Internet Photo
We’ve got company coming this morning and I’m trying to breathe through it. The house as you might expect is not really guest ready due to a kitchen renovation that has morphed into a couple of other big projects as well. We’ve managed to make it presentable with the dining room table in place and some of the artwork back on the walls, but many places are still very unfinished. There’s a hole in the wall where some electrical bits will be going in next week for the new boiler and it’s right in the place where I’d like to put the tile work you see above.
John and I are still in negotiations about this tile pattern. His only concern seems to be that as it’s behind the hob/stove top, it might get cooking splatters in the grout. I think he’s referring to his mad cooking skills particularly in the stir fry department. I’m joking here, I’m actually a messier cook.
I don’t think this would be a problem, but what do you think? Suggestions, experience … please share your backsplash stories in a comment.
Going back to our guests … they are staying overnight so they’re sure to notice the all the little things that would normally drive me nuts. They’ll have clean sheets, and a tidy bathroom along with a good meal and a glass of wine, but the never-ending dust and the shift in the placement of things makes it all feel a bit off-balance to me.
It’s silly really … all this trying to control things that I can’t right now.
Fingers crossed nothing odd turns up in the food tonight.
Gifts Of The Journey 
I asked Brian about the backsplash… he said that the tile and grout need a sealer over top. He also said you would have to be diligent about cleaning it every time you cook or grease stains will eventually penetrate.
And don’t worry! I think it is rare that other people notice the nuances we do and even if they did, your friends will rarely care. Relax and have fun!
Don’t worry. Your friends will enjoy seeing your works in progress, as well as the wine and clean sheets. As for the tile, I have to agree with John. Especially if you cook with tomato sauce or bacon grease, those spatters would, over time, leave permanent stains that would make it look dirty even after you cleaned. Cheers!
Love the pattern and tile but can’t say I have personal experience with that style so do not know of its practicality. I understand how you might feel off-balance. Just finished a six month reno of a master bath and though it turned out lovely, I was out-of.-sorts.for much of the process. Good luck.
I think if you seal the grout it will be okay. I mean lots of people have tile with grout as a backsplash and it seems to hold up fine.
The definition of backsplash is tile that protects the wall behind a stove from splattering food. It will definitely get splatter in the grout. It’s supposed too! š Maybe choose another color tile. White is usually very hard to keep pristine and clean. Good luck!!
I think your friends are looking forward to seeing you and John, not your walls š They do remodelling too…