Let’s talk about using murals to add pa-zazz to your backsplash.

Murals need space around them. Space around the mural accentuates the mural and makes it the focal point of the kitchen.

Above the stove is an ideal place to feature a gorgeous mural. The area between the stove top and bottom of the vent hood usually is about 30 inches wide and 36 inches high. If a microwave is mounted below the cabinets, the space will be about 12 inches less to work with.

That is okay. Murals can be one 6 inch tile or 24 six inch tiles. The artist who paint the murals creates the it by how much space is available.

Using murals requires careful planning when designing a kitchen countertop backsplash. My article “How to Design Your Kitchen Countertop Backsplash”,gives the person designing the backsplash basic information for insert placement.

I mention this because the inserts should compliment the mural.

How to place a mural above the stove. To make more wall space available to display the mural, the issue of the stove must be addressed. Three basic styles of stoves are: the drop-in stove top, the freestanding stove with the controls on the rear panel and the slide in stove with the controls on the front with no back panel sticking up.

Of the three, the freestanding stove has a panel that sticks up from the stove up to six inches. The other two stoves have no back panel. These are the stoves that will allow placing a larger mural on the wall, thus enlarging the focal point of the kitchen.

To gain the space covered by a the control panel of a freestanding stove, the stove should be replaced. The easiest stove to replace the old stove with is the slide in stove.

Time to decide on a mural. Murals are normally painted on a 4×4 inch tile or a 6×6 inch tile. Using the 30 inch wide by 36 inch high scenario, a vertical mural 24 inches wide and 20 or 24 inches high will leave 4 inches on each side of the mural and adequate space on top.

This will allow a attractive area on each side of the mural to add a 1/2 to 1 inch border around the mural if so desired.

A vertical mural can be 20 inches wide and 24 to 30 inches high. This also allows space for a border.

The size of the mural depends on what the theme mural is and how light or heavy the painting on the tiles are. the mural is to be a breathtaking focal point, not an eyesore.

Discretion is the key in designing.

Murals are painted on two types of tiles. One is a ceramic tile, made of clay and has a baked on glaze that will not change color when painted. The other material is natural stone. Most of the stone used is called tumbled stone.

This is a process done by the manufacturer that gives the stone tile a rustic or distressed appearance..Tumbled stone is available in stones such as travertine, marble, limestone and some quartz.

The most sought after by the public is Chairo Travertine, tumbled in 4 or 6 inch squares. Many murals are painted on this stone because of the color of the stone, generally light.

keep in mind natural stone is quarried from earth thus the variation of color, giving it the natural beauty of the stone.

The stone murals are more difficult to paint. The artist uses special paints and sealers to capture the colors so they will not fade over time.

Natural stone is porous requiring the stone to be sealed with a penetrating sealer. 2 coats. The stone must always be cleaned with a stone cleaner.This helps retain the beautiful of a stone mural for years.

Cleaners with ammonia will over time dull the mural as ammonia is caustic. Stone cleaners and sealers are available at home improvement stores. Always check the back of the container to be sure it for stone, not ceramic tile.

There are additional materials to use as murals. They are metal tile in copper, bronze, nickel silver and brass. These also require careful cleaning to not scratch the metal.

Glass tiles are very durable with a rainbow of beautiful colors. Glass tile and metal are cleaned by using a non caustic cleaner to prevent scratching.

Metal and glass murals do not require an artist to create a picture. Murals made from these materials are manufactured as murals and need nothing else added.

During my career, I have assisted many people design and install backsplashes with beautiful murals. Adding a colorful mural to your kitchen is similar to adding a painting a work of art to your home.

Tile murals are signed by the artist as they are truly a work of art.

Enjoy your work of art. Everyone desires beauty in their lives.

Alan Grundemeier