How to Choose Tiles for Your Kitchen Backsplash

Have you ever walked into a showroom and seen the beautiful backsplash patterns on the kitchen models? Have you ever felt inspired to renovate your own counter backsplash after checking out the tiling options available in your local Handyman Connection?

Well, let our professional craftsmen of Handyman Connection of Matthews help you find the best backsplash tiles for your kitchen with this short but helpful guide.

Ceramic Tiles

Ceramic is a durable composite of clay, minerals and water, fired at high temperatures. Glass frit and colorants are then prepared to give the tiles a glazed, non-porous and impermeable finish. Although rare, ceramic tiles are also available unglazed. This type are more commonly called “quarry” tiles.

As one of the most popular choices for kitchen tiling, there’s an almost endless list of styles available for ceramic. Additionally, while its installation does require grouting, it’s generally one of the easiest materials to work with. Ask our Handyman Connection experts about ceramic tile backsplash options for your kitchen.

Porcelain

As a subcategory of ceramic tiles, the manufacturing process for porcelain is more or less similar to ceramics, except firing temperatures are much higher. This gives it a harder and less porous finish than its cousin. Porcelain is stain and scratch resistant, making it a perfect material for either backsplash tiling or even kitchen flooring.

Installing porcelain can get tricky as the non-porous tiles require a special setting adhesive. This is a common mistake many DIY enthusiasts make. Our experts can help you find the right porcelain setting materials for your porcelain backsplash project.

Stone Backsplash

Today, you can have stone tiles in granite, travertine, marble, slate, sandstone and many other materials. Stone is slightly more expensive than ceramic or porcelain. However, you’re trading price for durability and quality if you choose stone tiles.

Water is particularly problematic for stone tiles so avoid them behind the kitchen sink or areas where you expect plenty of water use. Installing stone tiles is easier with its seal-on adhesives, but it does require re-sealing at least once every ten years.

At Handyman Connection of Matthews, we are your number one provider of kitchen tiles, flooring, and backsplash materials. Give us a call at (704) 255-5626 or fill out our contact form to request an estimate today.