A while back I saw a photo of a kitchen and was instantly smitten. Grey-blue paint, gold hardware, and best of all, a wood backsplash. I had never in my life considered it – despite years of working in and around the interior design industry and being exposed to a lot of different options. Wood backsplashes just weren’t a thing. But once I saw this photo I couldn’t get it out of my head.
Since then I’ve scoured the interwebs for more photos of kitchens with a wood backsplash. They’re hard to come by, and quite frankly, most aren’t to my taste. That said, I’ve found a few that I quite like.
The key for me is to ere on the side of either industrial chic or modern glam. Also, no patchwork. While I like that look in other areas, the backsplash needs to be fairly consistent in colour.
Now the time has come. We’ve been renovating our kitchen over the last couple of months and the time to choose a backsplash has arrived. We’ve got travertine floors, dark blue lowers, white uppers, and white quartz counters. Will a wood backsplash work? Methinks the answer is yes. (Although every time we tell someone we’re thinking of a wood backsplash they scrunch up their nose and say, “really?” But honestly, the other finishes are already trendy, and I really don’t want my house to look exactly like everyone else’s.)
I’m in the very fortunate position of living with a master carpenter, so he brought home some samples to try. And I think we’ve finally decided. Yes, it’s a little different, but hey, it’s just a backsplash, right? My husband can get the materials for free, so if it doesn’t work we’ll just replace it in a year or two. But I really don’t think that will be necessary. I’m willing to bet that we’re going to love it.
What do you think? Would you ever consider a wood backsplash?
**Edited March 7, 2020
We did it! The rest of the kitchen still needs a few details finished off, but the backsplash is in and I LOVE it. I’ll share more photos once the kitchen is totally done, but here’s how it looks for now. J’adore.
**Edited Summer 2021 – We still need a few finishing touches (crown moulding, corner pieces, etc.) but here are a few more pics!
How did you make your wood backsplash?
Hi Jennifer,
The wood is larch and it came from a 100-year-old fence (give or take a few years). My husband is a carpenter who specializes in reclaimed wood. He checked it to make sure it was clear of any issues then planed it on both sides, stained it and varnished it. It’s quite smooth and easy to clean. I might not recommend it for a restaurant or super high traffic kitchen, but we cook a lot and have had no problems cleaning it.
It looks really beautiful. What is the thickness of each piece?
It’s about 1/2″. The thickness helps prevent any potential warping. No problems yet!