What is the alternative to a slide-in range - is it a free-standing range with a riser in the back? If so, I wouldn't do any additional backsplash at all - its not necessary for protection, and it would add too many elements - painted wall, laminate backsplash, stove riser, tile/glass backsplash. I'd just paint.

You will also need a small piece of counter or trim behind the range at the countertop level. Slide ins do not go all the way back to the wall. I would not do any textured glass or textured anything in the splash zone behind a range. Too hard to clean. The easy thing to do is to get the stainless trim piece for behind the range, and just doing a sheet of stainless behind the range so that it's almost a seamless look. Yes, there will be a depth issue between the laminate and any backsplash that you do if you ordered the laminate with the attached backsplash. If you ordered the flat deck counter, then you use any backsplash material there as a unified whole for the entire space.

Our GE profile double oven slide in range was just installed today. Although it is a slide in, this model sits almost flush with the back wall and backsplash behind it works well. As LWO mentions above, there is a very small piece of stainless trim for the back that goes with the stove to cover the very minor gap where the countertop, back wall and oven aren't fully flush with each other.

Depending on which slide in range you have or are getting, there are different requirements for the trim or counter behind the range. Do you have your range already?

I don't have the range yet. I was looking at the GE Profile. The new laminate is in. The problem is that the laminate backsplash is about 1 or 1-1/2" thick and seems that it would look odd with a thin backsplash between the laminate behind the stove. I'm wondering if I should build up something to match thickness. I do really want a backsplash there, not just paint because I do splatter behind the stove. It's the one place that I want a full backsplash.

The wavy glass isn't hard to clean, it's big waves and would wipe easily, which is the selling feature for me, besides looking clean and streamlined. I was also considering a sheet metal backsplash, either bronze or stainless. Maybe that would be easier to work around.

The alternative to the slide in would be a free standing range with control riser in the back. That's what's currently there, and so there's no issue with the laminate splash on either side. I really don't like that ALL the new ranges have the large burners in the front. I cook lots of big pots of stews and sauces. At least the slide in range with controls in the back would give me a little buffer in keeping the hot stuff away from the children.

At least I've realized this before purchasing so I have time to figure things out.

The attached backsplash will make anything you choose look like an afterthought. Cut it off if you want to do a feature backsplash behind the range. It will just look strange otherwise. Or stick with a regular freestanding range.

Could you put that laminate splash behind the slid-in range, too?

Or some edge tile? It would be different, with the edge tile all the way to the counter.

As an aside, check this out

The problem is the laminate is up already and I didn't think of this issue.. actually I wasn't thinking of a slide in range when I ordered counters, I just found I liked them when recently appliance shopping.

If I added a section of laminate splash, there would be a seam on either side of range.

But maybe, that would be better to add a 4" splash matching the laminate thickness then another behind it than to make a thicker splash all the way up the wall. The knife block is good idea! I like that it would keep the knives further from the children, but I worry that they would get splattered and dirty back there.

This was my kitchen before we updated it. We just had a stainless steal sheet behind the range. It worked great.

I had to smile a bit when I read your OP, because we just dealt with this issue--different circumstances though. Your laminate is new; ours is white original '69/'70. You want only the stove backsplashed; we wanted a full backsplash. Your kitchen is being fixed up; ours is a temp/interim upgrade until after we remodel the bathrooms and save up additional funds.

Problem was the same though--we didn't like where the tile would start, and the ledge difference. Cutting it off would leave unfinished countertop exposed. After brain storming with my husband, we decided to cut the laminate backsplash section down and tile over it. Probably not a solution you would want to embrace, and craftsmen are surely wincing in horror, but we love what a huge improvement it made in our kitchen!

I don't think the that having a difference in width between the laminate and tile would necessarily look bad. We just wanted to eliminate as much of the white in our kitchen as possible, so it would not be as prominent visually.

This post was edited by Gyr_Falcon on Fri, Aug 29, 14 at 15:44

Ugh. Now I'm set on slide in being best. Here's a pic of the laminate with the granite windowsill, but the pic looks really orange for some reason. Both materials are quite gray toned. I'm thinking a built up granite may work best. I'm thinking about making the entire piece as thick as the laminate splash then trimming the vertical edge of the full splash with granite (if granite tile instead of slab).

As an aside, this is also supposed to be a temporary kitchen but I'm sure our planned addition will be a minimum of 5 years out and I'm recently wondering if it's wise to even proceed with that plan or just keep our home a bit more modest. With all these possibilities, I want to make sensible budget decisions that I'm happy to live with for awhile. I'm so much happier with the new counters and the half of the cabinets that are refinished. It is making the appliances look a bit shabby though.