Bathroom Backsplash Ideas: Best Backsplash Materials

When it comes to waterproofing your bathroom, you have many options. You can cover all of the room with tiles or you can use tile more selectively to create a bathroom backsplash.

The latter option allows you to use other materials (such as wallpaper) throughout your bathroom while protecting the areas most prone to water damage.

In this post, we’ll share a few bathroom backsplash ideas to inspire you. We’ll also discuss the best materials to use for creating backsplashes. These tips will help you find the perfect backsplash to pair with your quartz countertops.

Bathroom Backsplash: What’s The Purpose?

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A backsplash protects your walls from splashes that could otherwise damage your paint or even cause issues like mold. You’ll usually find backsplashes behind the vanity sink although they can wrap around your bathtub to protect those walls as well.

In addition to protecting your walls, a bathroom backsplash can also be an important design element. You have many options for customization, including height, materials, and patterns.

These options can help you create a unique look.

Bathroom Backsplash Ideas

Backsplash Materials

Let’s first take a look at some of the backsplash materials on the market and the considerations you need to take when using them. Stay tuned to the end of the article to find out why quartz from Caesarstone is the best choice.

Glass Tile

Glass tile backsplashes can be very beautiful. The tiles play with the light wonderfully to create a sparkle unlike that produced by any other material. Glass tile is also very easy to clean and does not absorb water at all.

On the downside, glass tiles can be very expensive to buy and install. You’ll want to hire a professional installer since glass can be very unforgiving if you do a poor job of applying the adhesive.

You should also make sure to include good lighting if you go with a glass tile bathroom backsplash. That will really help it shine.

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel can look very industrial and modern. If you choose stainless steel for your backsplash, make sure to get it from a good source. Shoddy “stainless” steel is anything but and will pick up rust, which is a major headache to deal with.

Stainless steel (particularly polished finishes) can also scratch much easier than many other backsplash materials, so keep that in mind.

Cork

Believe it or not, the ultra-porous cork is a somewhat popular backsplash material for people looking to create a natural aesthetic. If you use cork for your vanity or bathtub backsplash, you’ll need to seal it very well. Otherwise, moisture will damage the corks.

As long as you keep that in mind, a cork backsplash can be a very fun DIY project.

Bamboo

Bamboo is another great material if you want to create a natural-looking backsplash. Bamboo is very environmentally-friendly (it’s not wood, after all, but rather a fast-growing grass) and comes in the form of strips, panels, and even wallpaper. Bamboo is also slightly more water-resistant than many types of hardwood but you do need to be careful with wild humidity swings.

Porcelain Tile

Of course, porcelain tile remains one of the most popular backsplash materials. Tile is very versatile. It looks great as a vanity backsplash or bathtub backsplash and comes in many different patterns, which we’ll explore in the next section.

Bathroom backsplash tiles are also very water-resistant and easy to clean. Porcelain is more DIY-friendly than glass but you might still want to hire a professional to get the job done right. Thankfully, the tiles themselves are relatively cheap.

Bathroom Backsplash Tile Patterns

Pinwheel

The pinwheel pattern is great for a number of reasons. Of course, it looks great, but it also looks a lot more complicated than it actually is. You can buy tiles already laid out in this configuration for your bathroom vanity backsplash. They come in the form of sheets that you simply lay on top of the surface without the need for arranging each tile.

This can be a great way to incorporate glass tiles into your bathroom without the hassle.

Large Format

Large format bathroom backsplash tiles look great if you’re using a natural (or natural-looking) material. It allows for a largely uninterrupted pattern. Large tiles also make your bathroom look bigger.

Subway Tile

Subway tile is an undeniable classic. While some designers claim they are going out of style, others insist that rumours of the subway tile’s demise are greatly exaggerated.

Whichever camp you fall into, there are great ways you can make subway tiles look more modern. The piece linked above mentions using Calacatta-style or beveled styles, both of which look great.

Bathtub Backsplash: Popular Designs

Wainscoting

You may be more familiar with wainscoting in dining rooms but it looks great in bathrooms as well. Because wainscoting only runs halfway up the wall, this is a great bathtub backsplash idea if you’re looking to save money. Because the design is so popular, it doesn’t necessarily scream “cheap” either.

Border Tiles

Border tiles can help you properly design the transition between your bathtub backsplash and space outside of it. Use a different colour tile (or a different type of tile altogether) to create a visually-interesting border.

Alternatively, you can create a border using a metal surround affixed to the edges of your tiles.

Bathroom Vanity Backsplash Ideas

Your vanity backsplash should be elegant and properly-coordinated with your bathroom countertop.

One very modern bathroom sink backsplash design involves covering the entire wall behind the vanity with tile. This is very practical as you’ll have a much easier time cleaning tile or quartz than drywall. If you go with this design, you may want to create your backsplash using the same quartz as your countertop.

If you’re not a fan of the full-wall backsplash, just remember that a bathroom vanity backsplash is usually no shorter than four inches.

Quartz: The Best Bathroom Backsplash Material

When designing a backsplash for your bathroom, the material is key. Quartz is an ideal material for your backsplash for the following reasons.

Durability

Quartz is nonporous. This is a huge advantage in the bathroom, where moisture is of course abundant. While many types of natural stone and wood soak up moisture with ease, quartz is very resilient to it. This makes cleaning and maintenance much easier.

Versatility

Quartz comes in a very wide range of styles, which you can see on our Collections page. As such, it allows you a great deal of flexibility when designing a backsplash for your bathroom. Choose from a wide array of colours and patterns fit for any style.

Resale Value

Your master bathroom and kitchen are very important for your home’s resale value. Choosing superior materials for these rooms is a great way to maximize that resale value. That’s where quartz (the material and installation costs of which you can often recoup upon selling your home) shines.

Frequently Asked Questions

How high is a bathroom backsplash?

A bathroom backsplash is typically no shorter than four inches. You can go much taller than that, however. In fact, full wall bathroom sink backsplashes are quite popular.

How do you pick a bathroom backsplash?

When choosing a backsplash for your bathroom, you need to carefully consider the overall style you’re going for. In a classic bathroom, it’s hard to go wrong with subway tile. A more contemporary design may benefit from large-format tiles or quartz slabs.

Where should you end your bathroom backsplash?

In most cases, a bathroom backsplash ends where the countertop ends. On the vertical axis, the ceiling’s the limit but a standard height is four inches.