Kitchen Backsplash Installation in Franklin, TN

The backsplash is a small area that everyone looks at. It sits at eye level, between the counters and the upper cabinets, and it is where the lines of the kitchen either meet cleanly or do not. A tile cut to a sliver at the end of a run, an outlet that lands half on a grout joint, or a pattern that drifts off center behind the range is the kind of thing you notice every morning.

Many kitchens in Franklin and Brentwood still have what the builder left: a short strip of speckled granite along the wall with painted drywall above it, or small tumbled stone tile with wide grout lines. Often a backsplash is the last piece of a countertop project, and sometimes it is the only thing a good kitchen needs. Either way, we treat it as a layout problem first. The tile is drawn on the wall elevations before it is ordered, so you see where every full tile, cut, and outlet will fall.

What a Backsplash Project Includes

• A visit to measure the walls, check them for flatness, and note every outlet, switch, window, and the hood
• A tile layout drawn on scaled wall elevations that you approve before anything is ordered
• Help choosing tile, grout color, joint width, and edge trim, with samples seen against your countertop and cabinets
• Removal of the old backsplash, including the short granite or laminate strip when there is one
• Drywall repair or replacement so the tile goes on a flat, sound wall
• Outlet and switch adjustments, coordinated with the electrical work, so cover plates sit flush with the new tile
• Tile setting, grouting, sealing where the material needs it, and a flexible caulk joint at the countertop
• Countertop and floor protection, dust control, and a clean kitchen at the end of every day

How We Install Your Backsplash

1. Measure and look. We come to your home, measure each wall, and look at the countertop, the cabinets, the window trim, and the hood so the tile relates to all of them.
2. Draw the layout. You get scaled elevations showing the pattern, the centerline, the cuts at each end, and where outlets land. Nothing is ordered until you approve it.
3. Fix the price in writing. You receive a fixed written price before any demolition. Changes only happen when you ask for them, and they are priced in writing first.
4. Get the tile in hand. We order the tile with enough extra for cuts and breakage, and inspect it for shade and size when it arrives. Your old backsplash stays on the wall until then.
5. Prepare the wall and set the tile. Old material comes off, the wall is repaired and made flat, and tile is set from the approved centerline with consistent joints. Counters and floors stay covered throughout.
6. Grout, seal, and walk through. After grout and sealing, cover plates go back on, and your project lead walks the finished wall with you.

When a New Backsplash Makes Sense

• You are installing new kitchen countertops, which is the natural time, since the old backsplash usually comes off with the old counters
• The kitchen still has a short granite strip and painted drywall that stains behind the range and sink
• Grout is cracked, dark, or missing, or tiles have come loose
• You have painted or refaced the cabinets and the old tile no longer suits them
• You are adding under cabinet kitchen lighting, which will show every flaw in the wall below it
• The cabinets and counters are right, and the kitchen only needs to be finished

Tile, Slab, Grout, and Edges

Glazed ceramic and porcelain are the workhorses. They do not stain, they need no sealing, and they come in everything from a plain three by six subway tile to large format panels. Handmade tile, including zellige, has uneven edges and varied glaze that give a wall depth. It also varies from piece to piece, so it is set tight and accepted as irregular. Marble tile is quiet and classic behind a range in a traditional Franklin home, but it etches and can stain, so it has to be sealed and lived with honestly.

A full height slab backsplash uses the same quartz, quartzite, or porcelain as the countertop and runs it up the wall with no grout. It is the cleanest look and the easiest to wipe down. It is templated with the counters after the cabinets are set, and outlets have to be planned early, because every cutout is made in stone. Many homeowners move outlets to a strip under the upper cabinets to keep the slab uninterrupted.

The details decide how finished it looks. Grout color changes the whole wall: a matching grout makes the tile look like one surface, and a contrasting grout draws the pattern. Narrow joints with a stain resistant grout are easier to keep clean, which helps near the sink, where Middle Tennessee’s moderately hard water leaves scale. Exposed edges need a plan too, whether that is a matching bullnose, a mitered return, a slim metal profile from lines like Schluter, or ending the tile where a cabinet side covers it. Behind the range, we set the hood height before the layout is drawn, so the pattern is centered on the part of the wall you will see.

What Drives the Cost of a Backsplash

• Square footage, including whether tile runs to the ceiling behind the hood or around a window
• The tile itself, with handmade tile, natural stone, and slab at the higher end
• Pattern, since herringbone and other angled layouts take more cuts and more tile than a straight lay
• Removal of the old backsplash and how much drywall needs repair
• The number of outlets and switches, and whether any are moved
• Edge treatment, such as mitered corners or stone trim pieces
• A full height slab, which adds fabrication and cutouts

Once the layout and tile are approved, you receive a fixed written price before work begins. The only changes are ones you ask for, priced in writing first.

Plan Your Backsplash

A backsplash goes up quickly when the thinking is done first. Book a kitchen consultation and we will measure your walls, look at samples against your counters, and draw a layout for you to approve. Or call (615) 555-0100.

Should the backsplash be installed before or after the countertops?

After. The countertop is the base the tile sits on, so stone is installed first and the tile is set down to it with a small caulked joint where the two meet. If the backsplash is a full height slab of the same stone as the counters, it is templated along with them, after the cabinets are installed, and set by the stone fabricator. Either way, cabinets come first, counters second, backsplash third.

Can you tile over an existing backsplash?

It is possible but rarely the right choice. Tiling over old tile adds thickness, which leaves outlets recessed and makes the edge at the end of the run look heavy. We usually remove the old tile. In many Franklin kitchens that pulls the paper face off the drywall, so we patch or replace that section of drywall and start from a flat wall. A flat wall is what makes a tile job look good.

Do I need to remove the 4 inch granite backsplash before tiling?

In most cases, yes. Many builder kitchens in Franklin and Brentwood have a short strip of granite along the wall with painted drywall above it. Tiling above that strip leaves a visible ledge and dates the kitchen. The strip can usually be cut free and removed without damaging the countertop, and then tile runs from the counter to the cabinets. We check how it was attached before we promise a clean removal.

What is the easiest backsplash to keep clean?

The fewer and narrower the grout joints, the easier the cleaning. A full height slab of quartz, quartzite, or porcelain has no grout at all. Large format porcelain tile has very little. Glazed ceramic wipes clean, and a stain resistant grout helps behind the range. Natural stone and handmade tile need more care, and marble will etch from acids like lemon juice and tomato sauce. We will tell you what each choice asks of you.

Does a kitchen backsplash need a permit in Franklin?

Tile work alone is cosmetic and often does not need a building permit. If the project includes adding or moving outlets, new circuits for under cabinet lighting, or a relocated range hood vent, those parts typically do. Requirements differ between the City of Franklin, the City of Brentwood, and unincorporated Williamson County. We confirm what applies to your address and pull the permits the job requires.