Kitchen Splashback Options Compared
The splashback is the surface people look at most and think about least. It sits at eye level, it takes the worst of the cooking mess, and it is the cheapest place in a kitchen to make a decisive design move.
Where this works
- Full height splashbacks behind a hob
- Continuous runs from worktop to wall unit
- Wrapping a window reveal above a sink
- Feature walls behind an open shelf run
- Replacing dated tiling without touching the worktop
How we install it
- 1Height and coverage decisions come first
There are three sensible options: a low upstand of around one hundred millimetres, a splashback to the underside of the wall units at roughly five hundred millimetres, or full height to the ceiling on a wall with no units. Half measures look unresolved. If you have a run with wall units on one side and open wall on the other, take the material full height across the open section and stop it cleanly at the unit line, rather than running a random band across both.
- 2Behind the hob is a different problem
Check the hob manufacturer's clearance and combustibility requirements before choosing anything. Gas hobs in particular specify a minimum distance to any combustible surface. Toughened glass, stone, steel, ceramic and mineral finishes are all fine. Timber, standard laminate and painted plasterboard are not. This is also the area that gets the heaviest grease, so it favours a surface with the fewest joints, since grease will settle in a grout line and never fully come out of it.
- 3The case for continuity
The single most effective splashback move is to continue the worktop material up the wall. It removes the visual break at the back of the worktop, kills the grout line problem entirely and makes a modest kitchen look considered. In stone this means matching upstands and a taller back panel, priced per metre. In microcement it is even simpler, because the surface is poured continuously round the back edge and up the wall so there is no join whatsoever between worktop and splashback.
- 4Retrofitting over existing tiles
You rarely need to strip old tiling. Toughened glass can be fitted over a flat, sound tiled surface. Microcement can be applied directly over tiles once the grout lines are filled and the surface is primed, which avoids the mess, dust and plaster repairs that come with hacking tiles off a wall. What you cannot overlay is a tiled surface that is drummy or loose, so tap the wall first and take off anything that sounds hollow before deciding.
Common pitfalls we prevent
Frequently asked
What is the easiest splashback to clean?+
Anything with no joints. Toughened glass, a single stone panel and a poured microcement finish all wipe clean in one pass. Tiles are the hardest because grease and steam collect in the grout, particularly directly behind a hob.
Can I put a splashback over existing tiles?+
Yes for glass and for microcement, provided the tiles are firmly bonded and reasonably flat. Any loose or drummy tiles must come off first, and the surface is filled and primed before the new finish goes on.
Should the splashback match the worktop?+
Matching gives the calmest and most expensive looking result, especially in a small kitchen where contrast makes the space feel busier. Contrast works best on a single feature wall with plain cabinetry around it.
How high should a splashback be?+
To the underside of the wall units, typically four hundred and fifty to six hundred millimetres, or full height where there are no units. A hundred millimetre upstand alone is fine behind a sink but leaves the wall exposed behind a hob.
Is microcement suitable behind a hob?+
Yes. It is a mineral finish over a non combustible substrate and copes with the heat of a normal domestic hob. We seal it to a higher schedule in that zone because it takes the most grease and the most cleaning.
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