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Kitchens
wildturkey450

using cultured (artificial) stone as backsplash behind range

14 years ago

Has anyone used cultured or artificial stone behind a cooktop or range? I'm thinking of an irregular size stone with an irregular surface. I'm purchasing a GE Cafe range (looks like a slide in) and the appliance store is telling me that the back of this range should be against the wall. If that is true, will using this kind of stone interfere with the distance the range should be from the wall? Am I making a mistake trying to use this type of stone? I'm not sure if it is even safe to use behind a range. Anyone with experience in this matter with installation and safety tips?

Comments (5)

  • 14 years ago

    You will need the taller rear trim (13"?) instead of teh island trim. All quartz contains resins that will scorch if too close to a high flame. Yes, it's heat resistant. Heat resistant isn't heat proof and plastic burns.

  • 14 years ago

    I have heard some complaints that the GE Cafe with its vents at the top of the back of the stove can put out some substantial heat when the oven is on. I guess If I go this route, I will have to make sure that this stone can handle this heat. Or use real stone if I could get it to stay on the wall!

  • 14 years ago

    I'd be concerned that over time grease and splatters will build up on the rough hard to clean surface. I'd rather have something smooth behind a range. The cultured stone often looks really fake to me. I was so glad to get rid of the cultured stone fireplace in our family room.

  • 14 years ago

    We just had a new fireplace put in using eldorado cultured stone and we absolutely love it! But I couldn't imagine using it as a backsplash, it would be hard to keep clean. I would encourage you to do something else for a backsplash.

  • 14 years ago

    I have just put cultured stone from Eldorado on my fireplace as well and it looks amazing! A huge improvement over what was there previously, and a quick and easy update.

    It might be a fairly rustic look in the kitchen (guess it depends on the stone), but if that fits your plans my only thought would be echoing those above in that it would be hard to keep clean. It's not only the irregular/3D shape but also the porosity. A fairly dark sample and/or one with enough variation in the colour would probably hide most stains. Just not sure about grease spots. Maybe you could spray some olive oil on a sample and see how it holds up? And then there's the issue of food residue in a porous surface and the potential for growth of micro-organisms, but unless you're eating off of it (I hope not!) I'm not too sure that's a worry.

    I'm not 100% sure but my impression when I was shopping for my fireplace surround is that "cultured stone" is actually concrete? If so, and if we're talking about the same thing (no quartz or resin in my cultured stone), I think it should be OK with the heat from your range. It's around our wood burning fireplace after all, though I haven't had the opportunity to use that fireplace yet. I'm no expert in this stuff, I just know it is heavily marketed to fireplace surrounds.

    FWIW I have a 3D tile on the wall behind my cooktop - not nearly the same thickness scale as the stone around my fireplace, but 3D nonetheless. I love it! A little bit more fun than the current subway trend (apologies to subway lovers:)

    hth, mmhmm

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