I’ve installed every backsplash in every house I’ve been in, (5) since I usually bought fixer uppers and typically gutted or did serious kitchen renovations. In the old days it was typical subway tile, never white with white grout, but an accent color and typically gray grout that I sealed multiple times. Never stained, easy to clean. This last house was built new, and the builder wanted $2k for a standard white ceramic subway tile backsplash to which DW literally laughed at them when they priced it, asking if they were joking?
The downside of always having me do renos for the past 25 years is she has a total lack of realistic pricing for that kind of work. She picks out whet she wants and I nix whatever is not practical until we come up with a good solution. This house I installed back painted glass 2x6 subway tile as already suggested here, dark grey and used glassbead based grout which is a different shade of grey and does not have to be sealed and is permanently stain proof. Tile & grout were both more expensive to buy than ceramic, but even then total cost was maybe $250 and 2 days easy labor as this home it is only the 8 ft quartz counter & large SS sink up to the cabinets. The range top is on a different peninsular bar counter and the small 8” backsplash is the same quartz.
We both thought it was kind of telling that to have the 2 car garage floor and entry coated and sealed with the lifetime warranty non slip epoxy was also $2k, and I paid that thinking it was a fair price.
The downside of always having me do renos for the past 25 years is she has a total lack of realistic pricing for that kind of work. She picks out whet she wants and I nix whatever is not practical until we come up with a good solution. This house I installed back painted glass 2x6 subway tile as already suggested here, dark grey and used glassbead based grout which is a different shade of grey and does not have to be sealed and is permanently stain proof. Tile & grout were both more expensive to buy than ceramic, but even then total cost was maybe $250 and 2 days easy labor as this home it is only the 8 ft quartz counter & large SS sink up to the cabinets. The range top is on a different peninsular bar counter and the small 8” backsplash is the same quartz.
We both thought it was kind of telling that to have the 2 car garage floor and entry coated and sealed with the lifetime warranty non slip epoxy was also $2k, and I paid that thinking it was a fair price.
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