Kitchen tile or just upstand

[thislittlehouseofmine]

Honestly I just don't think I can stare at wall tiles either online or in Topps anymore.

Current Kitchen tile is very dated and I'm wanting to make small changes in each room post divorce so house feels like mine

Currently have 10 year old solid oak worktops and gloss cream doors

Question is do I even need to re tile....can I get away with just removing tiles, making good walls and installing oak upstands except for behind the hob where I'd do a glass splash back or similar?

Was thinking at least this way I don't have grout to keep clean and I can change colour whenever I want by just repainting

I do cook but I don't think I'm a messy one 😂

What about behind the sink which is on a different wall to the hob? Do I really need tiles there?

I would put some sort of wall finishing behind a sink or you'll be forever touching up, but I am a bit splashy when cleaning. I prefer tiling in walls near food prep areas for ease of cleaning, we did grey grouting in bathroom which is more forgiving than white. It sounds like a fairly blank canvas otherwise so could use coloured splashbacks or tiles or possibly endurance type paint to add colour and interest?

We had our kitchen redone about 5 years ago and just went for upstands and glass behind the cooker. It was a nightmare, the walls got really dirty and were harder to clean than tiles so started to look rough after a year or so and flies/tiny spiders kept getting trapped behind the glass and dying which isn’t very nice to look at. We tiled it all this year and so far loving the new look and lower maintenance.

I was thinking a bit like this

Looks lovely at first OP, very clean and simple. We found it hard to keep it that way unless you want to repaint your walls every year.

I could just get a posh tile for the job rather than glass - what I will have saved not tiling all the walls spend more just on this one bit

I have what you describe only it's quartz. We have glass behind cooker and upstands everywhere elsewhere. It's absolutely fine apart from behind the sink. We didn't use a waterproof paint though maybe that wld work better? In the end I bought some stick on tiles for above that part as paint kept peeling.

I just have upstands and a hob on the island. I would have a splash back if you have a cooker but leave the rest tile free but get a mega scrubbable kitchen paint!

We have had something wet like that for the last 2 years

and have now chosen suitable tiles

Cleaning grout is far less hassle than needing to paint every few months

@ShillyShallySherbet

I do love to decorate 😂 and it's not a massive kitchen. I have toddler twins and an older child so I'm on a rolling programme of redecoration anyway as mucky fingers seem to get everywhere

@comeundone

Randomly I have a massive utility as it's where I converted the old integral garage so do 99% of the washing up in there as that's also where the dishwasher is so the kitchen sink is really only used for the odd thing here or there

Looks great new, but unless you are meticulous at wiping up splashes, the oak behind the tap where the counter meets the upstand will look awful very quickly. Water will soak in and you'll find yourself frequently sanding and re-oiling to try and keep it looking ok. I got talked into having it and I hate it.

@midgetastic

I usually blitz wall grout with bleach though and have always been too nervous to use neat bleach with the oak worktops

@Crikeyisthatthetime

Yes it's a bit like that on the worktop at the moment where the sink is but I blame ex husband as he's terrible for not wiping anything.

Sanding the worktop totally and refinishing it is on my to do list once I've decided tile / no tile

But the walls end up a right state so quickly and I am not considered house proud

I’ve got big tiles - 60cm x 30cm behind my worktops, hob and sink, but they are fixed vertically. So the splashback is 60cm high IYKWIM. They’re easy to clean and there are only vertical joints. I’ve got a dark grey grout which doesn’t show the dirt.

Upstand only is a nightmare. When I redid my kitchen this year I had tiles instead of replacing the upstand. So much easier to wipe down

I seem incapable of making decisions post divorce - I never used to be like this 😂

I think I just need to get started with stripping the tiles and removing grout/adhesive and prepping walls

Maybe then I should then just leave it a few weeks and see if I notice the walls getting really dirty? Sort of try before I buy!

Except for the hob - I don't know why but feels easier to pick a tile if it's just for that small area as I can have a patterned/feature one there which wouldn't have if was doing whole kitchen?

I also have giant tiles with vertical grout lines only. They fill the space between the worktops and the cupboards above. They are Matt white so you kind of ignore them. I also have an up stand of the quartz worktops, which are fancy so the plain and non shiny tiles are a contrast. I am a messy cook.

I originally wanted frosted glass for the whole thing but at £90 per cut out for sockets (there are a total of 7) plus glass cost it was too ££££.

The tiles are very practical.

The giant tiles with vertical grout lines sound a great idea. Would anyone be happy posting a photo please?

We have an up-stand no tiles and the walls won't come clean anyone after 7 years.

we have oversized tiles not vertical though with grey grout to match the tiles