Kitchen backsplash and electrical outlets

[harley]

Super! (And those little tins hold 4 oz each, which is a lot of uses for most spices) The things I'd wonder about are:
1) Do the tins seal tightly enough to keep the spices fresh?
2) Will it be a constant bother to keep all the tins aligned and looking okay? (hey, if an unaligned receptacle bothers you . . .) To fix that, I'd put some small horizontal strips/pipes/molding/something to put the tins between so they are "registered" in horizontal rows, then just snug them up together in each row. Maybe 1/2" bright copper pipe with endcaps, either clearcoated or left to gain a patina.

I like the idea of the copper. They wouldn't have to be very wide, just a thin tube or strip (2.5mm or 5mm). Just a little something for the magnets to snug up to. As far as the tins, I have some similar but round ones that DW got when she worked at Teavana. The tops fit tightly, but are pretty easy to open.

 

[splitwdw]

I buy from Specialty Bottle. I buy the all metal round tins and adhere enameled or wood medallions' to the lids. The lids are pretty snug.
Regarding the magnets, I wondered about using those round magnets instead of sheet magnets cut to fit the bottom of the tins. I guess those round magnetics would be easier to "rock" the tin to break the magnetic seal. I use sheet magnets but it's a different application.

 

[AllDone]

What Dash Man said. You'll need a receptacle plate to cover the hot wire.

You can simply tile over your tile, too. You don't have to remove the old tile although that isn't a terribly difficult job either, just a little messy.

I have pale yellow outlets on my yellow backsplash to minimize contrast. There are a couple of electrical product lines that offer more than the usual white, ivory, brown, black choices. You can also buy paintable outlet covers.

 

[Out of Steam]

2) How about another built-in? Small fold-open knife-storage bin, paper towel holder, cubby for frequently-used spices, etc. It would give a nice custom look that could be cool.

The cubby seems like the best solution to me. The power supply could be used to incorporate a small light into the cubby.

 

[travelover]

The cubby seems like the best solution to me. The power supply could be used to incorporate a small light into the cubby.

Or a charging station for cellphones and tablets.

 

[pb4uski]

+1. This is what I'd do.

+2 Rather than retile entire backsplash just finish is off in some complementary colored wood as a storage cubby.. or I like harley's suggestion of spice storage... and replace the white switchplates/receptacles/switches with ivory, which will complement the tile (cheap fix).

 

[The Rodent]

Just finished a tiled kitchen backsplash this week. Per building inspector in CA I needed receptacles every 2 foot. Height doesn't matter. I has one 48" span and was required to pt in 2 outlets.
As noted earlier ITT, plug mold is an option, but you can't bury a live junction box or receptacle in a wall. You can move the receptacle, but that could mean running lots of new wire depending what's connected to that receptacle in the wall.
Yes, they do need to be GFI or part of a GFI protected circuit (at least in CA).
If you choose not to pull permits you can do anything you want and roll the dice for future consequences.

 

[MichaelB]

Spice rack and charging station are good ideas, thanks. I'm also thinking about an under cabinet appliance in that spot. There is no need for a tv.

The cutouts in the tile for the outlets were done poorly and the covers don't fit well, but if we decide to keep the backsplash as it is I'm going to either paint or replace them.

Very good ideas, lots to think about.

 

[Meadbh]

Very good ideas, lots to think about.

ER.org's interior design service to the rescue!

 

[pb4uski]

And best of all.... FREE! Worth every penny you paid for it.

 

[travelover]

............The cutouts in the tile for the outlets were done poorly and the covers don't fit well, but if we decide to keep the backsplash as it is I'm going to either paint or replace them................

You can buy oversized wall plate covers (goof plates) that will cover a poorly cut electrical box hole.

Example: Oversized Outlet Covers, Oversized Switch Plates, Jumbo Wall Plates

 

[samclem]

Spice rack and charging station are good ideas, thanks. I'm also thinking about an under cabinet appliance in that spot.

If it is an exterior wall, you'll want to put at least a bit of high-quality insulation behind the cubby and its walls (e.g. maybe 3/4" of rigid foam) to avoid coldness and resulting condensation on that interior surface.

 

[braumeister]

Depending on the location in the kitchen, it might be fun to frame it and make an easel-type rack where you could prop up a cookbook or an iPad showing YouTube videos of cooking demonstrations.

I have this vision of it playing a repeating loop of that Dan Aykroyd sketch from SNL where he channeled Julia Child: "Save the liver!"

 

[splitwdw]

MichaelB, Does the kitchen need extra light? Some kitchens are dark. Wonder if there are any diffused lighting fixture that would fit in the hole where the intercom is. How about a surprise for your wife? Get the person on this forum that does the CNC on translucent material to put your face on a panel and trim it like a picture frame. Put a light behind it an voila, your wife gets to see your smiling face whenever the light is turned on. That sure would wake me up in the morning!!

 

[MichaelB]

This is a typical Florida design, opposite the kitchen most of the wall is ceiling to floor sliding glass doors, and the rest windows, all looking out onto a bright, sunny patio. Endless daylight.

The half-wall above the intercom is interior, separates the kitchen from the family area. It a precursor to a Florida great room, where there is little division between the kitchen, family room and eating area.

DW is warming to the idea of decorative tile as the second option - thanks to this thread. Her preferred option is some built in electronics, and I'm going to look into that over the next week or two.

 

[rodi]

Agree with others - check your local codes before moving electrical outlets... Most municipalities will have minimum distance from faucets... but some area's let you have an outlet closer if it is GFI.

Tiling the backsplash is fairly straightforward. Not rocket science. The only gotcha I could imagine is that you might need to put in drywall or board behind where the intercom is - so you'll have a firm surface to tile to. But it won't have to be pretty - since tile will be covering it.

Changing out the switch plate covers is the best solution for the electrical outlets. And while you're at it - straighten the switchplates so they are parallel to each other... my OCD would go nuts with the crookedness. LOL.

 

[NW-Bound]

...Regarding the magnets, I wondered about using those round magnets instead of sheet magnets cut to fit the bottom of the tins. I guess those round magnetics would be easier to "rock" the tin to break the magnetic seal. I use sheet magnets but it's a different application.

I bought some round disc magnets on eBay for a different project. These little neodymium magnets are strong as the devil, for their tiny size with the dimension of a shirt button. I played with them, and lost a few when they attracted each other so strongly that they broke upon impact. Very cool. To reduce the force, one can epoxy these magnets on the inside of the tin bottoms.

PS. To help line the tins up, one can put down a grid of dividers on the steel backing plate. This turns into a little project on its own.