You May Want To Think Twice Before Making This Debatable Backsplash Choice

Backsplashes are a great way to completely change the aesthetic of your kitchen. Depending on which material you choose, you can alter the theme of the space. For example, a marble backsplash can make the kitchen feel more elegant or elevated, whereas a stainless steel one can introduce a more industrial theme. Glossy herringbone can evoke a traditional or rustic aesthetic, whereas subway tile can feel more modern or mainstream. However, there is one backsplash choice that you might want to avoid if you don't want to deal with a very high-maintenance kitchen and that's mirror tiles. 

Kitchen mirror backsplashes might feel avant-garde and unexpected, but they require a large amount of upkeep. Much like how the mirrors on your walls get fingerprints, smudges, and potential scratches if you're not careful, mirror backsplashes can suffer the same fate. Because of this, it's going to require you to act a bit precious in an area of the house that is prone to spills, splatters, and banging pots and small appliances. If you're rather active in your kitchen and would rather not worry about the materials that make it functional, you might want to think twice about this backsplash type. Here's a deeper look into why.

Does it drive you nuts when your stainless steel fridge or dishwasher shows every fingerprint, water trickle, or rogue food stain? Then you might not like how high maintenance mirror backsplashes will be. Due to their reflective nature, they will show every smudge, watermark, and splatter. Unless your kitchen is just a design moment and you order delivery 90% of the time, you will be constantly buffing these tiles clean.

While you can tint the mirrors a bit, that won't solve the problem completely. If you like the modern look of a mirror backsplash or want its reflective properties to make a small kitchen feel bigger or a dark one feel lighter, then look for a more forgiving alternative. For example, you can try antiqued mirrored tiles and install them in different directions or diagonally. Since these are usually distressed and discolored, it will be much harder to spot small smudges and everyday messes on them.

The point of a backsplash is to protect your wall from messes, water, and dings. So if it can get ruined by the same things it's supposed to be protecting your drywall from, it's not a very functional backsplash. That's why if you have a busy kitchen — one where you continually move around small appliances, shove bowls and pots against the wall to make room on the countertop, or aren't particularly careful with how you cook — your mirror backsplash can get pretty beat up, and fast. This will likely leave it with small scratches and dings, which will reflect back and be magnified by the mirror material.

If the mirror becomes consistently scratched over the years, it will lose its sleek appeal and look more weathered than stylish. You can temporarily lessen the appearance of superficial glass scratches with the help of white toothpaste, but this won't remove the ding entirely from the surface and usually needs to be reapplied once the glass is cleaned. If you would rather not worry about your backsplash while throwing recipes together or entertaining, you're better off choosing a less high-maintenance material.