Natural Stone Tile Kitchen Backsplash Gallery Ideas | eHow

You can get marble in all tile sizes. Marble tiles used for backsplashes have net backings for easier installation. Although more costly than other types of stone tiles, marble offers a wider range of color shades that you can combine with borders and patterns. Select a larger marble tile to give your backsplash more of a seamless look.

Before purchasing marble tiles, know that marble takes a lot of care to keep the surface looking shiny and new. As a porous stone, marble stains easily, and if anything acidic spills on it, a high possibility as a kitchen backsplash, you must hire a professional to restore the original shine of this stone. Marble in a honed finish may offer a better choice for you. The honing process removes the last stages of polishing to reveal a dull surface with texture.

If you decide you want granite tiles for your backsplash, you can select squares sizes from 6, 12, 16, 18 and 24 inches. You can achieve a slablike look when you get the larger tiles. Like marble, granite has a shiny surface but it also can have brushed or flamed finishes. The brushed finish comes from a wire brush passed over the stone's face to make a worn, smooth finish. The flamed process involves exposing the granite to extreme heat to create a rough surface. This texture makes the granite tiles dull, which some prefer. If you choose a honed finish, the type of granite you have needs to work well with the honing. Some granite tiles become difficult to clean when honed and sometimes lose colors and patterns.

Install granite tiles for your countertops to match the backsplash for a clean line and a continuous flow. For the best seaming, Heather E. Adams and Earl G. Adams, authors of "Stone: Designing Kitchens, Baths and Interiors with Natural Stone," suggest you make certain the slabs have less than 1/16-inch space in between, and use epoxy grout in the same color of the granite for a seamless look. Also, highly patterned stone will hide seam lines much better than solid stone.

Create a more rustic look in your kitchen when you choose slate tiles for your backsplash. Slate comes in sizes ranging from small mosaic pieces to large, 2-foot tiles. Slate from the U.S. comes in gray, plum or green colors and costs less than other stone tiles. If you want slate in vivid colors, get slate imported from other countries, such as China, India, South America or Africa.

Adams recommends you keep aside any slate that you find with plant fossils on it, and use these as focal points when you design your backsplash.

Another option is to install a stone kitchen backsplash made of tumbled marble or other stones with a mural hand painted on it. Murals appear as large paintings of a scene or images such as fruit or wine. You can order stone tile murals already painted or have one custom painted for you.

You also can choose to have your marble backsplash made with custom images or artwork transferred to it, rather than painted on it.