A Mosaic Kitchen Backsplash Upgrade Is Creative Fun

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Why leave the wall between your counter and cabinets blank when you can use the space to create a custom, artistic, design statement? An upgraded backsplash is a relatively inexpensive option that can be done independently of other remodeling activities.

Many people delay the design of a backsplash for several years after their initial remodeling project. This is a great strategy because it gives them time to organize their kitchen equipment and understand which parts of the area will remain visible and what types of designs and materials will work best.

There are many outstanding techniques for decorating this area of the kitchen. A mosaic kitchen backsplash is actually an entire category of options for decorating this area.  Mosaics employ the decorative art technique of forming patterns with many small pieces of material. For a mosaic kitchen backsplash, the most common materials chosen are ceramic or glass tile. Metallic looks can be achieved by the use of foil-backed glass tiles. Some mosaic kitchen backsplash designs employ glass tiles as decorative accents in a predominantly ceramic tile installation.

Once you have chosen a material, it is time to consider your design options such as color and pattern. A trip to a tile store will provide plenty of inspiration to get you started, as will searching the Internet for pictures. Your design can be simply a random placement of varied tile colors, a basic geometric or border pattern, or a pictorial mural.

The mural option is best if there is a wide-open space uncluttered by kitchen equipment. For example, it is commonly used behind stovetops do not use combination vent/microwave oven or cabinets above the burners. If you like to keep your equipment close at hand on your countertops, a cleaner design using borders or accents will work better.

If you are crafty, you can save money by doing this project yourself. If you need practice, mosaic trivets are a great way to practice and are useful to protect your countertops or to use under plants that reside on wood surfaces. If you opt for a mural, a photograph can be converted into a mosaic pattern with the use of readily available software tools. You can use your own photograph as a starting point, or search the Internet for a suitable photograph to use. You can find free or inexpensive software to perform the transformation by searching for "Photo Mosaic."

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