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hollylh_gw

Do you like your beadboard backsplash?

hollylh
16 years ago

I would like to put in beadboard not as a temporary solution, but because I just like it--and also will have a beadboard wainscot continuing into the breakfast room and hearth room. Has anyone had trouble with theirs? Do the grooves get grimy and hard to clean? (NB I will have tile behind the cooktop.)

I would like to use actual beadboard rather than the panels--has anyone had problems with that separating? I have heard that if you install over a plywood underlayer the pieces won't move. OR-- is there BB panelling out there with deeper grooves? would be simpler.

Also, for those with white cabinets, has anyone painted their beadboard backsplash a color other than white? I am worried about it all being too much white (but don't want it to look too broken up either, so as usual I guess I want the impossible).

Thank you!

Holly

Comments (46)

  • vwhippiechick
    16 years ago

    I have cream colored cabinets and am also considering a beadboard backsplash, so I am anxious to hear responses to your post. I actually cut two pieces of cardboard and painted them the color of the cabinets to see how it looked. My DH thought it was maybe a little too much of a good thing. So we have not resolved the issue. I will be watching this thread.

  • borngrace
    16 years ago

    I had beadboard in the last kitchen we redid and plan to have it in this one also. I had the "real" beadboard. I thought the panels did not have the depth that you need to have the real look. Mine was painted off white but I had green cabinets and soapstone. I didn't have trouble keeping it clean -- just washed it down regularly and I did have the beadboard behind the cooktop (I won't in this house). I love the look.

  • hollylh
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    thanks, borngrace! do you know if yours was installed over plywood or directly on sheetrock?

  • jennymama
    16 years ago

    I am also planning on using beadboard as my backsplash, painted white to match my cabinets. I LOVE beadboard...I don't think my builder will ever want to see it again once our house is done, LOL!

    My mother has it in her kitchen - going on 5 years now with no problems. It is also behind her kitchen sink. No issues at all.

  • polly929
    16 years ago

    We are planning on installing a beadboard backsplash also. We had beadboard in our last house- I love it. DH hates installing it-(but he also hated the price tag of the tile I wanted so thats on hold)- but to get a more finished look we will use beadboard. I had the real beadboard in our powder room of our previous home.
    What color are your countertops? If your cabs are white, a soft sagey green would look nice- as long as they complement the countertops.

  • angelcub
    16 years ago

    I have it and love it. It's the individual boards, not the panels. We also have installed it in all three bathrooms, the laundry/multi-purpose room and the dining room. DH installed it over the drywall using glue, Liquid Nails, I believe. We've never had any separation and believe me, we would if there was going to be any since we live practically on top of the San Andreas fault. : ) I'll link you to pics of it in the kitchen.

    Here is a link that might be useful: beadboard backsplash.

  • pupwhipped
    16 years ago

    Beadboard dumb here. Can someone give me an education? I've only seen these big sheets of beadboard at Lowes. Can you also buy individual little boards that you put together? That seems like alot of work. What is the best? I'm beadboarding my place out including the kitchen and two bedrooms. What are the pros and cons? I may be beadboard dumb at this point, but I do heart beadboard! TIA for any response. Hope I didn't hijack this post in anyway!!!

  • borngrace
    16 years ago

    To echo others . . . yes ours was installed on the drywall directly -- never had any moisture issues.

  • jennymama
    16 years ago

    susulo - your kitchen is really beautiful!!

    Can I ask you what kind of trim you used where the beadboard and countertop meet? I don't have a backsplash on my granite and have been trying to figure out how to connect the beadboard to the countertop.

  • ajpl
    16 years ago

    About beadboard seperating, it happens a lot due to a difference in the normal moisture levels in your home vs the moisture level in the wood when you install it. In our current house, the wood was purchased and installed soon after. We have gaping and the tongue shows. At least it's not gaps showing what is beneath. Any gluing and/or varnishing/painting cracked when the boards dried out more and shrank. In our new house we bought the wood early and it has been climatizing in the house with the heat on for a while. We're hoping it makes a difference.

  • SusuLo
    16 years ago

    Thanks jennymama! The trim is a 3-1/2" x 3/4" (I think) baseboard...and the BB is placed on top of that. The BB is rather thick, about ½" or so, so there isnÂt a big lip or edge where the bb meets the baseboard. HTH.

  • hollylh
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    thank you so much everyone--I hope this thread keeps going as I am learning a lot.

    Angelcub--LOVE your kitchen! wow, you are lucky to have a handy DH--tell him it all looks fabulous. I was really glad to see the picture of the furniture feet too as I was having trouble deciding on placement.

    My counters are polished ubatuba, which does have green in it, and I think a pale green is a good idea if I decide it's all too much white. Hopefully also I am getting the granite honed (although I guess that's neither here nor there...)

    Very glad to hear everyone had installed BB directly on the drywall--and with glue not nails, is that right? also thank you for the tip on curing the wood--I had heard that somewhere but had forgotten--I wonder how long it takes to cure? also I guess it is best to install when it's dry and heat is going (I live outside Boston) because then it's as tight as it's going to get? (vs. installing in summer humidity when the wood presumably has swelled somewhat)

    Does anyone know if the tongue and groove boards come in wider sizes? I have seen boards where the flat part is either 1.5 inches or 2 inches but nothing wider. I would sort of like wider if it isn't $$$$$. Also, hopefully the knots would only be an issue with pine, not paint grade maple or poplar?

    thanks again everyone!

  • cooperbailey
    16 years ago

    My DH just put in our beadboard splash over the holidays. It is the 4 x 8 sheet of "beadboard" and it looks great and was easier to do and we think it looks like the real deal without the hassle. It is painted cream and closely matches the cabs. It will also be used on another wall and into a pantry as a wainscoting. We used a tin ceiling panel behind the range and it is painted to match. We used a small molding like a chair rail to finish the raw top and bottom. on the edges DH removed molding from an extra cab door we had, cut it lenghwise, painted it and used that to finish the side edge- we didnt want anything clunky. For around the tin ceiling he took shoe molding and put extra molding from a cab on top to make it like picture molding. ( pics would help here huh?) It was a flat paint and now we have to go with a semi gloss coating. I have no pics as yet. I don't care for tile or stone backsplashes at all (no offence peeps)and so this has always been our first choice. We love it. will post some pics when I can.Sue

  • darkmatter
    16 years ago

    cooperbailey would like to see some pics!
    We too are going with beadboard backsplash, painted, with beadboard above the cabinets too. Would think the "sheet" would be fine installed over plywood....
    Would like to continue it behind the induction rangetop; rather than stainlees steel; like the idea of tin mentioned above painted the same color......
    Does tin hold paint?

  • rococogurl
    16 years ago

    We have beadboard backsplash in laundry room and a lot of beadboard in the house. The real stuff.

    It's painted and after just 3 years, with the house settling, the paint is cracking along the vertical lines. I soon plan to scrape, sand and repaint. Paint is starting to go behind our sink as well.

    I like the beadboard but would not use it as backsplash again in kitchen or bath. I expect it might behave better had we used oil base paint.

  • ellene613
    16 years ago

    bump

  • hollylh
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Rococo--do you not like the beadboaard because of the separating issues, or something else? do you find it's not holding up to water or grease? Holly

  • kbmas0n
    16 years ago

    Hi there! A few more questions about beadboard. I'm still confused about what was used between the countertop and then where the bb meets the bottom of the upper cabs? I saw that one person used trim at the bottom, but the other didn't. Please help!

  • cotehele
    16 years ago

    BB not being a flat surface seems like it would collect debris in the vertical groves, especially in a kitchen/backsplash. Does it? How difficult is it to keep it clean.

  • boxiebabe
    16 years ago

    Hi Holly: One of my very favorite kitchens on "HGTV's Rate My Space", has a RED beadboard backsplash; it looks FABULOUS. I saved a pic of it. Although I still haven't figured out how to post pics on here, I would be happy to email it to you directly if you're interested. Just email me boxiebabe@yahoo.com and I'll send it to you.

  • zelmar
    16 years ago

    cotehele, no problem with keeping it clean. We don't have the backsplash right behind our sinks or range. Our backsplash is painted and I haven't had to do any maintenance over the past 2+ years. We have a stained wood beadboard tall cabinet next to our stand mixer. Even though I get lots of spatter from the mixer, the beadboard has been easy to clean (and I clean as little as possible and I am not good at wiping things off immediatelty.)

  • kbmas0n
    16 years ago

    For those of you with bb backsplash, what did you put where the beadboard meets the bottom of the upper cabinets? Any sort of moulding, or did you just caulk it?

  • cotehele
    16 years ago

    Zelmar, your period kitchen is one of my favorites. I am glad BB is easy to keep clean; I am a messy cook :(

  • cooperbailey
    16 years ago

    I had forgotten to come back and post photos of our beadboard backsplash. Sorry for that. This beadboard is actually birch beadboard panels. It was installed right over the plaster. My DH finished the top and bottom with very small molding that resembles chair rail molding. I think it finishes it off well without being too bulky. We are very very pleased. Right now it is finished in a satin paint but DH is to seal it with a semigloss urethane or maybe keep it satin, but I can't decide.



    Please ignore the plywood windows and also the dogbone on the floor!! Sue

  • kbmas0n
    16 years ago

    EXCELLENT. Thank you, Sue, for posting these pics! They are exactly what I needed to convince my DH! Thanks again!

  • hollylh
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    glad this is still going! Sue, I love the tile behind your range--what is it? I said earlier that I was going to do tile behind the cooktop (BB everywhere else) but lately I ahve thought I would just leave the beadboard and see how it held up, mainly because tile overwhelms me and I can't make a decision...

  • hollylh
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I forgot to mention that PIrula's kitchen, which should be up on the FKB by now, is one of my favorites ever and she has paneling behind her gorgeous French range...wait, it's NOT on the FKB, what's going on? there is a link in this thread...

    Here is a link that might be useful: thread about pirula's kitchen

  • nancy343
    16 years ago

    Hello,

    We used beadboard from this company. My contractor recommended this b/c we were using the beadboard backsplash behind the sink & range. He felt it would hold up better and would not be an issue if it got wet:

    http://www.azek.com/viewProduct.php?id=7#

    See close-up profiles in the link above. They offer 2 sizes - one wider than the other.

    I can try to post some pictures tomorrow.

    Nancy

  • soofriver
    16 years ago

    We have bead board as a back splash. It is painted white and composed of individual boards (not panels). We have been happy with it!


  • kitchenkelly
    16 years ago

    Oh cooperbailey, I have never seen your kitchen before. It is gorgeous!! I understand the bone on the floor what is up with the plywood on the windows? Are you on the witness protection plan? Come on, what did you do? You can tell us.

  • bethv
    16 years ago

    I had a beadboard backsplash that I caucked where it met the counter, but I like the trim on copperbailey's much better. But would strongly NOT recommend glueing it on! It creates a project that's very hard to undo. If you want to take the beadboard off, the glue will rip your plaster/drywall - and the glue that stays behind has to be scraped off (pardon me while I have a bad flash back to this experience!) Definately use oil paint (the best for wood). Satin Impervo from Ben Moore is wonderful.

  • pirula
    16 years ago

    soofriver,

    just had to post to tell you your kitchen is one of the nicest one I've seen on this board in four years. It's BEAUTIFUL! You must be very happy with it!

    Ivette

  • widemire93
    16 years ago

    Wow - i'm so glad to see others using beadboard in the kitchen as a backsplash - we did it after installing granite. we had to rip out the old tile and it left bad sheetrock holes so my husband suggested this as we have beadboard in several other places in the house. and luckily he is very handy! we have white cabinets and tropical brown granite and the kitchen is painted blue so we painted the beadboard two shades lighter blue - it looks awesome - very "cottagey." we used the individual boards as i think they look more defining than the sheets.

  • amberley
    16 years ago

    Those of you that have a piece of trim where the countertop meets the beadboard, do you notice losing any of the depth of he countertop? I am concerned becuase if the beadboard (real tongue and groove) is applied to the wall after the countertop, and then the trim on top, won't you lose an inch and a half of countertop?

  • erinmn
    16 years ago

    I DIY'd a beadboard backsplash that does go behind my sink and stove. It wipes up easily and I'm happy with it. It's directly over drywall and was glued (liquid nails) as well as tacked by staples under the trim. I suppose removing it would be a bear, but I was more concerned with it removing itself! :-)

    I did want to note for DIY'ers that I'd recommend priming the boards and making sure you prime *all* the surfaces including the groove and the tongue. Then, if it separates, you have less of a contrast. Mine's painted with the spendy Benjamin Moore trim paint, water-based. In our sahara-like humidityless Minnesota winter, it's not separated so far. Good luck!

  • erinmn
    16 years ago

    Amberley, in my circumstance I applied the beadboard (real beaded boards) and *then* my countertop, so the beadboard goes down about 6" behind the counter. My trim piece does sit on the counter, but it's only less than 1/2" thick, so I guess I lost that little bit. It looks nicely finished that way, and fewer concerns about crumbs making their way through, although I'm sure I'll never see them again!

  • remodelqueen
    15 years ago

    Now I'm thinking of BB backsplash. Thanks ladies!!!! I've had it planned in my head that I am getting white cabs, soapstone counters, and carrera subway tiles for the backsplash. Now I am strongly considering BB. My husband is gonna flip. ;)

    I don't want BB behind the range and was wondering if soapstone is difficult to keep clean when used behind the range?

    Also, can BB be installed on tile backerboard (or whatever it's called)? I want to have the option of putting in tile later if we end up not liking the BB.

  • twags_optonline_net
    14 years ago

    Wow! Found this discussion a year after it was going on and it was very helpful! We're remodeling our kitchen now, it is small (8 X 10), I'm getting new cabs in "cinnamon spice", and a granite counter top that is a speckling of browns, tans, gold-ish colors with black specks (I have no idea what the call it). I have an exposed cement :( chimney stack that we have decided to tile over with sheets of 2 X 2 tumbled white/off white marble. I was really not sure on back splash and we were thinking tile - but I thought of bead board last night and think it will go really well if painted the "off white/pumpkin" Laura Ashley color I found.

  • pamspin
    13 years ago

    Terry W. I also found this blog very enlightening. We are remodeling our Cape Cod kitchen and seriously considering a beadboard backplash. Our cupboards are honey oak and the granite will be black/tan/gray. I can't decide between off-white beadboard (which most people seem to choose) or a color. What did you end up doing? Do you like it. Thanks

  • dascenzo_yahoo_com
    13 years ago

    I'm looking at using this beadboard kit for my future kitchen remodel. Has anyone used this company?

    Here is a link that might be useful: Elite Crown Moldings

  • mymousse
    13 years ago

    We just finished our kitchen redo and love the beadboard backsplash. I was having a really hard time deciding on a "tile" option for the backsplash and then I came across some beautiful pics of some done with beadboard. I love it! I have dark cabinets and white trim, crown molding, pantry door, etc.. so it tied in beautifully. The granite I picked for my countertops has quite a bit of movement so finding a tile that would work was a nightmare. I am so grateful to all of you who posted pics of your final projects!! I couldn't be happier with mine!

  • rlschemm_yahoo_com
    13 years ago

    We recently moved into our 1947 brick bungalow and, well, it needs some work. My main issue right now is the kitchen. The cabinets are in need of a proper paint job and the walls in the kitchen have a textured faux finish that was put over wallpaper. I am considering BBing the entire kitchen walls, including the backsplash, to cover up some of these unfortunate flaws. This is a very small kitchen, so I don't think it will be too much. I saw in a magazine where they had done a whole kitchen in BB (backspash and walls) and it looked so inviting. Any thoughts?

  • annieartelt_gmail_com
    12 years ago

    I read all the posts on this topic, and was all ready to go with beadboard (a perfect look for our 1917 home); but then I read the "Beadboard backsplash regrets" postings in this forum, and I'm ready to drop the idea. We're fairly messy cooks, and the poster (jiggreen) says "It is VERY difficult to clean and keep clean! It seems like all of the splatters aim for the grooves! I have to use a scrub brush and go up and down each groove..what a pain!" Help! How can it be "a pain" for one person and "super easy to clean" for others? Those of you who have it, don't splatters get into the grooves?

  • curtiscove
    12 years ago

    Has anyone installed beadboard (wood) backsplash in a home near the ocean? Our granite does not have the "lip" in the back. It's just my husband and me so am not too worried about maintenance. The granite has been in for two weeks with no problems with water behind the sink. Since our appliances are white as are the cabinets, I'm considering a color for the beadboard. Counters are Kashmir White. Kitchen is open to dining area and living room which are painted Benjamin Moore Windham Cream (yellow). Any ideas would be appreciated!

  • Kathy Farnan
    8 years ago

    Has anyone ever put beadboard over tile using liquid nail glue?