Kitchen backsplash cost

A kitchen backsplash costs $15 to $60 a square foot installed, typically around $30. A standard kitchen has 30 to 40 square feet of backsplash, so most jobs land between $600 and $1,800.

It is the cheapest visible change in a kitchen and the one where material choice swings the price by four times.

What it costs

Measuring it

Height from the countertop to the underside of the wall cabinets is usually 18 inches. Behind a range with no cabinet above, it runs to the hood or to the ceiling.

A typical L-shaped kitchen with 20 linear feet of counter gives about 30 square feet at 18 inches, plus 10 to 20 square feet if the range wall goes full height.

Buy 10% extra for cuts, and 15% for anything laid diagonally or in a herringbone pattern.

Where the labor cost actually comes from

The tile price is what people compare. The labor is what differs.

Subway tile in a running bond is the fastest pattern there is and the cheapest to install.

Herringbone, chevron and basketweave take two to three times as long for the same area, because every tile is cut.

Mosaic sheets are quick over open wall and slow at every edge and outlet, where individual chips have to be cut and reset.

Natural stone needs sealing before grouting and again afterwards, and it is unforgiving of a wall that is not flat.

Glass shows the adhesive through it, so it needs white thinset and a flat wall, and it chips when cut badly.

If the budget is tight, spend it on a good installer and a plain tile rather than an expensive tile and a quick installer. The pattern is what people notice.

The details that separate a good job from an average one

• Outlets. Cutting tile neatly around outlets, with the boxes extended forward so the plate sits flat on the tile, not proud of it.
• Edges. A finished edge, either bullnose tile, a metal trim profile, or a mitered corner. A raw cut edge with grout smeared on it is what a rushed job leaves.
• The gap at the countertop. Caulk, not grout. The counter and the wall move differently and grout there cracks within a year.
• Grout color. Matching grout makes a field read as one surface; contrasting grout makes the pattern the feature. Both are choices; neither is a default.
• Behind the range. Heat-resistant material and easy to clean. Textured stone behind a hob is a decision you regret while cleaning it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I install a backsplash myself?

It is one of the more achievable tiling jobs, because the area is small, it is vertical and mistakes are not underfoot. The hard parts are the outlet cuts and the edges. Budget a weekend, buy a decent manual tile cutter, and practice the cuts on spare tile.

Is peel-and-stick worth it?

For a rental or a short stay, it is a reasonable $150 improvement. It looks like what it is at close range, it does not survive heat behind a range well, and removing it can take the paint off. It is not a cheap version of tile; it is a different product.

Do I need to remove the old backsplash first?

Yes in almost every case. Tiling over tile adds thickness the outlets and the edges were not set for, and if the old one is loose anywhere the new one comes with it.

Should the backsplash go behind the range to the ceiling?

It is the current fashion and it is genuinely practical, since that is the wall that gets splattered. It also doubles the material on that wall, which matters if the material is $60 a foot.

What is the cheapest way to change a kitchen?

Painting the cabinets, then the backsplash, then the handles. That combination is under $3,000 in most kitchens and changes more than a new countertop does.