Regret running your counter slab up the wall/backsplash?

[Anonymous]

We have a small kitchen and I’m trying to make choices that will keep the look and maintenance clean and simple.

The designer suggested using the same quartz slab we selected for the counters as the backsplash as well (to avoid it looking too busy, avoid grout lines, etc.).

Anyone done this?

Any regrets?

Fwiw, I don’t like subway tile and was struggling to find tile I would like forever, so this appeals to me. The quartz we selected is the ubiquitous white with gray veining (not bold, very subtle; and not bright white).

[Anonymous]

I think it looks ugly, but it would be much easier to clean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a small kitchen and I’m trying to make choices that will keep the look and maintenance clean and simple.

The designer suggested using the same quartz slab we selected for the counters as the backsplash as well (to avoid it looking too busy, avoid grout lines, etc.).

Anyone done this?

Any regrets?

Fwiw, I don’t like subway tile and was struggling to find tile I would like forever, so this appeals to me. The quartz we selected is the ubiquitous white with gray veining (not bold, very subtle; and not bright white).

I have and I love it. We have Constantino Silestone in Bianco Calacatta on our walls and it is gorgeous. You can barely see the grey veining so it’s crisp and clean and very elegant. It’s also much easier to clean. We opted for traditional marble behind our range and I regret it. It would have looked so much better with the calacatta

[Anonymous]

I don’t like the look. I just did a remodel with light quartzite countertops and our designer suggested we run the quartzite as backsplash along two walls. I decided to go with a neutral tile instead. We did put a piece of slab behind the range because it would be easier to clean, and it confirmed that I wouldn’t have wanted to use it everywhere. The range is centered on the back wall of the kitchen, so the smaller piece of quartzite is also centered in the room. If the quartzite ran up two walls, we would have lost the focus on the centered range.

I posted on a different small kitchen thread that small kitchens especially benefit from depth, and using the same materials on the counter as well as the backsplash can make the space seem flat and reminiscent of a mausoleum. Another problem is that surfaces look different when vertical vs horizontal. The vertical surface draws the eye first. I love my countertop material and wanted it to be focal point of the kitchen, but if it went up the walls, it would pull focus there first.

Finally, you mentioned you have quartz, which is made of a certain percentage of resin. That resin will discolor behind the range due to the heat - just google some images.

Personally, I think the slab as backsplash will look overly trendy soon- just like the waterfall edges and the two tone cabinets. You need some contrast and depth in a room that has a lot of flat surfaces.

[Anonymous]

Ugly (and lazy) imo. When I see it I just think the owner (or designer) was just too lazy to find a proper coordinated backsplash and just ran on the counter. Marble subway tile looks bed imo but not the most Maint free.

[Anonymous]

Looks clean and easy to maintain.

[Anonymous]

I actually like this look but think it’s trendy and will date your kitchen.

[Anonymous]

I have a 6" granite backsplash and painted wall for the rest. I guess that's old fashioned but it looks good in an open plan downstairs.

[Anonymous]

I prefer it to tile

[Anonymous]

Our 90s kitchen has this, and I mostly like it. Very easy to clean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our 90s kitchen has this, and I mostly like it. Very easy to clean.

The “easy to clean” reason seems overrated to me. Is everyone’s entire backsplash getting that dirty? The only place my backsplash regularly needs a wipe is behind the range (we put stone there) and occasionally behind the faucet of the main sink. But even there, it isn’t very often because our faucet is pedal controlled, so we rarely get splashes there.

Even the most realistic looking quartz today is going to look fake in a few years, as more and more realistic fakes come to market. I already don’t love the way designers try so hard to evoke luxury by cladding everything in natural stone, and it looks even more contrived when it’s quartz.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a small kitchen and I’m trying to make choices that will keep the look and maintenance clean and simple.

The designer suggested using the same quartz slab we selected for the counters as the backsplash as well (to avoid it looking too busy, avoid grout lines, etc.).

Anyone done this?

Any regrets?

Fwiw, I don’t like subway tile and was struggling to find tile I would like forever, so this appeals to me. The quartz we selected is the ubiquitous white with gray veining (not bold, very subtle; and not bright white).

Common thing and looks great.
Just be sure weight won't be an issue.

If you ever decide to change it, you can simply tile over the slab if you don't want to remove it, or you can remove it, set it in storage, and then if you ever want to go back to it, you already have it ready.

[Anonymous]

My in-laws have this, white with a grey grain (with white cabinets) and it looks borderline clinical/sterile.

Yes, it is likely easier to clean, but it feels really cold.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My in-laws have this, white with a grey grain (with white cabinets) and it looks borderline clinical/sterile.

Yes, it is likely easier to clean, but it feels really cold.

Yeah too much white is no good. People went overboard with whites and grays due to following trends that get dated.
Needs some contrast with cabinets.
The whole vein thing.... ick.

[Anonymous]

You’re not supposed to use quartz behind the range, so you need to figure out a different treatment there. Some people do it but the quartz can scorch or crack.

I don’t like quartz enough to want it everywhere.