Ideas for kitchen backsplash?

tile is cheap. Plexiglass is cheaper and easy to install me if you use a wallpaper border behind it it looks good .....easy cleanup.....granite cost but its awesome

Can I enstall tile or Plexiglass over wallboard? Area is too small for wallpaper border. House is too fragile; vertical granite would bring kitchen down around my ears. Thanks for sensible answer.

Tile is cheap and can be done in an afternoon. But... I just saw a mirrored backsplash and it really loked handsome. Not as modern looking as you might think. See if your local glass man can have inexpensive thin mirror cut to fit. Then some attractive under-cabinet lighting and you're set.

I like the idea of putting some sort of light there maybe with plexi to cover it. Then it could double as a night light.

Yes you can install plexiglass over wallboard with decorative screws. Mirrior would be rough to keep clean all the time plexiglass doesnt show prints or grease for that matter. Again easy clean up with windex. I used this behind my stove top and I love it.

@gooch; I agree w. the cleaning issue w. mirror. (And don't particularly want to be staring at myself all the time). I do like the idea of 4" x 4" tiles. They come in pretty colours One could get a neutral hue and throw in a few hand-painted ones here and there. But I still wonder; can they be installed over wall board? I know that there will have to be some clipping and customizing at corners and that you have to grout -

@zacho; I have adequate lighting, thank goodness, since the budget is less-than-adequate.

@breedmitch; are you talking ceramic or plastic tile?

A friend of mine did something really interesting...I don't know if you would want to try this, but it looked really AWESOME. She bought bright colored dishes ( plates). She broke them up and made a mosaic backsplash. It was really cool and because it was so irregular, she did not have issues with trying to trim tile. She is pretty adventurous, but it worked out really good for her. She grouted it right onto her wall board, and then she ran a tiny molding acorss the top of the mosaic. She painted the molding a bright color. It was really good.

depending on what you want to spend cheaper put up drywall then cover with car paint
i know it smells but look what kind of finish is on your car ,it works and is cheap.
you can also apply soft wax spray to it so it does not have film build up.nail or screw right over it whats there.

Tammy, thanks for the suggestion. 4 months ago I had a contractor install really pretty slightly varigated 4” x 4” Italian tiles the colour of a green tomato. The area is small and looks lovely w. white countertops and knotty, wide-board pine floor. It was not too costly and was a perfect Holiday and birthday gift to myself.

Unfortunately I have outgrown the stage of do-it-yourself.