Backsplashes
One of the most popular elements of any home is often the kitchen backsplash. Backsplashes are practical and desirable because they protect the walls from stains and water damage. But the benefits of a tiled backsplash don’t stop there.
Installing a kitchen or bathroom backsplash can make a real impact on the look and feel of your home, here are several things to consider when shopping for a tile backsplash.
A backsplash adds a personal touch to the room’s style
Your walls are open canvases and you can add your style to them with paint but nothing adds a stylish and personal touch like installing a backsplash with unique tile that speaks to you and your personality. There are endless tile choices, let your imagination and creativity be your guide and you can have something truly unique to you and your home.
Not all tiles will eliminate stain risks or be easy to maintain
If you love to cook and hate to clean be careful which tiles you choose for your kitchen backsplash. Not all tiles are great at reducing maintenance and certain tile choices could actually add to your maintenance workload and schedule instead of reducing it.
For instance, while I love the look of natural stone, stone and marble are naturally porous materials so they are susceptible to staining and require scheduled maintenance with specialty cleaners and sealers. Small tiles may also end up needing more maintenance because they will have more grout joints and that’s where grease and dirt like to take up residence.
If maintenance is a high priority for you, I recommend ceramic, porcelain glass or even metal tile. Because these materials are non-porous, stains will not be able to penetrate the surface of the tile. I also recommend an upgraded grout for backsplashes, one that has stain-resistant technology built-in. One last thing to consider if you are concerned with less maintenance, the larger the tile the less grout joints and therefore the less maintenance needed.
Think long term
Whenever you are investing in your most valuable asset (your home) you should make sure you are considering the long term impact. For example, if you plan to live in your home for a very long time you most likely do not want to be remodeling every few years due to rushing a decision as large as tile selection or which tile contractor you hire. It would be a shame to choose something just because it is on sale only to later find out there was a reason it was on sale or you really did not like it and are now either stuck with it or have to spend more money to change it out to something you will truly enjoy.
On the other hand, if your home is temporary and you plan on putting it on the market within a few years, tile choices should be less about what you want and more for the general public. Choose neutral colors and tile that appeal to a larger group of people, think subway tile instead of mosaics. Subway tile is a classic look that has stood the test of time and is always in style.
When considering a tile contractor to install your backsplash, do not rush to make your decision or choose based solely on something as fleeting as price. We understand HGTV makes it appear as if something like a kitchen backsplash can be installed, grouted and ready for action in just a couple hours, but that is not the case! They call that TV Magic in Hollywood but in the real world there is a lot more involved in producing quality work that will last for generations to come.
Ask contractors what methods and materials they will be using. What grout and why? How about silicone caulking, will they use it in between the wall and the countertop? Or will they be grouting that joint? If they are removing an old backsplash, how will they protect the cabinets and countertops? How about protecting the rest of the home from fine dust? These are all valuable points to consider and make sure you get the answers you need.
Recent Tile Backsplash Projects
Simply put, it was awesome to work with Kaleb. He responded to my initial email promptly. Then when I took several months to again follow up because of other things going on, he was again prompt when I reached back out. He arranged a time when he could come and speak with us about the project and was punctual, professional, and honest. I figured we would have to wait months to get our mudroom done, as another tiling company had told us the lead time was about 6 months. Kaleb amazingly was able to fit our project in within a few weeks! He arrived promptly every morning, worked hard every day, and kept coming back daily/consistently until the project was finished. He worked well with the other professionals we had in and out of our home as we renovate. The quality of his work is beautiful. He provided us with advice as to how he would recommend doing the project and then knocked it out of the park in terms of execution. We live in an antique reproduction home, so I wanted our mudroom tile to look like it had been there for a while; Kaleb executed that design flawlessly. We will certainly contact him for any future projects.
We would recommend Kaleb with no reservations whatsoever for any tile work you may need. He is the "tile guy" our builder for our new, 3 1/2 bath home uses and we couldn't have been more satisfied. His work is meticulous and it is obvious he is both highly skilled at design and installation. Moreover, he saved us from some "blah" tile choices made before we met and spoke with him and he steered us toward much better materials! And who knew that choosing the grout colors was so hard? But again, Kaleb guided us through that process with his excellent eye. He will offer his opinion if you want it (we did!) but respect the client's as well. Do not hesitate to hire Rutland Tile Company!
We had a great experience with Kaleb. He was professional, thorough and kind! I would definitely use him again and recommend to a friend!
Kaleb came to retile my bathroom. He was not only a very dedicated worker but, quite the artisan as well. Kaleb informed me every step of the way; he is an excellent teacher! I found Kaleb to be reliable and responsible. A very gregarious person, Kaleb helped me to make decisions about the design of the bathroom using his superb expertise. I am very happy with the end result. I hope to hire Kaleb in the future and I enthusiastically and highly recommend Kaleb Merrill for any tile work.
Kaleb is great-- he was always on time, professional, and super easy to work with on a complicated repair and retile of our shower floor/surrounding tiles. Definitely recommend!
We had a great experience working with Kaleb at Rutland Tile Company. We unfortunately had to redo a very poor installation from another contractor and Kaleb came through for us on very short notice. He was professional, prompt, and very efficient. Not to mention, he did a fantastic job. We are very pleased with the final product and would hire him again in the future. Definitely give him a call.
A very big thank you to Kaleb for a superb job in our master bathroom. He is truly a genuine artist in his trade and an amazing person to have done business with. We are so grateful to have had him install our tile. Not only is his work top notch but he is very professional, courteous, and respectful. He has a true vision of the project in all stages and is extremely thorough. He gave us recommendations for tile and his creative use of some left over tile in our master shower is truly a pleasure to see everyday. We are so thankful to have had Kaleb as our tile installer and hope to do business with him in the future!
Kaleb is a true artist and perfectionist when it comes to installing tile. He did an absolutely beautiful job on our kitchen backsplash and it came out better than I expected. I would recommend him 100%. He is extremely professional, punctual, and gets the job done in a timely manner with beautiful results.
We recently moved to the Rutland area and were searching for a flooring guy. When we called Rutland tile Co and spoke to Kaleb,he got us into his schedule right away. He came out to see our tile job and was very informative .Soon after he ordered the materials we needed and scheduled the installation. When the day arrived, Kaleb was on time and explained what he needed to do, and got right to work. We did 3 rooms and it was not an easy job.Kaleb worked long and hard...The results were more than we expected..great job !!!
