A Full Height Granite Backsplash

Carrying the stone from the counter to the wall cabinets removes every joint behind the range, and the costing at granite countertops asheville nc firethegrid separates that decision from the countertop itself because it is bought by the square foot like any other piece. It is a common upgrade on Asheville kitchens and it usually needs a second slab.

What It Replaces

A tiled field with grout that darkens behind a cooktop, or a four inch return that leaves the wall exposed to splashing. A continuous panel has no joint to fail, wipes in one pass, and shows the movement in the stone standing up rather than lying flat, which is a genuinely different effect from the same slab on a horizontal surface.

The Material Arithmetic

An eighteen inch high panel behind a ten foot run is fifteen square feet, which is a quarter of a slab before any waste. Because the panel has to be cut from the same stone and preferably from the same area of it, the job frequently crosses from one slab to two. That is the real cost, and it should be on the quote as its own line.

The Wall Has to Be Flat

Stone does not bend. A plaster wall in a house from the nineteen twenties is rarely within a quarter inch over eight feet, and the panel will either sit off the wall at one end or need scribing to follow it. Skimming or furring the wall flat before the template is taken is the clean answer, and it belongs in the schedule ahead of the fabricator's visit.

Outlets, Windows and the Joint at the Bottom

Every outlet becomes a cutout that must be drilled and dressed, so agree positions before templating and move any that will land awkwardly on a vein. Where the panel meets the countertop, the joint is siliconed rather than grouted so the two pieces can move independently. Around a window, the panel is usually returned into the reveal, which looks deliberate and adds another piece to the layout. Think about what will stand in front of it. A panel destined to sit behind a range, a hood and a row of jars is a large amount of expensive material bought to be covered up, and the same money spent on the island is visible from everywhere in the room.