The Crucial Final Touch That Can Completely Transform Your Backsplash

Splattered surfaces are an annoyance, but grease- and water-stained walls? Those are everyone's worst enemy. Nobody wants to be bound by constant anxiety over quickly removing potential stains — especially when trying to concentrate on cooking. So, you take the plunge and install a backsplash, only to find it just looks ... wrong? Enter nightmare number two. Luckily, this issue has a quick fix that will completely transform your backsplash: picking the right grout color.

When installing high-quality backsplashes, the quality is in the details, and choosing the correct grouting color is essential. Practically speaking, grout is the glue that holds everything together. It secures the backsplash and prevents dirt and debris from sneaking under otherwise carefully placed tiles. However, a common kitchen mistake is forgetting that grout is a design-driven, not just a practical, addition. It doesn't matter how long you spend choosing the best backsplash tiles to give your kitchen a vintage feel. A poorly selected grout color can ruin everything.

Aesthetic grouting is one of the kitchen trends we're following. Always dedicate as much time to selecting grout color as you would to selecting tiles, carefully matching the two for undertones and lightness. A properly paired duo is the crucial final touch to achieving a professional-standard backsplash.

Sometimes, settling on final decisions is easier said than done. Do you want a contrasted aesthetic, like black tiles and white grout, or seamlessly blended surfaces, like white tiles and white grout? Before heading online or to hardware stores, always check inspiration pictures and establish the exact results you wish to achieve. It's surprising how varied colors can be: debate between browns, creams, whites, grays, black, and even bolder options, like red. Grouting can — quite literally — transform both backsplashes and kitchens. Start off strong by settling on a vision.

With that masterpiece in mind, the next step is grout selection. To avoid any accidental clashes, analyze tiles for warm or cool undertones. The color temperature should match, while lightness and darkness can contrast. Bring a spare tile to the store (or order grout samples online) to try the two side-by-side. Always compare using plastic or stone samples rather than those notoriously inaccurate paper swabs. Ideally, purchase small tubes of grout to apply directly to the spare tile, bringing it home to test in different lighting.

A word of warning: avoid fixating so much on color that you become blind to other mistakes everyone makes when grouting their kitchen. Accidentally mixing too much, purchasing the wrong grout, or waiting too long for application are common ways that some have accidentally sabotaged their backsplashes. Don't rush the process; research is everything.