Matching your backsplash tiles to your countertops can be a fun and exciting project. You want your selection to be one that fits your budget, coordinates well with your kitchen design, is easy to maintain, is protective of your walls, is resistant to stains, adds a focal point to your kitchen area and, at the same time, inspires homeowner creativity and personal taste, coupled with a sense of design.
With today’s backsplashes being more than just a catchall for splatters, more thought has gone into how a backsplash can improve a kitchen space and make a kitchen area a more attractive and inviting gathering spot for family, friends and guests.
Matching your Backsplash
So, exactly how do you match backsplash tiles with your countertops? Maybe you have already lined out an entire plan for your kitchen renovation with specific paint color swatches, flooring samples, top-of-the line appliance selections, faucet and sink choices, cabinetry and countertops, but you are completely at a loss as to coordinating a backsplash with any or all of it, particularly in relationship to your countertops. With that in mind, here are some ideas to spark your imagination and bring out the interior designer diva in you.
What First, Countertop or Backsplash?
Making a decision concerning a particular backsplash can be an overwhelming one, especially with the options and styles available today. To avoid the uncertainty and decision making, it might be worth your sanity to simply concentrate on finding the right countertop first and worrying about a backsplash later.
New countertops will be the backbone of your kitchen space and will likely be one of the largest purchases you make. Countertops are also going to be more of a standard item, which means that your choices will be somewhat more limited in colors and patterns in comparison to limitless backsplash selections. Indecisiveness doesn’t have to be a constant and painful companion when it comes to choosing a countertop. Also, a countertop is usually installed first which makes it easier to coordinate an eventual backslash choice. You can match up backsplash samples to your heart’s content once your countertops are installed.
Perfect Chance of a Backsplash
There is always a chance that you might stumble across the perfect backsplash tile before you have selected a countertop material. If that is the case, you can easily narrow down your countertop selection to one that blends with your backsplash, enhances it and brings a textural aspect to it. Most any backsplash also adds a pop of subtle, bright or lustrous color that directs a back and forth movement from the backsplash and countertops. This combination suggests a double focal point that showcases both the backsplash and the countertops.
Countertop Extension
Color coding or matching a backsplash area to countertops can be an easy fix as you can always use any excess slab or leftover material from your countertops and extend it as a backsplash. An all-in-one look is also possible with both a countertop and backsplash as you can continue a backsplash beyond its traditional level and further extend it almost all the way up an entire wall. You can achieve a uniform and monochromatic look this way, particularly if you like a clean, urban or industrial appearance in a backsplash. This kind of matching idea serves as a double fix, but if you still want to go with a traditional backsplash and like the same coloration and pattern appearance as your countertops, find a backsplash tile that has similar colors and patterns that integrate well with the countertops.
Also, there is always the option of using a completely different material for a backsplash. Natural stone, wood, brick, glass, subway tile or even stainless steel can provide a contrast that brings an entirely different look to a backsplash, yet still enhance and boost the look of the countertops.
Various Tile Shapes and Patterns
A more luxurious backsplash look can be achieved with various tile shapes and sizes. For example, mosaic tiles in rich colors and shapes can either compliment, accentuate or blend in with your countertops and enhance any other items in a kitchen space such as the cabinets, appliances, sinks, faucets and any other accessories within the kitchen. When different tile shapes, sizes and patterns are used in backsplashes, a more customized and personalized look can be achieved.
Make Things Simple
If a perfect match or color exuberance is not your thing, why not consider using simple white or neutral colored tiles for your backsplash. Subway tiles, squares, rectangles or any other geometrical patterns left plain or infused with color can be arranged to reflect a whimsical backdrop. This type of patterning is certainly one of the few ways that countertops can be enhanced in a simple and uncomplicated way.
Other Choices
Another practical and attractive backsplash tile choice is glass. It can intensify or neutralize a countertop and is a good choice for granite countertops as glass can easily blend in with the luster and coloration of various granite pieces. Another thought with totally white or neutral colored kitchens is the fact that most any backsplash color choice will coordinate with these kitchens as will other materials that aren’t tile.
Color Variations
Matching can be made easier when variations of the same color are used in a backsplash. If you have an ebony granite countertop that has both dark and lighter gray ribbons or streamers of color running through it, you can pick up on both those gray colors and create a backsplash with a darker and lighter gray coloration. The ribbons of color would blend with those in the countertop slab.
Matching backsplash tiles with countertops doesn’t have to be an overwhelming project. In fact it should be a fun and creative endeavor with a positive outcome. With the abundance of backsplash choices, a personalized combination or even a custom made design can be created. If you are looking for a suitable tile match and can’t come up with the answers, complete the online contact form and a specialist will help you make a match that works for you.
