The use of subway tiles in your backsplash can add a pop of texture to your kitchen. As these tiles are available in a wide variety of sizes, colours and finishes, you’d be able to find something to suit every home.
These tiles work exceptionally well in homes that are Farmhouse or Art Deco-themed. In the case of the former, white subway tiles paired with black grout can be used to offset the shaker style carpentry in your kitchen. In the case of the latter, dark glossy green tiles can be paired with white grout to compliment the Victorian-esque styling.
There’s no denying that it looks great. However, before making a rash decision to go with these tiles instead of a traditional tempered glass backsplash, there are a few key considerations you need to keep in mind.
They Cost More
Glass will almost always be cheaper as a material to fabricate backsplashes out of. The process is more straightforward too – you measure the remaining wall space between the top and bottom cabinets, and cut glass panels to fit.
Typically, you’d need to overlay your subway tiles before the first cabinets are even installed. This is significantly more labour and resource intensive than just using tempered glass, which is why contractors will charge you a lot more for the look!
Harder to Maintain
With a tempered glass backsplash, joints are kept to a minimum. Grease and food stains can be easily wiped off with a rag, since the surface is mostly of a smooth, non-porous material.
Unfortunately, subway tiles have plenty of grout between them. Whilst the tiles themselves are easy to wipe down, grime can accumulate in the recesses filled up by the grout. This can be a major maintenance headache, so make sure you are prepared for that before going down this route.
What are my Other Options?
If you are looking for an unconventional backsplash, but don’t want to deal with the additional maintenance of subway tiles, what are your alternatives? Well for starters, many countertop suppliers also offer the same material in a thinner slab for backsplash duty.
Kompacplus goes one step further, allowing homeowners to silkscreen their preferred designs onto the material itself. Other customisation options are also available, such as engraving, or even MIXMATCH, where two different Kompacplus materials are combined.
Are These Tiles Really a Practical Compromise?
In all honesty though, these tiles realistically do not present a huge practical problem, since the vast majority of working adults do not have the time to do large-scale cooking on a regular-enough basis anyways.
And in any case, even if you do entertain a lot, it is a good idea to wipe all kitchen surfaces down everytime you use it. As long as you are meticulous with the general cleaning, you’d probably not have an issue with grime building up!
Photo Credit: Ngieng Spatial Design, KompacPlus
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