Kitchen backsplash and grout

[Anonymous]

I'm in the early stages of planning a kitchen remodel. I love the look of tile backsplashes - glass tile, marble tile, really fabulous porcelain tile, you name it. If I were designing a kitchen based solely on what I like to look at, I'd pick 3x6 tile in some beautiful material. However, I cook a lot. I think a grout-free backsplash would be the most practical choice - think stone or granite slab or back-painted glass.

With tile, I love that you get more variation. I think it looks better. With a slab, I'd worry that it would look too cold.

I would love to hear feedback from people about their kitchen backsplashes. If you have a backsplash that involves grout, how easy is it to keep clean? If you chose a slab backsplash, how did that work for you, as far as the look as well as ease of cleaning?

[Anonymous]

I don't know but I am wondering the same thing at this point! So bump up to this post.

[Anonymous]

I have a honed marble backsplash with medium gray grout. I cook a ton--every day, virtually no exceptions--and it still looks great three years after we put it in. I would be reluctant to do a white grout, though.

[Anonymous]

I'm an interior designer that designs hotels. So grout color and staining is a huge issue. We use epoxy grouts that are pretty impervious. Cement grouts soak up stains but the epoxy grouts do not. I would also suggest making your grout lines as tight as possible. If it's a mosaic on a mesh backing, you can't do this. But if it's loose tiles you can really minimize grout lines.