East Brunswick · Central New Jersey
Kitchen Backsplash & Kitchen Floors
A backsplash is forty square feet you look at every single day, at arm's length, in good light. It is the least forgiving tile in the house. That is the job I do here — not cabinets, not counters, not full kitchen remodels.
01 — Scope
What is included
- Backsplash from counter to upper cabinets, or to the ceiling behind a hood
- Subway, stacked, herringbone, chevron, mosaic, slab-look porcelain
- Marble and other stone, honed or polished, sealed after grout
- Outlets and switches cut so the plate lands on tile at every edge
- Inside corners that meet on a full course, edges finished with a profile or a bullnose
- Kitchen, pantry and mudroom floors — porcelain, wood-look plank, stone
- Caulk at the counter and under the cabinets, matched to the grout
- Cabinets and counters protected while I work
02 — Method
How it is done properly
Start from the focal point
Behind the range or the sink is where you look first, so that is where layout starts: a full tile centred on the hood, centred on the window, and everything else works out from there. Cuts land in the corners and under the cabinets.
A straight line on a wall that is not
Kitchen walls are rarely flat and counters are rarely level. I set a level line at the bottom, shim the first course to it, and the tile stays straight even where the wall wanders. The gap at the counter gets caulk, not grout, so it can move.
Cutting around the electrical
Outlets are where a backsplash goes wrong. I cut each opening so the cover plate sits flat on tile at all four edges and the box gets extended to the new surface. No plate hovering over a gap, no chipped edge hiding under it.
Stone is different
Marble chips, stains and reads any adhesive through it. It gets white mortar, a slower blade, and sealer after grout. I will tell you if the stone you like will show every tomato you ever slice.
Want to know roughly what this costs before you call? The instant ballpark uses the same numbers I quote from. It takes a minute.
03 — Price
What moves the number
No two bathrooms cost the same. These are the things I look at on the visit.
- Linear feet of backsplash and how many corners, windows and outlets it runs into
- Tile size: small mosaics and handmade tile take longest per foot
- Pattern — herringbone behind the range is a day; herringbone everywhere is a week
- Stone versus porcelain versus ceramic
- Full-height behind the hood or to the underside of the uppers
- A kitchen floor: what comes out, what it sits on, and appliances that need moving
- Whether the counters and cabinets are already in
FAQ
Questions people ask before they call
How long does a backsplash take?
One to two days for a standard kitchen in subway or stacked tile, plus a return visit to grout if the tile needs it. Mosaic, herringbone and stone add a day. You can use the kitchen the whole time.
Should the backsplash go up before or after the counters?
After. The counter has to be in and level for the first course to sit right. If you are replacing counters, do that first and call me when they are set.
Grout colour — match or contrast?
Matching grout makes the wall read as one surface and hides small size differences in the tile. Contrast shows the pattern and shows every line. On handmade tile, match. On crisp subway, either works — bring a sample and I will show you both on the wall.
Do you do full kitchen remodels?
No. I do the tile — backsplash and floor — and I am glad to work alongside whoever is doing your cabinets and counters. If you want one person to run the whole kitchen, I will tell you that is not me.
Start with a number, not a sales visit.
Get a real range in sixty seconds, or send me a few photos and I will call you back the same day.