Another post: Am I being picky about our backsplash??

12 years ago

I just did a post about our large format tile problems, but we are also having problems with our master bath backplash.

This is our backsplash which is a mix of glass and stone:

From far away it looks fine. But up close you can clearly see that the bottom row was cut separately from the other 3 rows. The grout lines don't seem to match up and the bottom row is angled at the bottom (it is not flat up against the wall). The grout lines don't match up in other areas as well. I'm sorry I don't have any close up pics, but will try to get some later.

Am I being picky? Are inconsistent grout lines common with this type of backsplash? I do feel though that the bottom row is unacceptable. It will drive me crazy everyday. Would they have to rip the whole thing out to fix this?? I'm getting to the point that I might just have them rip it out and just put a granite backsplash up, so frustrated :(

Again, I appreciate your input. Thanks in advance!

Featured Answer

janealexa
Original Author

12 years ago

Treasuretheday! So good to hear from you! I asked you how you were doing a few weeks ago on one of your posts but I never checked back to see if you answered. Then I completely lost that post. Wish GW had some way to keep track of comments we post (like on Facebook).

Anyway, sorry to hear you were sick :( So hard to make decisions when you are down! But your vanities sound beautiful, I can't wait to see them! How did your paint colors turn out? Did you start tiling yet?

I saw on another post that you posted an inspiration pic and I laughed because that is one of my inspiration pics too! I am also doing chrome plumbing fixtures with bronze light fixtures - sounds like a no-no but looks beautiful in this space.

[traditional bathroom design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by phoenix kitchen and bath Affinity Kitchens

Best wishes, keep in touch!!

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Comments (8)

bill_vincent
12 years ago
I DO have some comments, but I'll hold off till I see the close ups.
joe_mn
12 years ago
u should clutter up the counter top with a bunch of distracting stuff. than you won't notice the alignment/grout issues.
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janealexa
Original Author
12 years ago
Bill V, I'll get some close up pics today...curious to see what you think...

joe_mn, LOL, I guess that would solve the problem!
janealexa
Original Author
12 years ago
Bill - DH assures me again that the issue isn't noticeable. He said he didn't notice it until I pointed it out. What appears to have happened is that the bottom row was cut separately from the rest of the rows. The bottom row is "pushed in" more than the other rows creating a weird shadow line which is more noticeable at night with the light on. I tried to take pics, but the problem didn't show up in the pics. The only way to fix it is to pull the whole thing up and re-do...and I know they won't do that. So I guess I'll just have to live with it. If you have any other thoughts, let me know. Thanks again Bill!
bill_vincent
12 years ago
Sometimes you just have to pick your battles. I have a feeling Joe may be right-- once you put everything back up on the countertop, you won't ever notice it. Not that it's right or acceptable, but it's not the end of the world, either.
treasuretheday
12 years ago
Hi Jane, I understand how you feel about things not being quite right and then having to decide if you can live with them or if they will drive you crazy. Assuming that it would be no more difficult to change it later if needed, I'd suggest living with it for awhile, at least until you get more of the other elements into the room. You may find that, in the whole beautiful room, it isn't as much of an issue as when you are focussing on it now since it is newly installed.

Remember we are doing our masterbath in similar colors and materials to you? Well, let me share with you our latest hiccup...

After many long delays (mostly on our part), our custom vanities were due to be installed last Thursday. Our lovely Amish craftsman travelled 2 1/2 hours with his driver to bring them to us. If it had been any other person coming, I would have rescheduled because I was soooo sick and miserable that day.

My husband saw the cabinets first and said, "You'd better take a look at these, they're really dark." And they were. Several shades darker than the stain sample piece that many months ago we had cut in half to give us both the same color reference. They stopped attaching the cabinets to the wall and waited for my husband and I to discuss what to do, very apologetic and completely willing to take all three vanities back to be refinished.

A pretty major decision needed to be made at a time when I could hardly hold my head up. It was definitely going to change the "look" of the room but would that necessarily be a bad thing? After the time and expense of this project there was no way we'd want our cabinets to affect how we felt about the room. The cabinets were gorgeous and the darker color was lovely so we decided that they would stay. Each time I've looked in the room since then, I'm happy with how they look with our tile and think that darker probably is better after all... I think we were headed to too many mid-tones. The new color of our vanities looks almost exactly like yours(!)

Unfortunately, two of the three had to go back to be remade for other reasons but that's another story. *sigh*

Good luck with your project and continue to post pics and updates... I'll be watching for them!
janealexa
Original Author
12 years ago
Bill - I agree with picking battles. Mongo once told me,"One thing I will say is that in the design and construction phase, you fret over every detail. But after 6 months you'll probably grow blind to the things that kept you awake at night with worry." So right!

Thanks so much Bill, as always I appreciate your time and help!