Wondering how high up the wall to take your kitchen backsplash tile? I’m sharing some beautiful kitchen inspiration to help you decide where yours should end!
There are so many decisions to make when you’re remodeling your kitchen – it’s actually too many for a lot of people! Obviously there are the biggies such as the color of the cabinets, type of kitchen sink, style of countertops, etc., but it’s all of the little decisions that most homeowners aren’t expecting that can put them over the edge. Since I love talking and dreaming about kitchens, I thought it would be fun (and hopefully helpful) to occasionally throw some of these little kitchen decisions out to you all to see what you would decide. Let’s start with this one: “How far up the wall do you want your backsplash tile to go?”
Every kitchen is different, but often the trickiest spot to figure out where you want your backsplash tile to end is around your kitchen window. One option is to tile around the window and all the way up to the ceiling like this gorgeous kitchen designed by Studio McGee that you can see more of {here}:
Some other beautiful examples of backsplashes taken up to the ceiling can be seen in {this kitchen} by Caldwell and Johnson, {this kitchen} by Amber Interiors, and {this beautiful kitchen} with subway tile.
Another option is to end the tile lower down. Some people chose to end their backsplash tile at the base of their upper cabinets or just a an inch or two above it. Usually a piece of bullnose or pencil tile is used at the point where the tile ends and the untiled wall begins. One beautiful example is the Carrara marble herringbone tile in ZDesign at Home’s beautiful kitchen that you can see more of {here}:
Another example of backsplash tile that stops near the base of the cabinet is this larger scale herringbone tile backsplash:
Others choose to end the tile somewhere in the middle (between the base on the cabinets and the ceiling) as you can see in {this gorgeous kitchen} by Christine Donner or in {this beauty} by Kitchens by Eileen.
And what if you have open shelving? I love how South Harlow Interiors handled the backsplash tile in this gorgeous kitchen, ending it at the base of the top open shelf (you can see more images of this beautiful kitchen {here}):
So many options – which look is your favorite? Do you like the look of backsplash tile going all the way up to the ceiling or do you prefer to end it lower down? Let me know what you think!
Michelle | Birds of Berwick says
I hope against hope we can start our kitchen renovation next year and in addition to adding a wall of windows behind the sink I really want to take the backsplash tile all the way up to the ceiling in this space. It just looks so classy!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
How exciting that you’ve got a kitchen reno in your future! I totally agree about tiling to the ceiling – it’s such a high-end look!
Elizabeth @ The Little Black Door says
I agree with you – I like to take it all the way up to the top.
Pam @ Simple Details says
One of my favorite decisions in my kitchen makeover – all the way to the top!
Suzanne says
I’m obsessing over this decision right now. Currently my backsplash tile goes to the bottom of the cabinets. But I want my contractor to add tile on each side of the window up to the top of the window frame. I think it will look better.
Patty Day says
I love having it go all the way to the ceiling, if your cabinets do also, it’s perfect. I would agree to stop the tile lower if not.
Joanne says
I love the look of the tile right to the ceiling. Good point on the height of the top cupboards, though. Looking forward to your reveal.
Stacey says
I love it all the way to ceiling but you’re right about the height of the uppers.
Karen says
I’m so glad I found this page! I think I was really having trouble because there’s a space between the top of my cabinets and the ceiling… Read this and was like “Ah!!” Thank you!
Kris Jarrett says
Glad you found it helpful Karen!
Barbie Haas says
What if your backsplash is going to be beadboard and same color (White Dove) as cabinets? My cabinets don’t go all the way to ceiling.
BH
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Barbie, I always hesitate to give specific design advice when I’m not looking at the space because there are so many factors that go into kitchen design but in general, beadboard doesn’t look right when it’s taken all of the way up to the ceiling – it’s best to stop it at the bottom of the cabinets or a little bit above that. Hope that helps!
Barbie says
Thanks Kris! I’m planning to run the beadboard horizontally rather than vertically (same color as cabinets). Does that make a difference?
Barbie
Kris Jarrett says
I would still say the same thing even if you run it horizontally!
Lisa Zuck says
Hi, I’m using a glass mosaic tile for a back splash and was wondering if it would be too ” busy” to take to the ceiling? They’re 1″x3″ in two shades of grey, black and white.
Kris Jarrett says
I don’t think there’s a blanket yes or no answer to going to the ceiling with mosaic tile – I think it totally depends upon everything else you have going on in your space!
Susan Miller says
I love the look of the backsplash to the top! We are building a new home – glad I saw this idea! Thanks!
Susan Miller says
I love the diamond set window – will be putting these as accent windows above and seperate from lower window with frame around it. Where did you order these windows?
Becky says
Is it a hard rule to not go to the ceiling if your cabinets don’t? Ours don’t but we were planning on taking ours up to the ceiling over the kitchen window. Thoughts??
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Becky – no, it’s not a hard rule at all. It’s different for every kitchen and depends on how yours is laid out – most of the decision of how high to go is personal preference!
Julia says
Hi Becky,
I too am remodeling our kitchen and I just LOVE the look of backsplash to ceiling around window but our cabinets don’t go to ceiling either…
Did you end up doing it? If so how does it look?
Heather says
Our kitchen is part of a very open floor plan, so our kitchen wall, with a large, gorgeous window, ends and the wall turns to the dining room. I don’t know if that makes sense. Will it look strange to have the kitchen wall tiled all the way up and the dining wall on the other side of the corner painted? Wow, that is really hard to explain!
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Heather – I think I know what you mean! I’d love to have a definite opinion to share but unfortunately that’s the type of situation where I’d really need to see the space in person to give any worthwhile advice (and unfortunately I don’t offer design services anymore). Sorry!
Judy says
What did you end up doing? I have the same situation with the kitchen wall continuing into the dining room and I want to have the tile in the kitchen go up to the ceiling. I’ve been wondering how the cutoff would look. Our remodel starts in a few months!
Brooke says
Hi there! I love the look of bringing the subway tile all the way up and around the window over the sink. However, there is no room above my window for tile, so I am afraid bringing it all the way up on both sides wouldn’t work because of that. What do you think? My cabinets go to the ceiling but I wanted as large of a window as possible, which is why there is not enough room on top of the window molding for tile. Thanks!!
Cora says
I’m no kitchen designer or tiler but I don’t like the look or see the point of tile going all the way to the ceiling. In our case we have floating shelves and put the tile up to one tile width below the bottom shelf. The tile guys finished it off nicely with a pewter strip all the way around.
Anonymous says
I agree! I don’t care for the look where the tile goes all the way to the ceiling—prefer stopping around bottom of cabinets. We’re using light Gray subway tile for the backsplash and we see the kitchen from a large doorway into our family room and would prefer to have more painted wall portions showing fir consistency. It also seems softer to go this route. It seems more busier to have the tiles go all the way up. To the ceiling.
Cora says
That’s just my opinion though. I’m sure that it’s going to be just fine no matter what height as long as theres something to catch the back-splash.
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Cora! A lot of the decision about how high to tile is just simple personal preference! It sounds like you did a nice job with yours!
Alice says
Help! I moved into a house with a 10″ high backsplash. It ends 7″ below the cabinets. The wall behind the cook top has the same 10″ high backsplash and that leaves a large area of painted wall that is always oily & dirty looking. What can I do to cover teh wall when the backsplash is such an awkward height?
Kris Jarrett says
Alice, the only thing that I can think of to recommend other than adding more tile is to paint that area with a good semi-gloss kitchen paint that the oil will wipe off of better.
Jeanne says
Hi! I am in the midst of remodeling my kitchen New everything! We also knocked out walls so it a large open area with an island and peninsula. I am trying to decide on whether I should tile around window and up to ceiling. My new cabinets go all the way to the ceiling. The window is between the cabinets. The tile is a glass and marble mosaic with greys, whites, blues, and greens.. I am trying to decide if it would be too busy since it is a mosaic versus a subway tile. What do you think? Do people tile around windows with mosaic? Thanks!
Swati says
Hello can you please help, I am.so glad I found this page. we are renovating our Kitchen & backsplash below the hutch cabinet has been done all the way instead of, stopped at the cabinet. We can still remove it but I need some help to see what will look great, my cabinet doors are plain slab, so more towards contemporary look.
Thank you so much for your feedback in advance.
Dana Horn says
We are tiling and have tiled to 9″ above the countertops. I don’t see this very often, is it ok to do?
Kris Jarrett says
Dana, most of the time the tile goes up to at least the bottom of the cabinets but if you like the way it looks going just 9″ up, then go for it!
Margaret says
I like the look of ‘all the way up’ but we have a vaulted ceiling so the tile will only go to the ceiling on two of the three walls. Should we stick with stopping lower? Also the tile is a color rather than a neutral.
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Margaret,
That’s a tough one and really depends on the entire layout of your kitchen so I feel like I’d just be guessing without being able to be in your space. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Julie says
Hi Kris. I am in the middle of a kitchen remodel. I have a really unique-shaped ceiling – kind of like a barn shape. It is about 11.5 feet tall for about 15 ft across and then slopes at an angle on the sides to meet the 8 ft walls, if that makes sense. I am planning on taking the subway tile backsplash up to the ceiling above the window by the kitchen sink, which is an 8 ft wall that meets the slant. The main wall of my kitchen is 11.5 ft tall. My cabinets are the tall 45″ cabinets. I am not putting a soffit above them. So my question is…..would it look good to put the subway tile above my cabinets on that wall up to the ceiling (as well as for the regular backsplash) , or is that too weird? Just wondering if you have ever seen that done.
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Julie, I’d love to help but I would just be guessing giving you an answer without being able to see everything that you’ve got going on in your kitchen and unfortunately I don’t offer design services anymore to do that. Sorry!
Jim says
Love to know what you decided. Same boat, 10’ ceiling and think it might look wierd putting tile above cabinets.
Tom says
It’s called a backsplash for a reason. You certainly aren’t going to splash anything at window height ,much less above the window . It seems self explanatory to me that a backsplash should
be about six to eight inches high.
Tracy Stout-Powers says
If you’ve ever seen a kitchen with a beautiful tile that goes to the ceiling then it wouldn’t be that difficult to understand why people do it. When you aren’t able to think outside the box it’s hard to grasp doing something outside the norm. My window is flush with my countertop, but that isn’t going to keep me from tiling under my wall cabinets and up to the ceiling. Tile is prettier than paint.
Anonymous says
I thought the same thing until I actually saw the tile going to the ceiling… and it was stunning! Expensive; but stunning!
Debbie says
If you are using all subway tile with an approx 6″ strip of glass mosaic pattern around the middle, would it be ok to use same pattern ( 2 rows) between cabintery above sink ( no window) ( small L-shape kitchen ) or should just the subway tile be used.
Jim says
Remodeling our kitchen currently. Stripped down to studs and raised ceiling from 8’ to 10’ . We want to tile to ceiling but the cabinets will go to 8.5’. What to do? I don’t believe you tile above cabinets. We want to tile around/above window and accent tile behind chimney range hood. Where do you stop? I wish I could show pic but still studs.
Susan says
I have a cabinet to the left of the window that is higher than the right
side. If I were to tile each side and come to window,it would be lopsided. Question . should it go all the way up to the ceiling or just go 6 inches.? If 6 inches what kind of tile should I use so it doesn’t look dumb?!
Andrea Otero says
My hardest decision of my kitchen remodel is whether to go to the ceiling or not. Your article here is very helpful. I, originally wanted to go to the ceiling, but am having second thoughts. I am using a white alabaster quartz counter top with white cabinets, with a darker grey paint around the kitchen. My backsplash is 3 x 6 brick Calacatta Cressa. I designed my kitchen around these beautiful bricks. This is the big accent of my kitchen. Because the grey walls go so incredibly well with everything so far, I am hesitant to go to the ceiling. The Calacatta Cressa pencil is very classy too, if I want to just go up a foot around the kitchen. If I go to the ceiling you will not see any grey paint at all, and my kitchen will be white, white, white… but I love the classic look of going to the top. As you can see, I am indecisive Can i send some pictures, can you help??
Kris Jarrett says
Unfortunately I no longer offer design services but you might want to join my Facebook group which is full of design lovers sharing images of their home and getting advice from one another! You can find it here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/drivenbydecordecoratingcommunity/
Kari says
My sink has just a wall behind it , no window. Should I go straight across the bottom of the uppers or fill in this space to the ceiling? I wish I could post a pic but it’ll be all along the wall on both sides of wall under cabinets. And on another site I saw if you have a corner to stop at the back wall instead of coming around corner to stop. I did like the look of stopping at the back wall.
Kris Jarrett says
It’s honestly too tough of a call to say without seeing your project in its entirety and I no longer offer design services. You might want to join my Facebook group which is full of design lovers sharing images of their home and getting advice from one another! You can find it here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/drivenbydecordecoratingcommunity/
Dianne Hackner says
I can’t decide I’m trying to do my kitchen and I don’t know I have to do the whole wall or if I could just do behind this kitchen sink how far to you go all the way. And then my stove I have the main wall behind the fridge and stove and then I have the L another wall do I do that as well cuz the stove is right beside at the burners are right there?.
joni says
I have a kitchen reno I am in the middle of and I am thrown by the ceilings. there is a sloped ceiling which really challenges me on my normal love to put the backsplash up to the ceiling. Any advice would be so appreciated! I would be happy to share pictures!
Katie Robins says
I have a small craftsman bungalow from the 1920s and I am struggling with this decision! I’m wondering if I should tile all the way around this window to the ceiling, or will it make this petite kitchen look even smaller? The crown molding is up yet, but it will go to the ceiling. What do you think?
Nancy Sexton says
It looks very classy all the way up the wall. Cleaner and fresher looking! Don’t care for the cut off look around the bottom or half way up on the window.
Jennifer says
My cabinets have 2 to 2 1/2 feet space between ceiling and top of cabinets. I have an open concept kitchen/living room. Would I just take backsplash to bottom of cabinets?