I have a stainless steel backsplash which looks great. I also do not like the slab on the wall, generally. I prefer a neutral tile - we have marble tiles with a beveled edge.

I think it looks dated and ugly, but it wouldn’t stop me from buying a house in the future.

It’s just that I would consider it an “ugly” kitchen.

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

It’s not trendy. It’s been around for 30+ years that I’ve seen. I don’t remember seeing it in the 80s but saw it in the 90s when people switched from tile counters to the ubiquitous granite en mass.

Anonymous wrote: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.

A good backsplash is time consuming to select. I agree that many designers recommend taking the slab up the wall as a knee jerk reaction because it is easy. I find it odd because usually designers are all about layering and textures and visual interest, and putting the slab up achieves none of that. And what your eye likes to see once as a “wow” moment, is not necessarily the right choice for a room that is a workhorse space that you walk into multiple times a day.

I especially wouldn’t do it with quartz because the whole idea of quartz is that it imitates stone but is more maintenance free/cheaper, and it looks that way. No matter how great quartz looks today, it’s still an imitation product, and putting it on a vertical surface is going to draw more attention to the fact that it is not real.

And for everyone who claims that their cambria/silestone/caesarstone borghese aventura carara calacatta bugatti versace quartz looks so real and fools everyone, no, it does not. I am far from an expert, but after renovating one kitchen, I can always tell the difference. Real stone is so much less perfect than quartz - the colors are more varied, the veining is unexpected, and polished stone is translucent. I’m not anti quartz as a material, but using it as backsplash is something that is going to join the tumbled travertine kitchen as an idea that did not age well.

It depends on the overall look and feel of your kitchen. I did this 20 years ago in my very modern European kitchen and I liked it. We chose super fun tile in our last kitchen that was open concept and integrated into the living room/dining room. There, we wanted to avoid looking at "too much kitchen" from the living room and wanted a less sterile overall look. The tile that we chose involved a lot of grout. But it held up quote well over 15 years. We now moved again and I am contemplating my next kitchen remodel. We are going to have a statement piece island with a very busy slab, so I might do a simple counter/backsplash on the perimeter. So my point is that it really depends on the look that you are trying to achieve.

I fell for this trend. I was sick of making choices, and this was much easier than trying to coordinate backsplash tile. We have a very neutral quartz, and I do like it (but maybe don't LOVE it).
Things to be aware of:
1) I was surprised by how reflective the quartz is. Nice for sunlight shining in, but you can also see the faucet reflected back from the quartz, and the windows on the opposing wall. Just something to be aware of when you're deciding.
2) Quartz is thick. Make sure to take it into account for appliance/faucet placement. Also think about how it will look if you don't have it end into a wall. The thickness tends to look odd if it's adjacent to a painted wall. I don't have this problem, but have seen it in photos.

I would likely do it again, but its not the slam dunk I thought it would be.

I love it. I like the clean look, so easy to clean!

I generally like the look, though preferably with natural stone. If you have gas burners scorching the quartz behind the stove is a real concern. Quartzite or marble don’t have that issue.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Yes my backsplash gets dirty and grungy looking. Mostly the grout.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I regret not doing it as I just have painted wall and I cannot find a tile to match and a pain to install so we keep it painted.

Might consider a metal backsplash such as metal tiles you can attach with mastic, copper, stainless, etc.

The hallmark of a poor person "renovating."

There’s no such thing. You do what YOU like and can afford and you don’t worry about poison people. Don’t be a pill.

We have this and I like it very much. It looks very classy and is easy to maintain.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I regret not doing it as I just have painted wall and I cannot find a tile to match and a pain to install so we keep it painted.

Might consider a metal backsplash such as metal tiles you can attach with mastic, copper, stainless, etc.

The hallmark of a poor person "renovating."

I just don’t think quartz is something to show off on a wall… a countertop is utilitarian but why would you put on a wall like it’s art?

Marble or Quartzite is cool and beautiful (usually) and would be worth seeing on the wall (and $$$$$)