Maple kitchen and stone backsplash
Dark counters replaced with white quartz, plus a stacked stone backsplash — photographed the evening the job finished.
- Material
- White quartz
- Service
- Backsplash Installation
- Completed
- June 2026
Maple cabinets with a dark, near-black counter and a plain painted wall behind. The counter was the immediate problem and the blank backsplash was the reason the room never looked finished.
Both got solved in the same visit: white quartz on the runs and the peninsula, and a light stacked-stone backsplash carried up behind the range and around to the sink. The stone picks up the warm tone of the maple, so the cabinets look intentional rather than dated, and the white counter keeps the whole thing from going too beige.
Before and after
Walkthrough
On the job
The kitchen before, dark counters on the peninsula and a bare wall behind the run 
Before: the U of the kitchen in dark counters, maple cabinets and a black floor mat 
Before: the peninsula from the living room side, dark counter running toward the refrigerator
The specification
What went in, in the owner’s own words on the job sheet.
| Detail | What we used |
|---|---|
| Completed | June 2026 |
| Material | White quartz |
| Service | Backsplash Installation |
Town and month only — we do not publish a customer’s address.
About White quartz
This kitchen is topped in White quartz. We fabricate it in our own shop, which means the seams, the sink cutout and the edge are cut by the people who set the tops — not shipped in from a third-party shop that never sees the room.
- <a href="/countertops/">See the full countertop range →</a>
- <a href="/services/backsplash-installation/">Backsplash Installation — how the job runs →</a>
- <a href="/guides/">Homeowner guides on choosing and caring for stone →</a>
What a job this size runs
Our published installed-project ranges — the same in every town we serve.
| Kitchen size | Engineered Quartz | Granite | Quartzite | Marble |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galley kitchens (30–45 sqft) | $3,600–$6,750 | $4,200–$7,650 | $4,500–$8,550 | $5,100–$9,000 |
| Small kitchens (45–60 sqft) | $5,400–$9,000 | $6,300–$10,200 | $6,750–$11,400 | $7,650–$12,000 |
| Medium kitchens (60–75 sqft) | $7,200–$11,250 | $8,400–$12,750 | $9,000–$14,250 | $10,200–$15,000 |
| Large kitchens (75–90 sqft) | $9,000–$13,500 | $10,500–$15,300 | $11,250–$17,100 | $12,750–$18,000 |
| Extra large kitchens (90–120 sqft) | $10,800–$18,000 | $12,600–$20,400 | $13,500–$22,800 | $15,300–$24,000 |
Installed project ranges as of 2026-07 — template, fabrication and standard installation included. Your kitchen gets a firm number after a free in-home template.
Questions we got asked on this kind of job
Can I install my own backsplash, or should I hire a tile setter?
A straight running-bond or stacked ceramic backsplash is one of the most DIY-friendly tile jobs in a house - small format, no water exposure like a shower, and you save roughly $10-15 per square foot in labor. Hand it to a pro when the job involves glass tile (visible adhesive and cut edges), natural stone (sealing, blade chatter, breakage), herringbone or diagonal layouts (compounding alignment errors), large-format panels, or any slab product, which is fabricator work full stop. Whoever installs it, outlets are the tell: sloppy cuts around receptacles are the first thing a trained eye notices.
Can I keep my existing countertops if I replace the cabinets?
Usually not, and it is better to hear that early: granite and quartz tops rarely survive removal in reusable condition, because they are rigid, brittle, and adhered to the old boxes. Even when a slab comes off intact, new cabinets seldom match the old footprint within the tolerance stone requires. If the counters are the part you love, consider refacing or painting the existing cabinets instead of replacing the boxes.
Can I keep my existing countertops when the cabinets are replaced?
Plan on no. Old tops - especially stone - rarely survive tear-out in reusable condition, and new boxes almost never match the old footprint exactly, so even a surviving top will not fit. Budget countertops with the cabinets and sequence the project cabinets first, then template, then tops; expect 1-3 weeks on temporary plywood tops while the new counters are fabricated.
Can I paint my cabinets myself and get a result that looks professional?
You can get a good result, but almost never a factory-looking one, and the gap is not talent - it is equipment and product. Pros spray cabinet-grade coatings such as waterborne alkyds, urethane enamels, or shop-applied lacquers that level out and cure hard; DIY jobs done with wall paint and a brush tend to show brush marks and chip at the edges within a year or two. Budget a full week of evenings for degreasing, sanding, priming, and two topcoats, and use a bonding primer plus an enamel made for trim and cabinets, never ordinary wall latex. DIY makes the most sense on older cabinets you may replace anyway, or before a sale where the goal is fresh rather than flawless.
Want one like this?
Free in-home template, an honest number, and one crew from measure to install.
Ready for a real number?
Free in-home template and an honest quote — you keep your money until there's a countertop to trade it for.