Guide to Modular Kitchen Backsplash Options
Is your modular kitchen backsplash area covered in grease which will just not go away. The oil specked greasy wall just behind your stove is a regular problem all kitchens have to deal with. Mostly tiles are used in kitchens to cover the walls, which makes cleaning it an easier job to do. Backsplashes today are no longer the purely functional kitchen wall covering of yore. These days there are a plethora of backsplash options one can choose from. Read the article below to find the best fit for you from among the following:
- Stainless Steel
- Porcelain and Ceramic
- Glass
- Engineered Stone
- Granite
- Polished Plaster
- Composite
- Laminates
- Marble
Stainless Steel
This will be a simple flat stainless steel sheet which can be fixed to your modular kitchen backsplash area. Go for this option if your kitchen has a predominantly steel finish appliances – refrigerator, oven, stove.
Pros
- Affordable
- Long lasting
- Easy to maintain
Cons
- Becomes dull over time
- Not scratch resistant
- Can be dented
Porcelain and Ceramic Tiles
Ceramic and porcelain have been popular choices for modular kitchen backsplash designs for decades now. Modern printing technology allows ceramic and porcelain tiles to be produced to mimic a wide range of stone and wood textures and colors.
Pros
- Easy to clean than most other materials
- Wide range of colors, patterns, shapes, sizes available
- Wide range of prices
Cons
- Practically nil
- The lines between tiles can be seen but this can be negated to a great extent by having the installation done by modular kitchen experts
Glass
Using glass backsplashes gives one a lot of design options. Always better to choose tempered glass with a minimum of 3 inches thickness. Tempered glass is durable and can take a fair about of punishment and is completely scratch resistant. Glass can come in gloss or matte finishes depending on your fancy. The best part about glass is that you can have it mirrored, painted, printed or pasted on. You can have your glass backsplash personalized by having it custom painted or choose to stick a vinyl on the glass. Advantage of using a vinyl is you can have a new one printed and pasted on the glass for giving your kitchen a makeover at minimal cost. (but get the pasting done by a professional or you will have the classic bubble problem).
Pros
- Strong and durable
- Easy to clean
- Easy to installation
- Glass comes in larger panels, so your backsplash area can be seamless
- Prices have drastically come down
- Lots of design options, can be – painted, printed, stickered, mirrored
Cons
- Take care to have the edges rounded or blunted
Engineered Stone
A relatively modern invention, engineered stone is made by mixing crushed quartz with resin. For best stone like finish look for engineered stone with low quartz to resin ratio. The best quality engineered stones are highly heat, scratch and damage resistant.
Pros
- Highly durable
- Scratch resistant
- Stain resistant
- Heat resistant
- Easy to clean
- Wide range of colors and finishes
- Large panels means fewer seams
Cons
- Installation is fairly expensive and has to be done by a specialist
Granite
Granite works great for both contemporary as well as traditional themed modular kitchen designs. For traditional style modular kitchens you can choose from shiny polished granite in a variety of hues, while textured, matte finishes work better for contemporary styling.
Pros
- Very durable
- Easy to clean
- Wide range of colors
- Can be used for both traditional and contemporary modular kitchens
Cons
- Costly
- Is porous and can be stained
Polished Plaster
You can have smooth and highly polished or rough and weathered look in just about any color that takes your fancy. Doesn’t have to be a flat color either, the technology today can create shades with varying degrees of color depths.
Pros
- Minimum maintenance
- Very easy to clean
Cons
- Accidental chips are hard to repair
Composite
Modular kitchen backsplash made from composites consist of a blend of a third of resin and two-thirds of any natural mineral. These come in large panels, which can be seamlessly installed. Composites are extremely durable and fairly easy to clean.
Pros
- Easy to clean and care for
- Seamless finish
- Can be molded in angles and curves
- Very strong and durable
Cons
- Depending on the quality, it may or may not be scratch resistant.
Laminates
Very good option when budget is a concern. Laminates are highly affordable and modern printing technology allows them to closely resemble higher priced modular kitchen backsplash options like granite or wood.
Pros
- Affordable
- Very realistic look and feel
- Easy to maintain
Cons
- Not very heat resistant, so you need at least 4 inches of space between the stove and backsplash
- Needs to be kept dry, water wears it down
Marble
Nothing speaks luxury like a marble modular kitchen design. But while marble looks stunning, it is pretty high maintenance. Marble is porous, so it needs regular maintenance for resealing the pores. It is also prone to getting scratched, chipped easily. When used for kitchen backsplash, marble being naturally fire-resistant is not effected by stray sparks.
Pros
- Stunning looks
- Uniqueness as no two marble slabs look the same
- Streaks and patterns can help hide stains
- Fire resistant
Cons
- Expensive
- High maintenance
