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I'm thinking of putting a mirrored backsplash in my kitchen...not those 70's mirror squares but solid sheets of smoked mirror. Has anyone else tried it? I really like the way it looks in photos. PS. I don't cook very much.
As a Certified Kitchen Designer for over 3 decades I'll tell you don't do it. I've seen all kinds of fads come and go and of course some of the strangest contraptions that were unexplainable that people have done but I can't remember ever seeing mirror as a backsplash. Not squares or sheets.
What are you thinking my friend? This would also not be very durable......lets say you smack it with an iron frying pan. How ya going to mount it? Complete glue coverage on the back? Spot glue in the corners? Now consider removing it when it gets accidentally smacked and cracks. Or explodes with glass shrapnel flying everywhere.
I'm all for being creative and NOT just going for fads and trends like most people do, (like these stupid shaker doors) but this idea just is not practical. I suspect you'll do it anyway so I'll say just be very careful, use tar in a caulking tube to mount it, have the glass guy who fabricates it burr ALL the edges for installation safety, and finally go with 3/16" thick or thicker. Preferably 1/4". I would consider tempered glass but to temper that size area would cost as much as a brand new granite top and splash combined. With tempered, if it gets accidentally whacked, at least it would break into tiny round pieces and no one would get cut.
Not to mention you will ALWAYS be cleaning it. It's not called a "splash" for nothing and even on smoked mirror -- you will see every water drop. And on smoked mirrors -- every little piece of lint from cleaning it.
Oh my! This reminds me of my mom's fantastic remodel of her kitchen in the 70's. She had a mirrored backsplash. It was squares and had some design imprinted on it. It was awful and when I helped her change out the kitchen in 90's, it was a nightmare to remove.
Don't worry. I hardly ever cook. And I'm going to get tempered glass by the stove. I first saw it on that HGTV show about New York real estate (Selling Manhattan?) and it was installed in a really sleek $10 million + apartment and looked awesome. I'm not talking about a large area since most of my kitchen has windows that go all the way down to the counter top (no backsplash at all). The only other thing I've considered is reverse painted glass. I HATE those little mosaic tiles and subway tiles that everyone seems to want these days. I want a solid seamless surface. Here are some examples:
There is a big difference between a mirror and a highly reflective surface, as you know. Perhaps a highly polished concrete or stone surface (unpatterned granite?) would do even better, plus have none of the issues a true mirror would have. After all, a mirror is only glass with a silvered coating on the back side. You can still avoid having little tiles, and it can look really sleek and industrial.
I'd be afraid that it would create a cluttered appearance, since it's reflecting anything that's on the counter top. It would have to be used sparingly.
To see if you'd like it, get an inexpensive back-of-the-door mirror and prop that up for a while.
I'd be afraid that it would create a cluttered appearance, since it's reflecting anything that's on the counter top. It would have to be used sparingly.
To see if you'd like it, get an inexpensive back-of-the-door mirror and prop that up for a while.
Now that's an excellent idea! I'll try that first.
It would probably be something you would have to remove when you decided to sell your home.
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