for cream @Arcadian as high gloss white is a bit stark. Matt white, like Missy has looks much softer, and I’ve had that in a previous kitchen, and loved it too.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

How did I miss your gorgeous kitchen, @Austina? Beautiful. And I agree with induction. I always preferred gas, then chose induction for security reasons (small kids), rented a place with gas again while renovating and this made it crystal clear to me that I much prefer induction now.
We picked a similar aesthetic than yours, very clean lines in stark white very matte lacquer. Loving it so far.
I also opted for an integrated extractor (not a hood in the technical sense anymore) and I am pleased with the performance.
What about yours?
@missy I think for alm the annoyances you should just go ahead and blame them for the eyebrow! They deserve it, lol.
Keeping my fingers crossed that your skin will get better very soon!!

 

[Austina]

I love my downdraft extractor @kipari, I’m really pleased with it and love that it’s so neat and unobtrusive when not in use.

 

[Loves Vintage]

kipari and Austina - Is this what you both have:

Something like this? Very Jetsons! I love it!! I have never seen this before!

 

[Austina]

Yes! That’s what I have

 

[missy]

Yes! That’s what I have

We had this in our Sea Girt beach house. Loved it. It got stuck a few times but Greg always managed to figure it out.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

I have this one, because it left me with slightly more storage space underneath and it doesn't block the view (kids are eating on the other side of the island at the counter).
Installed a glass panel behind it for kids' protection that we could take off later

 

[BlingDreams]

Can I get some help too?

I’m reading this thread with great interest. We’re currently building a house and going through the whole process of selecting our interior finishes. Choosing the cabinet and island colors was easy, as was our marble, but the backsplash has me stymied! I can’t decide if I want a coordinating or contrasting backsplash. Or what color grout!

It’s a huge kitchen with lots of light. The main cabinets will be a rustic ivory and the island will be rustic black. The countertop is an off-white and black striated marble that also has hints of greige in it. I’m undecided about if I should do a black backsplash to pull in the island or an ivory backsplash to blend with the cabinets.

Thoughts? I could share photos if it would help.

 

[missy]

Can I get some help too?

I’m reading this thread with great interest. We’re currently building a house and going through the whole process of selecting our interior finishes. Choosing the cabinet and island colors was easy, as was our marble, but the backsplash has me stymied! I can’t decide if I want a coordinating or contrasting backsplash. Or what color grout!

It’s a huge kitchen with lots of light. The main cabinets will be a rustic ivory and the island will be rustic black. The countertop is an off-white and black striated marble that also has hints of greige in it. I’m undecided about if I should do a black backsplash to pull in the island or an ivory backsplash to blend with the cabinets.

Thoughts? I could share photos if it would help.

Sounds lovely. Lots of light and a big kitchen.
I think your backsplash would be pretty in ivory with an off-white grout. I wouldn't do black.

And definitely please share pics. It would be helpful.

 

[marcy]

Missy your kitchen and back splash are look great.
Here is the first picture of found of our back splash.

 

[missy]

Missy your kitchen and back splash are look great.
Here is the first picture of found of our back splash.

Is it bad all I can see are COOKIES!!!

Thanks Marcy! Love your kitchen too. Umm can you come over and bake for our kitchen grand opening pretty please.

 

[BlingDreams]

Sounds lovely. Lots of light and a big kitchen.
I think your backsplash would be pretty in ivory with an off-white grout. I wouldn't do black.

And definitely please share pics. It would be helpful.

Thanks for your input Missy. I’ve been debating a darker beige or off-white grout if I do the ivory backsplash; can’t decide which I’d like better. The black grout would be with the black tiles

Here are two photos - the layout of our kitchen (shown with a gray backsplash) and the colors I’m thinking of. I’m also toying with maybe doing 4” ivory stone square tiles on a diagonal (so they look diamond-shaped) instead, and maybe using the arabesque tiles just as a center insert where the hood is instead of all over.

 

[Arcadian]

Thanks for your input Missy. I’ve been debating a darker beige or off-white grout if I do the ivory backsplash; can’t decide which I’d like better. The black grout would be with the black tiles

Here are two photos - the layout of our kitchen (shown with a gray backsplash) and the colors I’m thinking of. I’m also toying with maybe doing 4” ivory stone square tiles on a diagonal (so they look diamond-shaped) instead, and maybe using the arabesque tiles just as a center insert where the hood is instead of all over.

Thats your kitchen? No WAY!!!!!! Can I tell you I'm adobtable? LOL So much stuff in there that I want!!

Def. do not go with black unless you're really into the drama of it. Personally I like the grey, but black would be too much.

with the ivory you COULD go with a darker grout. That would help the shape stand out more. Bright white may be too much. Otherwise, a subway or slab back splash would be better idea if you want the grout to blend (no sense in going with that shape if you can't show it off right?)

 

[missy]

Thanks for your input Missy. I’ve been debating a darker beige or off-white grout if I do the ivory backsplash; can’t decide which I’d like better. The black grout would be with the black tiles

Here are two photos - the layout of our kitchen (shown with a gray backsplash) and the colors I’m thinking of. I’m also toying with maybe doing 4” ivory stone square tiles on a diagonal (so they look diamond-shaped) instead, and maybe using the arabesque tiles just as a center insert where the hood is instead of all over.

Love your kitchen @ILikeShiny-it's so huge and bright! I would not do dark grout. But I am not a grout fan and don't like to add attention to it by making it stand out. It's a personal aesthetic though and just like most taste issues there really is no right or wrong. I would match the grout to the tile backsplash. If using ivory tiles I would keep the grout in the ivory shade. I LOVE your 4” ivory stone square tiles on the diagonal (diamonds!) and using the arabesque tiles as a center insert. I think it will look fresh and beautiful.

I also love your granite choice.

 

[Austina]

Another no for black, anything dramatic gets really old really quickly @ILikeShiny

If you go for anything in beige, I’d go for either matching grout or a shade darker than the tile. White grout in a kitchen (especially around the sink and cooking area) can get dirty quickly.

Fab kitchen BTW

 

[BlingDreams]

Thats your kitchen? No WAY!!!!!! Can I tell you I'm adobtable? LOL So much stuff in there that I want!!

Def. do not go with black unless you're really into the drama of it. Personally I like the grey, but black would be too much.

With the ivory you COULD go with a darker grout. That would help the shape stand out more. Bright white may be too much. Otherwise, a subway or slab back splash would be better idea if you want the grout to blend (no sense in going with that shape if you can't show it off right?)

I'm not up for adopting, but I'm always up for visitors

It's not my kitchen YET, but it will be in about a year (once they finish building the house). I'm so ecstatic about it; I cook all of the time, and often help others learn how to cook too, so having the room to spread out will be fantastic!! And you can't see it from that viewpoint but it'll have a trash compactor, a recycles compactor, and a wine refrigerator too. All the necessities in one place

I do like the idea of a darker cream grout vs lighter. Your comment about "otherwise what's the point of a shaped tile" is spot on and gave me an ah-ha! moment

Love your kitchen @ILikeShiny-it's so huge and bright! I would not do dark grout. But I am not a grout fan and don't like to add attention to it by making it stand out. It's a personal aesthetic though and just like most taste issues there really is no right or wrong. I would match the grout to the tile backsplash. If using ivory tiles I would keep the grout in the ivory shade. I LOVE your 4” ivory stone square tiles on the diagonal (diamonds!) and using the arabesque tiles as a center insert. I think it will look fresh and beautiful.

I also love your granite choice.

Thanks! I'm now leaning towards the darker taupe idea. I have to talk to the design center about the center insert idea; hopefully they can do it. If not, I've tiled my own backsplash before so I guess I could figure out how to do that part myself if needed!

Another no for black, anything dramatic gets really old really quickly @ILikeShiny

If you go for anything in beige, I’d go for either matching grout or a shade darker than the tile. White grout in a kitchen (especially around the sink and cooking area) can get dirty quickly.

Fab kitchen BTW

Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of; that the novelty will wear off. I like having the pattern stand out, but I don't want it to be the focal point. And great point about how dirty the tile might get; with all of the cooking I do I'm sure tomato sauce is bound to splash up there at some point

 

[missy]

@ILikeShiny yay looks like your thoughts are coming together for a gorgeous dream kitchen by next year woohoo! I cannot wait to see how it materializes. Just love all your space in the kitchen!

So our guy finished the backsplash on all 3 walls but it was still wet as he was leaving (since he washed the grout off when he was done) so the photos he took look very dark as marble gets darker when it is wet. Therefore I don't have an accurate idea of the color but will share some of the dark pics with you.

Another issue is the fridge. We had custom cabinetry built and that was including for the fridge to be seamlessly incorporated without any gaps. Well there is a huge top gap. So Greg spoke with Darren who is taking care of it and adding trim etc. I am not confident it will look as good as I want it to look but fingers crossed.









A few more hiccups. The plumbers who installed the fridge damaged one of our lower cabinet doors so Darren put an order in with the cabinet manufacturer and that might take many weeks to get we will see. Very careless IMO and there is yet another fridge they need to install so really hope they are more careful. The GC and his wife did not acknowledge the cabinet door damage and are incredibly difficult to work with. Non communicative even more than before but that is because they have most of our money. Greg keeps telling me not to worry he is taking care of everything but of course I am worrying. The carpenter still has a good amount of work to do in the kitchen and outside (shingle work outside and the trim around the windows) and that has been pushed back till next Thursday or Friday because an order has not yet come through.

So that is my kitchen and backsplash update. I am looking forward to hearing more of your reno projects and seeing photos and sharing the excitement with you guys. Please keep us posted and sending good luck reno dust to each and everyone of you whether it's a full gut or just a refresher kitchen redo. And hopefully in the coming weeks I will have good news to share here.

 

[missy]

LOL so my dh just sent me a security cam pic of the backsplash in the kitchen. Not totally dry but much drier than yesterday afternoon when Darren tooth backsplash pics when he finished. Definitely looks lighter and my dh said it should get even lighter as it is still not fully dry.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

This is loooking so beautiful already, @missy!
I think once the colour is slightly lighter it will be more airy and beach- like.

I am sorry that the GC is difficult. It makes me mad, since it just makes everything unnecessarily hard for everyone. So frustrating. Hang in there, the final result will be well worth it!
Hugs

 

[Austina]

Definitely the right choice, it looks great

 

[BlingDreams]

The tile looks great! Perfect match with the surroundings.

A couple thoughts based on your latest update... Does your security camera record? If so, might there be footage of the plumber causing the damage? Also, for the fridge gap, instead of adding trim at the top how about building a small platform for the fridge to rest on/be raised up? It should be as easy as some 2x4’s spliced together and painted either white (to match) or black (to blend) and then you'd have the seamless look you want.

 

[missy]

Thank you @kipari and @Austina! (((HUGS))) back at ya Kipari and some more for good measure and hugs to Austina and ILikeShiny too!

Thanks @ILikeShiny! That's a great idea and I will run it by Greg and see what he thinks. I know Darren already ordered the trim to fix the fridge gap so not sure what is best but I will definitely talk to my dh about it and really appreciate your thoughts. We don't need to get out the video as Darren saw it happen and has ordered the replacement door. As far as I know the GC and his wife are not contesting it happened but since the GC and his wife didn't acknowledge a thing despite Greg's email as I said they suck re correspondence and won't get on the phone...(email is the only way his wife will communicate) I don't know anything for sure.

 

[Austina]

I’m so sorry you’re getting even more aggravation from the GC and his wife. If I could, I’d have sent over ours, total opposite to your experience. We had one unit delivered damaged (came from Germany) and as soon as they discovered it, they showed me and got straight on to the manufacturer so that a new one could be slotted in to the production schedule, I think we only waited a week for the replacement. Only one of the ovens I wanted was available, so they searched high and low to find another, again, I waited a few days for that. I can honestly say that being without a kitchen for 3 weeks, was fine. If we’d had the kind of incompetence you’ve had, I’d have been murderous!

 

[partgypsy]

Thank you for sharing! I am going to update my kitchen too. I assumed with a neutral, but I also love color, and love Mrs. B green and blue tile backsplash! The kitchen backsplash now are 1950's hexagonal green and pink tiles. I like them, but I am changing the countertop, and it doesn't go all the way around, so most likely will need to replace. Whatever I use, will need to go with green marmoleum flooring and maple countertops

 

[rocks]

Maybe too late, but ours...waterfall subway tile with a basket weave inset over the range.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Rocks - to your whole kitchen!! And, the countertops are?

And, was this a reno or a new build?