Splashbacks are a great way to
enhance any kitchen and have become a unique feature in the modern home. Traditionally splashbacks were made from tiles, stainless steel or painted but recent trends in new home builds have caused an explosion in exciting new materials, from glass to stone, steel and Corian.
The traditional splashback was used mainly on the walls behind the hobbs and cooking area of a kitchen but in the modern home can be used to create a greater impact with a full wall feature or LED that change as and when the mood suits the home owner. There's no need for boring splashbacks, when you can choose from a myriad of amazing colours, styles and finishes!
When it comes to splashbacks, ceramic tiles work well and won’t break the bank. You could opt for a neutral, plain style or choose different colours or patterns. If money is tight or you want to use more expensive materials such as mosaics or glass, consider covering just the area immediately above and next to the cooktop. You could also install a longer but lower strip of splashback material. Paint the rest of the wall in a good quality, antibacterial paint specifically formulated for kitchens.
Tiles were once the most common material used for kitchen splashbacks, and they are now seeing a big comeback, thanks to the range of colours, patterns and materials now available. Putting a price on your tiled kitchen splashback can be difficult though, as the cost of tiles varies greatly.
Expect to pay anywhere between $45 and $250 per square meter for the tiles only, depending on the material the tiles are made from, the colour or pattern, the size of the tile, plus the adhesive and grout.
A tiler will charge you approximately $400 to tile a kitchen splashback in an average size kitchen. If you fancy a bit of DIY, you can save on the labor cost by doing the tiling yourself.
Toughened glass splashbacks are the most popular splashback choice at the moment, and with good reason. Toughened glass is easy to clean and is available in an almost endless range of colours and prints.
Glass splashbacks in a kitchen need to be toughened, to ensure that they can withstand the heat from cook tops. Toughened glass is a safety glass which, if broken, crumbles into small granular pieces instead of shattering into sharp jagged shards, like regular glass would.
It is possible to buy some standard size pieces of toughened glass for DIY installation from hardware stores for around $200 per square metre. However, it’s unlikely that the sizes will be suitable for your space, and they cannot be cut to size as they are already toughened.
The first is solid-coloured toughened glass. You can choose almost any colour in the world for your new coloured glass splashback. If you’re choosing a coloured toughened glass splashback, check with your supplier to see if they use Starphire glass. This type of glass contains less iron for a high-clarity finish. The iron content in regular clear glass splashbacks makes them appear green in colour, and can subsequently change the appearance of the colour you select.
COST: Expect to pay somewhere around $400 per square metre, including installation and the creation of a template by a specialist supplier. The template or measurements are taken for these splashbacks on site. Once the glass has been cut to size, it is then toughened, after which it cannot be cut again – so it’s important that the measurements are taken correctly.
If you would like to have holes for power points cut into your glass splashback, expect to pay around $40 per cut-out.
Or, rather than having one solid colour applied to the back of the glass, you can instead opt for the second option, which is to have an image of your choice digitally printed on the back of the toughened glass.
COST: This type of glass splashback will set you back around $750 to $1,000 per square metre, plus approximately $40 for each cut-out that is required in the glass. Again, this includes making template measurements and installation by a glass specialist.
Mirrored glass splashbacks are a very popular choice. They really help to open up a space by bouncing light and reflections around the room. The mirror is not clear like your regular bathroom mirror. It has a smokey tint, making it much more appealing for use in the kitchen. The tint can either be a silvery or bronze colour depending on the supplier.
Mirrored glass splashbacks are a safety glass treated in the same way as toughened glass splashbacks, so they are an excellent choice for kitchens and safe for use behind your cooktop.
A mirrored glass splashback will cost you around $450 per square metre, including installation. Again, add $40 per cut-out required for power points.
Acrylic splashbacks give the illusion of glass, but they are a more cost-effective alternative and you can install them yourself. Unlike glass they can’t be installed directly behind cooktops, unless you use some additional protection in the form of a toughened glass or stainless steel plate behind the cooktop. The plate needs to be at least the same width as your cooktop and extend a minimum of 200 millimetres above the cooktop burners to adhere to safety guidelines.
Large sheets of four-millimetre-thick acrylic splashback material can be bought for around $150/m2.
This is a less common splashback material in NZ, but is very popular in Europe. You can use the same stone material on your splashback as the one used for your benchtop, if you decide on this material. This creates a continuous, elegant and opulent look in the kitchen. But if you do decide to go with this splashback option, it is advisable to have both your benchtop and splashback installed at the same time, so that they can both be made from the same batch of stone to avoid any colour variations.
The cost of the splashback will depend on the stone you use. Expect to pay anywhere from $520 per square metre for a standard-range engineered stone, right up to $2,200 per square metre for marble. This includes creating a template and installation by a stonemason.
Stainless steel splashbacks add a contemporary industrial feel to a kitchen. The fact that stainless steel is used in commercial kitchens is testament to its durability and hygienic qualities. Some people will choose to have a stainless steel splashback behind their cooktop only, then use another material such as acrylic or even tiles on the rest of the splashback areas.
Stainless steel splashbacks start at about $3500/m2 nad rise depending on complexity of shape.
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