Where do you end a kitchen backsplash?
Is there a rule to this? I've been asked this before, many times.
Personally, I always try to go with the cleanest, neatest transitions on any job.
This one above, was done properly by the contractor on one of my jobs. It's perfection.
It all starts with the alignment of your upper and lower cabinets. Hopefully they are lined up perfectly, as they are above, where the splash can run from the top edge of the countertop to the underside edge of the upper cabinet.
The backsplashes below went just a little too far.
I recently visited a new home construction model home (spring 2023) and this is how they detailed the backsplash. I can’t tell you how often I’ve seen this and how sad this makes me. :-(
Tile backsplash with unfinished edge that should align with the upper cabinet for a neater transition of materials. | Where should your backsplash end? carlaaston.com
This tile backsplash installation is aligned with the countertop, not the upper cabinet. It created this awkward, unfinished look. carlaaston.com
The switch location should have been moved over to fit on the splash, under the cabinetry. Having the tile splash alone run all the way to the door jamb looks poorly planned and unintentional. carlaaston.com
A homeowner reached out to me with a question wanting to know if she should take her tile all the way to the door jamb, because of the light switch location.
I advised her to call the electrician and move the switch onto the backsplash under the cabinets and end the tile splash properly. This is the time to do it, before the tile is installed! If you do this all thoughtfully and properly, you won’t regret it on down the road.
Don’t have your tile backsplash extend beyond the countertop and upper cabinetry all by itself. It looks awkward and not thoughtfully designed. carlaaston.com
This is NOT the way to detail the end of your kitchen tile backsplash. Not only does this kitchen tile backsplash have an unfinished edge that takes away from the quality look of the marble tile, but it goes beyond the upper cabinets, which also looks unfinished and not well planned. | carlaaston.com
This glass tile splash was the “before” pic of a remodel I worked on. This is a perfect example of an unfinished edge combined with an awkward place to end the tile splash. This is just bad design and one of the many reasons this homeowner decided to remodel!
Awkward end to a kitchen tile backsplash with tile running on to end of countertop and not aligning with the upper cabinet. carlaaston.com
Here is a “before” pic of another remodel project. I didn’t like the way this splash carried on down the countertop, not aligning with the upper cabinet.
Just end the backsplash with the upper cabinet….please!!! carlaaston.com
Backsplashes need to line up with the upper cabinet.
That is my general rule that I lean into all the time.
Align the tile backsplash with the upper cabinet. It doesn’t have to align with both although that would be nice! Usually the end of the backsplash tile, if aligned with the uppers, will die ON TOP OF the countertop below. That is okay! :-)
Here is a jobsite of mine where the backsplash ends lined up with the upper cabinetry. It has a nice trimpiece that finishes off the look and edges it nicely. You can see it dies into the countertop below.
BTW, you don’t necessarily need to have a trim piece in the same exact tile family as the overall backsplash tile. This trimpiece below was from a different vendor altogether, but it matched so nicely that it was a perfect piece to end this backsplash.
This kitchen tile backsplash is getting installed just right!!! Alignment with the upper cabinet is perfection!! carlaaston.com
A typical problem with peninsula kitchens is where to end the backsplash
People are often confused about where to end a backsplash when there are U-shaped kitchens with a peninsula bar — which is one of the reasons I’m not too fond of them.
The upper cabinet isn't taken far enough down the wall, ultimately causing you to end up with the awkward situation of countertop needing a splash in a rather long segment with no uppers to run the backsplash into.
If you can, I think it's best to redo the upper cabinet. Imagine that cabinet running all the way across the counter to the end — not only would you get a nice, finished, thoughtfully designed look, but you’d also get a lot more cabinet space!
The homeowner with this kitchen didn’t know where to end the backsplash. While it could end at the upper cabinets, really, it would have been great to redo the uppers and take them further down the countertop. carlaaston.com
Another peninsula kitchen - And here is a peninsula kitchen where I offer the solution of extending the upper cabinet down the wall to the end of the countertop.
Option for ending backsplash in peninsula kitchens
Many times when I get questions about ending a backsplash with peninsula kitchens and the homeowner is right at the end of their job. The remodel has been done and the only thing they have left to do is install the backsplash. In this instance, I often tell them to just align the end of the backsplash with the upper cabinet.
Check out the last photo, in the blogpost linked below, where this was done very effectively.
This blogpost was thoughtfully written by me, Carla Aston, and not by AI, ghostwriters, or guest posters.
Check out my Backsplash Bible!
Check out my ebook guide on all-things-backsplashes, available in my outlet shop.
I've written so many posts about backsplashes, including Designed in a Click reader Q and A examples, that I can't keep track any more of what I've written.
I finally took some time to assemble them all here in this downloadable pdf for sale in my outlet. If you need a guide to help you make some decisions on your backsplash design, you should check it out.
This book includes links to all the guidelines I use when designing and detailing kitchen or bathroom backsplashes.
It’s a good reference guide to have. Get your copy BEFORE you remodel or build your kitchen or bathroom!
Save this image below to Pinterest, to reference this post later!
I’ve got a kitchen remodel design from my Designed in a Click™ service to share today. This homeowner had a good start, but the overall design needed further development and some thoughtful tweaks to give it a lift.