elphaba:

Your contractor was wrong. A 4" splash can be removed without damaging a quartz countertop, but that doesn't mean the top fits to the wall nicely.

here are 2 pics of the counter and the lip. my installer will be here in a 8 days to install the stove wall tile...and everyone has told me to keep the lip on the stove wall since it brings continuity with the adjacent wall. so, opinions?

2nd pic

I agree about the continuity and I would keep the lip if it were my kitchen. Though you may aready be aware that the trend here seems to be eliminating a lip such as yours, going either way wouldn't in my opinion detract that much from your lovely countertops. Sorry I can't be more definitive. Good luck with your install.

I would keep it all the way around. I don't always like the short backsplashes, but in this case it lines up very nicely with the window and range. Second choice, I would have it taken off all the way around.

I think it is possible the countertop isn't scribed closely enough to the wall for tile to cover the gap. If that's the case I don't think there is an easy way to remove it and have a clean meeting point for the tile and counter.

Since you plan on only doing a backsplash behind the range wall area and painting the rest of the walls below the kitchen cabinets, I would keep the 4" granite on the wall that looks nice. Your granite is so pretty.

elphaba, would you prefer if the entire lip was removed with the exception of the window ledge? believe it or not, i have redone almost everything in this kitchen.

the subway tile is 1/2'' thick, so i thought it would cover any gulf between counter and wall. maybe the walls would fall victim.

if i keep the 4'' lip, should i tile both walls? up to the crown molding?

I like the lip. I'd leave it. I think I'd just do the tile on the range wall. If you wanted to remove the lip you could tile but I like how classy and understated it looks as is :)

I would tile JUST above the stove. Between the cabinets.

Technically, the 4" lip IS a backsplash. That's why people are pulling them out if they are tiling up to cabinets. Otherwise, you are stacking 2 backsplashes on top of each other. So, that's usually my preference. If this was my kitchen (and it looks new), I wouldn't have put the 4" lip in to begin with. I would have tiled all around. However, the lip does look good under the window. And it's there, and who knows what the granite looks like underneath. So leave it. But to avoid the double backsplash look, I would tile just the open area above the stove, the area that you theoretically want to protect from heat and grease splatters. I think that's the best way to make the 2 walls work together.

Normally I also like to see the counter meet the wall without any 4 inch lip. But, funny you should have these questions because I am in the process of remodeling. Going slow, i am the G.C. The slowness gives me extra time for resolving mistakes that I seem unable to avoid.

Well.. I didn't realize that the wall on each side of my large window (no cabinets on each side) needs some protection. window has been installed so carefully so the bottom of the ledge is even with the countertop so I hadn't planned to put backsplash but now I realize paint won't be enough to protect the wall on each side of the window (where window takes up a large part but not all of wall) from various sprays and such that happen in a kitchen.

I'm actually thinking of putting a single line of subway tiles installed (maybe with a pencil trim across top) on the walls on each side of the window. And match the subway tiles for the lip to the backsplash on the adjacent wall that will have subway tiles from the countertop to the bottom of the cabinets. That will give me a 3 inch "lip". (guess I need to post a picture too :) A little more than 3 inches because of whatever trim across the top we use. Because there will be a little gap and grout every 6 inches of the lip, there definitely needs to be a trim. on top. (You may see some photos of my problem here once I get the countertops installed in two or three weeks but I definitely plan not to use the countertop material in the lip.)

I might have recommended this for you except the space beneath your window is 4 inches - the pencil tile trim across the top might help fill in but might also be a problem.

I have never seen this done but was thinking we probably aren't the only ones with this kind of problem.

Summary: in my case, if you were to consider my wall with the window the same as your wall with your sink and my wall of cabinets, the same as your stove wall, we are both wondering how to deal with the wall that we didn't plan for a full backsplash. I'm pretty sure I don't want to put a full backsplash there - seems to go against the simplicity I'm trying to achieve wherever I can but I still want a little protection.

FYI - Below is a thread on windows that shows numerous kitchen windows without backsplash lips - my concerns over protection may be overrated - I'm still thinking.

Here is a link that might be useful: Another thread here showing windows

I think your granite is gorgeous and similar to what I'm hoping to find for my remodel. I'm in the minority here on GW, but I don't find the 4" granite to be a bad look in some cases. In fact, I like it in your kitchen in the way you have planned. I think tiling with subways over the range and keeping the rest as is will look fresh and functional.

I vote for leaving the 4" everywhere, and tiling the entire range wall. Your venthood appears wider than your range, so I think that would make tiling only above range problematic, how wide would you go with the tile? It would extend wider than your range, but not all the way out to the walls, to me that would look odd. You have a trim piece on the left and a wall on the right, tile can deadend into both. Very pretty kitchen!

I actually really like your lip, it matches the heights of the oven and the window, and looks modern to boot. It does not look 4 inches tall. Reminds me of breezy's 2 inch lip. If you have a simple tile above it without much pattern it will look just fine as well as conferring the additional protection. IMHO.

I am with everyone else, here. Most times I hate seeing that big lip but it is an actual design element in your kitchen and looks awesome. I also vote for tiling only above stove, I love the depth texture that lip is offering with a soft counter.

the lip is 4'' high. and the widest part of the hood is 48'' so treating the wall as a unit is the simplest way.

i do love the window ledge! before...the tile, window molding & ledge were a nightmare to keep clean.

I would not even consider taking out the current bs and I would tile the entire remaining stove wall plus the window wall just up to the bottom of the uppers.

Normally I don't care for the 4" backsplash but I think it's really, really pretty in your kitchen. You don't need to feel pressure to put in a backsplash above it even - you could paint, hang some decorative items, whatever.

Lovely kitchen.

themaid, your kitchen is beautiful just as it is. As others have said, while the current trend is away from 4" backsplashes, if there was ever a shift to bring it back (and one day that will happen), your kitchen would be the poster child for how good it can look. I wouldn't change a thing, other than perhaps running some plain backsplash above the stove for practical purposes.

Because it matches the window sill and the stove perfectly, it adds symmetry and balance and is very pleasing to the eye. Leave it!

LOVELY kitchen. I agree with others that the 4" granite backsplash is working in your kitchen :) . Your River White granite is beautiful - I will have that installed in 3 weeks so I was excited to see yours.

here is a pic of my 71/2" marble lip in a bath. i really love this look and the cleaning is so easy.

The Maid, I love this look with the 7.5" backsplash being the same granite as the counter! Also you do not have to worry about the grout!

lynn2006, everyone who sees this bath says how great it looks. i would recommend a bathroom lip to everyone. plus it eliminates searching for the tile. (which has been a major undertaking of immense proportions in the kitchen) i also used 2" lip in another bath and that also looks great, too.

Your bathroom looks great too themaid :) . Thanks for sharing.

I think it is so pretty that it could look good both ways. You might consider that wiping the counters with a sponge or a rag will put you up agains the granite, which has no grout lines. I find that wiping the rag against a backsplash with grout lines is not as nice.

I think the 4" backsplash actually looks really nice. Your kitchen is beautiful! I have the same granite in my bathroom and have some issues with water spots despite sealing but it's so pretty that I don't mind so much :)

i want to thank everyone for your thoughtful comments. interesting to hear GW agree to keep 4" bs. fyi everyone who has visited my house said to keep it also. so it will remain! i will post pics after the subway install. btw, the bath 71/2 lip so much better IRL.

I just found this thread, because the workers installed a 3" lip on my quartz when the contract called for NO lip so we could put the glass and marble tile up. I tried to accept it, but it makes the counter awkward with the lip and back splash both. I've told the contractor I want it removed and he is balking.

Too bad for him. He should have read the specs of the contract. Don't keep it just to satisfy him, you paid enough for that counter, I'm sure, to be very happy with the end result.

Totally agree with amberm.

Me three. He needs to meet the terns of the contract. When he removes the quartz backsplash, make sure the countertop is scribed closely enough to the wall. The quartz backsplash could be hiding bad workmanship.

My contractor told me if there is tile going on the wall then no lip but if there is just a painted wall then there should be a lip.