Kitchen backsplash installation
Backsplash installation is the tile, stone, or slab work between countertop and upper cabinets — a one-to-three-day project that changes how a kitchen reads more than almost any other finish. Grandview Contractors installs kitchen backsplashes across Utah County and Salt Lake County under a Utah DOPL B100 general contractor license, as a standalone job or as the last finish in a larger kitchen remodel.
When a backsplash alone is the right project
A backsplash is the right standalone job when the counters are staying. If the countertop is also on its way out, sequence changes: the counter goes in first, then the backsplash sits on top of it, so pairing the two under a single countertop replacement scope saves a return trip and a visible joint done twice. Likewise, if cabinet fronts are changing, refacing happens before tile so the backsplash can end cleanly at the new cabinet sides.
Two situations send most of our backsplash calls: a newer Lehi, Saratoga Springs, or Eagle Mountain home delivered with painted drywall or a four-inch builder-grade lip behind the counter, and an older Provo, Orem, or Salt Lake City kitchen with a laminate counter carrying its own integrated backsplash, where the real question is whether to tile above the lip or remove it. We’ll tell you which at the walk-through.
If the kitchen’s real problem is space rather than surface, tile won’t fix it — read our small kitchen remodel page first.
What a backsplash installation actually involves
A kitchen backsplash is a dry-area installation, so painted drywall is an acceptable substrate — it needs none of the cement board or membrane a shower does. It does need a flat, sound wall: we pull the old tile or lip, skim torn paper, and check with a straightedge, because a wavy wall telegraphs through glossy tile under cabinet lighting.
Layout happens before the first tile is set. We start from the centerline of the range and hood and work outward so cuts land in corners and under the uppers, with full tiles at eye level. Behind the range the backsplash often runs full height to the hood; elsewhere it stops at the cabinets, typically 18 inches up. The two have to be planned together or the pattern won’t align where they meet.
- Ceramic or porcelain field tile (subway, stacked, herringbone) set in mastic or thinset depending on size and weight
- Glass, natural stone, and large-format tile set in modified thinset, with stone sealed before grouting
- Mosaic sheets, where joint alignment between sheets is the whole craft
- Slab backsplashes in quartz or quartzite, templated with the counter and set as a single piece
- Edge termination: bullnose, pencil tile, or a metal Schluter edge profile where the tile ends in open wall
- Outlet box extenders so every receptacle sits flush with the new tile face
We specify stain-resistant or epoxy grout behind the range and sink, and we seal cementitious grout everywhere else — Utah’s hard water leaves mineral spotting on grout lines behind a sink faster than almost anywhere else in the house. The joint where tile meets countertop, and every inside corner, gets color-matched flexible sealant rather than grout. Counters and walls move at different rates; grout in that joint cracks within a season.
Because the tile comes off anyway, this is the cheapest moment you’ll ever have to add countertop receptacles or run under-cabinet lighting. That’s electrical work: Grandview holds the contract and manages a licensed electrician for it, sequenced before the tile goes up so nothing gets cut twice.
What does backsplash installation cost in Utah County?
As ballpark planning numbers, not quotes: a typical Utah County kitchen has 30 to 50 square feet of backsplash, and installed ceramic or porcelain subway lands around $1,500 to $4,000. Glass, stone, intricate mosaics, and full-height runs push toward $4,000 to $8,000; a slab backsplash matched to the counter often starts near $3,000 in material alone.
The tile itself. Material runs from a few dollars a square foot to well past $40 for handmade or stone, and pricier tile carries a bigger waste factor for cuts and breakage.
Pattern and cuts. Herringbone, chevron, and small mosaics roughly double the labor of a straight subway run, and every outlet, window return, and inside corner is a cut that must be invisible.
What’s behind the old one. Removing a stone or heavily mortared backsplash often takes the drywall paper with it, sometimes the drywall. Repair is routine but it’s time, and we price it from the walk-through rather than guessing. At consultation you get a budget range; once tile and layout are chosen, a fixed proposal.
Questions we actually get
Can you install a backsplash without replacing the countertop?
Yes, and most of ours are exactly that. We protect the counter, remove the old backsplash or lip, repair the wall, and tile down to a sealed joint at the counter. One constraint: cutting an integrated four-inch lip off a laminate counter cleanly isn’t always possible, so we look before promising.
How long does a backsplash installation take?
Plan on one to three days. Day one is removal, wall repair, and setting tile; grout waits for the thinset to cure, so grouting and sealing follow the next day. Mosaics, stone, and full-height runs add a day. The kitchen stays usable; only the counters along the work wall are off-limits.
Do I need a permit for a kitchen backsplash in Utah?
Not for the tile; a backsplash is a cosmetic finish. If we add countertop receptacles or wire under-cabinet lighting during the job, that electrical work is permitted and inspected under current Utah-adopted code, and we handle it with the licensed electrician we coordinate.
Which grout should I choose behind the range and sink?
A stain-resistant high-performance grout or epoxy grout. Both resist the grease behind a cooktop and the mineral spotting Utah’s hard water leaves behind a sink, and neither needs sealing. Standard cementitious grout works fine on the rest of the run as long as it’s sealed, and we seal it before you ever cook on the new wall.
Backsplash work is one piece of our kitchen remodeling service, inside the renovation and build-out family alongside our broader tile installation work.
Tell us what you’re working on
We reply within a couple of hours during business hours — a day at most. You’ll get a straight read on scope, sequence, and budget before anyone commits to anything.