Tile edge trim
Also called: Schluter trim, tile edging, bullnose, pencil tile, edge profile
The finished edge where a tiled surface ends against a painted wall or open space. Options are metal profile trim (Schluter and similar), bullnose tile with a rounded edge, or pencil liner tile. Without it, the raw cut edge and adhesive show. $2–$8 per linear foot.
A backsplash usually ends somewhere visible — at the end of a counter run, beside a window, or where the tile stops short of a wall. The trim is what makes that end look intentional.
Metal profile trim is an L-shaped aluminum or stainless strip set into the adhesive under the last tile so its finished lip covers the tile’s edge. Clean, modern, available in many finishes, and the easiest to install: it’s cut with a hacksaw and bedded as you go. Schluter is the brand that became the generic name. $2–$5 per foot.
Bullnose tile is a matching tile with one rounded, glazed edge, used as the last course. Traditional and seamless, but not every tile line offers it, and it adds cuts. $3–$8 per foot.
Pencil liner is a thin decorative tile used as a border — a design choice as much as a finish.
Decide on the trim before tiling, not after: metal trim has to go in under the tile, and bullnose changes where the last full tile lands.