Your kitchen is the heart of your family’s home. It’s a space every family member uses each day, where people gather on holidays or even weeknight dinners. Therefore, every kitchen needs to be two things: functional and beautiful.
What is it that makes a kitchen uniquely beautiful? Honestly, the answer is in those details you might not notice at first – including that backsplash beneath your cabinets. A great tile backsplash can add color or texture (or both) to your kitchen, adding a design element that makes space immediately more appealing.
There are many backsplash options for your kitchen, but the usually fall into one of two categories: natural stone and porcelain tile. Today, let’s look at these two options and discuss how they can help transform your kitchen.
Natural Stone
Natural stone tiles encompass a wide range of materials, such as marble, travertine, and limestone. Most natural tiles come in cool or neutral shades, so they’re ideal for a modern kitchen with a minimalist color palette. These tiles can add a touch of classic elegance to your kitchen, whether you’re trying to create contrast with your countertops or using the same material for a sense of cohesion.
Pros
There are several benefits to using natural stone tiles in your kitchen. First and foremost, these stones add a lot of visual appeal to your space. Natural stone looks elegant and expensive, and it’s sure to impress anyone who happens to venture into your kitchen. If you’re someone who loves to entertain, this stone will help bring your kitchen to the next level.
Natural stone tiles are so good at upping the appeal of your space, they can often raise the overall value of your home! This is another benefit – if you invest in your kitchen backsplash, you just might get a great price for your home down the road!
Cons
Of course, no tile is without its drawbacks. See, natural stone doesn’t just LOOK expensive – it really is. A high-end stone backsplash can be anywhere from $17-25 per square foot! For some homeowners, this may not seem like a big deal (after all, the finished product is more than worth it), but it’s an important consideration for families that want to remodel their kitchen on a budget.
Additionally, natural stone can be high maintenance. Keeping these tiles clean and beautiful requires the right products – and a lot of elbow grease. If you don’t have time to scrub your grout, scour away cooking splatters, and reseal your tiles once a year, you might want to look for a hardier tile option.
Porcelain
Let’s say you want a kitchen backsplash that looks great but is low maintenance. Porcelain tiles might be your best bet! These tiles are made from clay, sand, and other organic materials, which are heated at extremely high temperatures to create a durable, beautiful finished tile. The result is a lovely backsplash material that can withstand anything you throw at it (literally).
Pros
As we just mentioned, porcelain tiles are incredibly resilient and hardy. However, that’s not the only benefit they can bring to your kitchen! Porcelain tiles are also quite easy to clean and maintain. An all-purpose cleaner or mild detergent and dishrag are all you need to keep your backsplash looking like new – which is particularly important if you’re prone to making messes in the kitchen.
Porcelain tiles are also a cost-effective option for homeowners that want to dress up their kitchen. Unlike natural stone (which, as we said, can cost $17-25 per square foot), porcelain tiles can be as inexpensive as $10 per square foot! The savings here can make all the difference for some homeowners.
Cons
While porcelain tiles are very easy to clean and care for once they’re in place, the installation is another story. This is the greatest the drawback to using these tiles for your backsplash; most porcelain tiles require specific setting material, and if you don’t buy the right one, you can be in real trouble.
If you are planning to use porcelain tiles in your kitchen, it might be best to talk to a professional tile installer. The right tools are essential to getting a backsplash that will look great and last for years – and this means this is not the time to try and learn a new DIY skill.
Tile Options
Once you determine which material you want to use in your kitchen, it’s time to decide the type of tile you want to use. Both natural stone and porcelain come in a variety of styles, and each style looks great with different kitchen designs and aesthetics. Which one will work best for you and your kitchen?
Mosaics
Mosaics are small tiles, usually put together in a square-foot-sized pattern. These can include brick patterns, hexagons, or simple squares. Mosaic tiles are a good choice when you want your backsplash to add contrast or dynamics to your kitchen. The patterns and colors of the tile can really make your backsplash (and your kitchen overall) pop!
Tiles
If you want your tile to add color to your kitchen, but not texture or patterns, your best choice is probably a classic tile in your desired material. Tiles in a color that contrasts with your cabinets or countertops can brighten up your space, but their large shape won’t distract from the other elements in your kitchen.
Slabs
Sometimes, contrast is the last thing you want in your kitchen. Matching your backsplashes to your countertops is a great way to make space seem more uniform – which is a dream for many modern minimalists! If you want to ensure that your backsplashes and countertop match perfectly, large tile slabs can ensure a consistent look throughout the space.
Transform Your Kitchen Today
Whether you want to give your kitchen a cool, natural stone color palette, or a beautiful touch of porcelain tile, NT Pavers can help you create the kitchen of your dreams. Click here to get in touch with our office today!