Though backsplashes were created to protect walls from splatters, they’ve evolved into one of the kitchen’s main focal points. The backsplash can help set the tone for the entire space. Whether it’s mosaic or subway tiles or a solid slab marble or quartz backsplash, you can make a “splash” with color, texture, and patterns. 

If you’re looking to update the kitchen without doing an entire overhaul, swapping out the backsplash can be an easy solution. It’s a typically small area that has a big role to play in the overall design and layout of the kitchen. 

But besides being beautiful, the backsplash has a very important job to do. You’ll want to be sure that you select a material that not only makes a statement but also one that works as hard as you do. 

How do I know which backsplash to choose? 
This is a common question we hear a lot at Marble & Granite, Inc. There are as many different backsplash options as there are cabinet style choices. Most materials that you peruse at your local natural stone supplier can stand up to the job. Marble are good choices since they are very durable. Slate and Soapstone are other excellent options that add warmth to the kitchen. Both can be oiled for a darker appearance or left alone for a more natural look. Perhaps no other material is as low-maintenance, however, as quartz. We carry the ColorQuartz brand here at Marble & Granite. It makes a great back splash since it’s non-porous, exceptionally scratch-, chip-, and stain-free, and never needs to be sealed. Quartz also comes in nearly every color of the rainbow. 
Speaking of rainbows, Crystaline Stone is a fun backsplash choice as well. It’s a bold and exotically colored material that really makes a statement. Improving upon nature in a very colorful way, the material uses high temperatures and pressure, combined with specifically developed sealants and pigments, to molecularly fuse bold, permanent color throughout the stone. The result is a highly durable and colorful material with the same properties and characteristics as the original natural stone, which is typically White Marble. 
Another unique option for a beautiful backsplash that’s as durable as it is good-looking is ultra-thin Neolith. Available in extremely thin sheets, Neolith is amazingly strong. A manmade surface—though it is made of 100-percent clay or sand (including quartz, feldspar, silica, and mineral oxide),  Neolith is heat, scratch, moisture, UV ray, and stain resistant, plus it never requires sealing. It comes in a broad array of colors and patterns. Since it comes in such slim sheets, Neolith can be laid right over an existing backsplash. It’s also exceptionally light and easier to transport than most other surfacing options. 


Some of the best advice we’ve heard for choosing your backsplash comes from our friends at Wilson Kelsey Design, who created the gorgeous kitchen shown above alongside South Street Custom Builders in Reading, MA. Designer John Kelsey says he tells his clients, “There will be a piece of stone that will speak to you and you will know.” With this particular kitchen project, Kelsey says, “I think the homeowner thought I was crazy until she saw that first slab of Fantastico Danby.” The project includes Fantastico Danby countertops and backsplash sourced by Marble & Granite’s Westwood, MA showroom. 

There are really no limits when it comes to a kitchen backsplash. It’s a great place to have a bit of fun with stripes, patterns, colors, and more. Want to explore some options in person? Visit one of our three northeastern Marble & Granite, Inc. showrooms. Call us at 877-39-STONE or go online to schedule a consultation.