How to Choose Your Backsplash Tile

Choosing the perfect tile for your kitchen backsplash takes a lot of thinking. The sheer variety of choices and their individual pros and cons can make the project a bit overwhelming, but with this handy guide to different tiles and patterns you can make the process more enjoyable and less painstaking.

• Ceramic tile – Ceramic tiles are among the most common backsplash choices due to their being durable, long-lasting, and easy to clean. They’re also easier to clean and maintain compared to a wallpapered surface and adds a rustic design element to your kitchen. Perhaps best of all, ceramic tile comes in a very wide range of patterns and colors, giving you a wider palette to play with when you’re designing your kitchen backsplash.
• Porcelain tile – If you want something that has comes in a wide array of colors and patterns but is stronger than even ceramic tile, then porcelain is the way to go. It’s both harder and more dense than ceramic, can be used to recreate the look of different and often more expensive materials, and is still easy to keep clean.
• Metal tile – Metal tiles come in a bevy of styles, from sleek, stainless steel to intricately embossed tin tiles. These materials are typically durable, cheap, and easy to clean, making them a good option for a kitchen backsplash. Don’t think they’ll fit in only in an industrial-inspired modern kitchen, though. Tin tiles, for example, will blend in seamlessly in a traditional vintage kitchen.
• Mirrored tile – Mirrored tiles can be used to create a reflective, textured backsplash that adds a classy touch to your kitchen. The reflective qualities of the tile also help create an illusion of space and depth, making them perfect for making a small kitchen seem larger and roomier. Smaller mirrored tiles can also be arranged into different patterns or interspersed with matte finish tiles for an eclectic look. To top it off, mirrored tile is an easy surface to clean and maintain.
• Subway tile – As its name suggests, this type of tile is most often used in subways all around the world. They first gained popularity in the early 1900s when they were used to decorate the walls of New York’s subway stations. Today, subway tiles remain timeless classics that lend an air of rustic sophistication to a space. Subway tiles come in numerous sizes and configurations, although the most popular is a 3″ x 6″ tile set in either a brick-layered style or in a lined up pattern.
• Glass tile – Glass is another low-maintenance tile material that comes in a bevy of colors. Small square glass tiles on sheets of mesh are easy to install and can create a colorfully eclectic mosaic-like pattern. Glass tile is highly versatile, meaning you can pair it with almost any kind of kitchen style out there.
• Overscaled tile – Just like mirrored ties, large overscaled tiles can also be used to create an illusion of space in a room. They also require less maintenance compared to smaller tiles, making them perfect for busy areas like the kitchen. With a little forward planning and plenty of pre-installation layouts, you can customize large patterned tiles to seamlessly repeat like wallpaper. If you want something eye-catching for your backsplash, you won’t go wrong with large tiles featuring bold designs.
• Laser-cut tile – Intricate and elaborate backsplash designs are a cinch when you use laser-cut tile. As the name suggests, the designs are etched into the tile using lasers. The only possible problem they pose is that they can eat up quite a large chunk of your remodeling budget. Laser-cut tile is usually made of precious materials like quartz and marble, hence they are among the most expensive backsplash materials you can use.
• Custom shaped and mosaic tile – Sometimes the backsplash design that you have in mind just isn’t available as a tile pattern. Maybe it’s too intricate or hard to accomplish with what your local stores have available. Don’t despair, though. You can still satisfy your inner artist with a custom trimmed mosaic tile backsplash. It’s not just patterns and designs, either – some manufacturers offer custom tile cutting services that let you create backsplashes without defaulting to the typical square and rectangle tiles. Want a backsplash made up of unique circular or curvy, organic shapes? If you have the budget you can get it done.
• Diagonal tile – Don’t bother asking your local home improvement store for diagonal tile – a diagonal tile is just a normal square tile rotated and placed at an angle. This simple change in tile placement adds a playful vibe to an otherwise dull cookie-cutter design. One thing to remember is that placing tiles diagonally requires more tiles than usual. Once you calculate how many tiles you’ll need for your backsplash, add about 10 percent more if you want to arrange the tiles diagonally. You’ll also need to do more cutting than usual.
• Herringbone tile – Herringbone tiles are similar to diagonal tiles in that they’re more of an installation pattern than a separate tile type. Where diagonal tiles are usually square-cut, you need rectangular tiles to create the herringbone pattern. A very popular choice is a 3” x 6” subway tiles; arranging them in a herringbone pattern adds a new and fun twist to the old backsplash standby. Most herringbone tiles are easy to install since they come with a mesh backing that holds several tiles together.