You Run The Risk Of Kitchen Mold With This Popular Backsplash Design Favorite

Backsplashes are one of those overlooked kitchen design details that can cause chaos in the long run if you choose poorly or don't consider your choices from multiple angles. Perhaps you're trying to stay away from overused backsplash trends, such as subway tile or mosaic tile backsplashes that can make your kitchen look cluttered — a fairly easy task given the creative "anything goes" attitude of interior designers and homeowners fighting to leave agreeable beige and Millennial gray in the past.

However, this doesn't mean all of these choices are a good idea for your home. In particular, homeowners trying to bring the freshness and serenity of nature into their space may feel tempted to go with a stone backsplash. Unfortunately, this is almost always a mistake. The raw stone used for these backsplashes is porous, making it the perfect hiding spot for mold spores to collect and grow. Once you have a mold infestation in your backsplash, your only choice is renovating your kitchen a second time, an extensive (and often expensive) remediation.

You can try to combat this eventuality by sealing the stone against moisture and keeping it clean, but this means a lifetime of time-consuming regular maintenance that's not exactly budget-friendly. Plus, keeping a stone backsplash dry in a kitchen with running water and pots of bubbling soup is an uphill battle at best. If you want a unique, sophisticated backsplash that brings the outdoors in, there are several cheaper, and more low-maintenance, alternatives.

When choosing an alternative to stone backsplash, think about why you wanted stone to begin with. If you love the textured, multicolored look, consider textured glass tile, which looks a bit like squares of shiny slate. This tile comes in many colors and shapes, letting you create an interesting backsplash that's also virtually waterproof since glass is nonporous. Just be sure to seal your grout lines properly and keep them nice and clean.

Another option is marble-printed tempered glass. Tempered glass offers a sleek, luxe alternative to tile backsplashes that looks beautiful, is long-lasting, and is fairly easy to keep clean with glass cleaner since there are very few seams to maintain. Glass backsplashes are a little pricier than tile, but you can have them custom printed with beautiful designs, including marbled veining or a texture that mimics the rings of color in malachite or agate slices.

If you're not married to stone and just want a natural focal point for your kitchen, an affordable, beautiful, and renter-friendly backsplash idea involves using vinyl faux wood flooring. Not only does this option mimic nature, it also wipes clean, is easy to repair or update, and brings plenty of warmth and softness to your space. Sticking to lighter wood tones, such as oak, raw pine, and light ash, helps reflect light under your counter to make the space feel cozy yet simultaneously bright and clean.