Trust your instincts and do not go with the granite b/s. I think fabricators like it because it means they don't have to be as precise when fitting the slab to the wall because the b/s has a lot more thickness to it than a piece of tile does. If you don't want it, there is no reason you need to have one and now is the time to refuse it because if they put it in taking it out later will be difficult to impossible because the gap under it will most likely be too big to be covered by tile. Stand your ground.

i agree with kris ma on every point.

i think it looks dated and your backsplash will look so much better. you can google it and see for yourself or look on the finished kitchen blog for some inspiration.

stand your ground and trust your instincts!!

I did subway tiles down to the countertop, no 3" backsplash. The previous poster is right-the fabricator will need to be more precise since there is less margin for error. One thing I learned after the fact- wherever there is a change in direction, like the joint betweem the backsplash and the counter, caulk should be used, not grout. Good Luck!

There have been a few recent threads on this. I think only 1-2 people have done this recently. It comes across as very dated to most of us. It also seems lazy to me because the fabricators don't have to be precise at the counter and wall junction as the granite strip can hide it. I don't like them because, if you're going to add tile above, it seems visually messy. The horizontal line created by the granite strip distracts from the tile above.

It's just not necessary to run a granite strip. Unless you really have your heart set on it for some reason, I'd skip it.

He said that I don't want it like this b/c the grout next to the granite will become dirty and we will need to re-grout it every now and then. The upkeep will be horrible.

Uh huh. Well, if you put grout next to the granite where the tile meets the counter, yes, you'll have issues. Issue #1 is that a decent tile installer will know that you put caulk there, not grout. If you put grout there, his prediction might come true.

Some have suggested that his recommendation allows him to make a sloppier edge that doesn't need to be neat and close. Perhaps you need to see a job of his in progress before a backsplash covers up his work. Does it look like this? It should.

Thanks everyone! I really needed your advice/opinions. I think I will call the granite guy and tell him NO granite backsplash - the way I wanted it from the beginning!

One contractor I had come in for an estimate warned me that the cost of the granite backsplash is ridiculously expensive in comparison to the cost of the actual counter. So one more reason to avoid it!

I guess we are the outliers then. We did a short backsplash in the counter material (soapstone) with tile above.

I say go with whatever YOU like best. I know it's not the ideal answer, but my best advice is to go with your initial gut feeling. With all of the projects I've done I really feel like your gut feeling is usually always right. I've been working on figuring out my own (I'm in the subway tiles vs mosaics pickle - I know, a long way off from a decision!) found this article and it's one I referred to when I was starting the decision process - there are so many great options out there!

Here is a link that might be useful: Choosing a Backsplash

Chiefy we just did a full granite backsplash and it was less than 50% of the cost of the counter. Certainly still not cheap but nowhere near the cost of counter. We loved how it came out!