Backsplash Installation in North Charleston, SC

If the wall behind your sink or stove is stained or chipped, we can cover it with a new backsplash. That is the band of tile or stone that runs up the wall from the back edge of the counter. North Charleston Countertops fits them in kitchens and bathrooms across the city.

First, look at the outlets on that wall

Most backsplashes have an outlet or two in them, so we look at those before we talk tile. The City of North Charleston's electrical permit page lists among its inspection items that countertop receptacles must be GFCI protected. The CPSC says a GFCI, short for ground fault circuit interrupter, is a device in your wiring or a power cord that protects you from severe electrical shocks.

If an outlet has to move or be swapped, that is electrical work, and the city says only a licensed electrician or residential home builder can get the permit for it. The city also says no work can be done until a permit is issued. So we sort out the outlet plan with you at the first visit, and the electrical work gets lined up before any tile goes on.

Picking tile or stone

We fit tile, in whatever size and color you choose. Stone works too: we cut it off the slab your counter came from, so both pieces match. We can stop it a few rows above the counter or run it up to the cabinets. We'll bring samples and set them on your counter, so you see them in your own kitchen light.

Planning a bigger job? We can tile the wall the same week we fit kitchen countertops, during a countertop replacement, or over bathroom vanity tops.

If your home was built before 1978

When we pull off old tile, we disturb the paint on the wall behind it. By the EPA's count, about three in four American homes from before 1978 still have some lead-based paint. In those homes, the EPA warns, any renovation, repair or painting job can easily stir up dangerous lead dust.

EPA rules say a paid contractor who disturbs painted surfaces in a pre-1978 home must hold certification, and the crew must be trained to work lead-safe. The EPA's advice to owners is to hire a contractor with lead-safe certification, and its website has a search tool for finding one. If your house is that old, ask any contractor you talk to, us included, to show you their certification.

How we keep the dust down

Porcelain, stone and tile all contain silica, and OSHA's silica rules class a tile saw that cuts them as a stationary masonry saw. In a 2019 letter, OSHA said that kind of saw meets the rules when it feeds water onto the blade nonstop, and fails them when the blade only sits partly in a tray of water. OSHA calls silicosis a lung disease that has no cure and may cause disability or even death.

For stone countertop crews, a hazard alert from OSHA and NIOSH says to move as much of the work as possible into the shop and away from the job site. We follow that: stone backsplash pieces get cut at our shop when they can, and any tile cut in your kitchen goes through a saw with water running onto the blade.

Sealing the seam where wall meets counter

We fill the joint along the back of the counter with caulk, a soft sealant that closes the gap so splashes stay out of the wall. Moisture control is the key to mold control, in the EPA's words. Its guide also tells you to clean mold off and dry the surface before you caulk, never to caulk on top of it. That is why, if the old backsplash comes off and there is mold behind it, we point it out, clean it and give the wall time to dry.

How we put your quote together

We measure the wall first, then give you a written price. Four things move it: the tile or stone you pick, the area of wall we cover, the number of outlets and switches we cut around, and any old backsplash we have to take down.

Whoever you hire, the paper quote should name the tile or stone down to its color and size, and mark the edges and the height of the finished backsplash. It should say if tear-out and wall repair are in the price, how cutting dust is handled, and who takes the outlet and switch plates off and puts them back.

North Charleston backsplash questions

Ask for a backsplash quote

Phone us, or fill in the quote form and attach a picture of the wall plus your ZIP code. We'll visit, measure, lay out tile and stone choices, then send a written price. For the countertops we install, visit the North Charleston Countertops home page.