carlyn yandle/for metro vancouver
Travertine marble mini bricks add depth and texture to a kitchen backsplash.
About 18 months ago, I took a deep breath and gutted my apartment kitchen — or, more accurately, signed a contract and then a lot of cheques.
The kitchen is the costliest room to renovate, followed closely by the bathroom. But it’s a deal-maker or -breaker if you’re planning to sell your home. Mine was definitely in the breaker category. The stove was a puny 24-inch-wide unit with a warped oven door. The sink was seven useless inches to the left of the stove, and the other side was a corner — one of two corners in the U-shaped room that were inaccessible. When we first moved in, it was swathed in burgundy and navy wallpaper that looked like an EKG pattern. But the problem was beyond cosmetic.
In just six weeks from the moment the demo crew arrived, swinging crowbars, I could open the dishwasher without closing the trash cupboard first, and went from one to three prep areas of well-lit counterspace.
But I put off my final plan for the kitchen — a tiled backsplash — for more than a year. There were too many style options to consider, and the whole idea seemed a bit frivolous, considering the cost. Late this summer I finally tackled my procrastination and picked out some variegated off-white tumbled travertine marble “bricklets” imported from Italy (from Ames Tile in Burnaby), still fighting the thought that I’m indulging in some addiction to luxury.
Now I get it.
The backsplash not only functions as a fire-proof, water-proof surface vital in a kitchen, but it visually anchors and connects the space between the upper and lower cabinets, unlike plain drywall. The natural element of stone or ceramic enhances both ambient and directional lighting and acts as a foil against all the other manufactured materials in the average kitchen: appliances, fixtures, composite countertops or cabinetry. Stone, tempered glass or ceramic tile and brick add value to the property.
• To keep the backsplash from looking dated avoid obvious patterns and busy colours.
• To stretch a tight budget, consider interspersing simple solid-colour ceramic tiles with a few scattered marble tiles or a row of mini glass tiles in a coordinating colour.
• You can always paint an existing ceramic tile backsplash or hire a painter to do it for you. A good sanding first, followed by a coat of the appropriate primer will ensure it’s scrubbable.
