A splashback covers a narrow strip of wall between the benchtop and the overhead cabinets, and it sits at eye level while you cook. That puts it in your eyeline whenever you are at the bench. The materials used for a kitchen splashback differ in colour range, heat tolerance and upkeep, and those three factors usually decide the choice. Narrowing it down is straightforward once you know what separates them. In this blog post, we work through glass, mirrored, stone and acrylic splashbacks, then cover colour, heat, measurement and cleaning.
Quick Overview
- A splashback is a single panel instead of a grid of pieces, so there are no grout lines across its face.
- Glass takes applied colour behind the panel, so a shade can be matched to your cabinetry or benchtop.
- Mirrored panels reflect light and make a small kitchen read as larger.
- Stone suits a natural finish, and acrylic gives colour and gloss at a lower cost per square metre.
Colour, heat tolerance and cost pull in different directions, and no single material leads on all three.
Why Panels Replaced Tiled Walls
The move away from a tiled splashback came down to maintenance more than looks.
Grout is porous. It absorbs moisture, oil and cooking residue, and it sits in the wettest, hottest strip of the kitchen. Over time, grout lines discolour, and directly behind a cooktop they discolour fastest. Cleaning grout means working into a recessed line instead of wiping across a flat surface.
A splashback panel removes that problem by removing the grout. There are no joins across the face of the panel, so cleaning is a single wipe from one end to the other. Eliminating grout lines also removes the places where mould can establish behind a sink or cooktop.
The other difference is fit. A panel is cut to your measurements, so it meets the benchtop and the cabinets in a continuous line. There are no cut edges or narrow filler pieces at the ends of a run.
Glass Splashbacks
Three properties explain why glass suits a splashback.
The colour range is very wide. Colour is applied to the back of the glass instead of the front, so the finish you see is viewed through the panel itself. That gives a depth that a painted wall does not have. Any shade can be matched, including a colour taken from your cabinetry or benchtop material.
The surface is non-porous. Nothing soaks in, so oil and moisture sit on top and come off with a cloth. Glass is also moisture-resistant across the whole panel, which matters where the splashback runs behind a sink.
Glass reflects light back into the room. In a kitchen with limited natural light, that reflection lifts the whole space. It is one reason glass suits a white kitchen where the aim is brightness.
Splashback glass is generally toughened, and building code requirements govern kitchen glazing rather than it being a matter of preference. Toughening is a heat treatment that makes glass considerably stronger and more resistant to impact than standard glass. It also changes how a panel behaves if it ever does break, separating into small blunt pieces instead of sharp shards.
Mirrored Splashbacks
A mirrored panel is chosen for what it does to the room more than for its colour.
The mirror reflects the kitchen back at itself, which creates a sense of space. In a narrow galley kitchen or a small apartment kitchen, that effect is more useful than any colour choice, because it visually doubles the depth of the room. It also bounces light further than coloured glass does, so a mirrored splashback opposite a window brightens the far side of the kitchen.
The trade-off is visible marks. Fingerprints and water spots show more on the mirror than on any other splashback surface. Coated mirrored panels reduce that, and a microfibre cloth kept in a nearby drawer handles day-to-day touch-ups.
Mirror suits some kitchen styles better than others. It works with a modern look and with contemporary joinery, and it sits less comfortably in a traditional kitchen. A toughened mirror is used for the same safety reason as toughened glass.
Stone Splashbacks
Stone is the option to look at when you want a natural material instead of a manufactured colour.
Natural stone carries veining and tonal variation that cannot be printed, and no two panels are identical. Marble is the recognised example, and it gives a splashback its own movement without any pattern being applied. That variation is the appeal, so a stone panel is worth seeing as a slab before it is cut.
Stone handles heat well, which makes it a practical choice for the section directly behind a cooktop. It is heavier than glass or acrylic, so the wall behind it matters more. It is also denser to cut, which is reflected in the price per square metre.
A stone splashback is often chosen so it matches the benchtop material exactly. Running the same stone across both surfaces gives a continuous look, and it removes the need to find a colour that coordinates with the bench.
Acrylic Splashbacks
Acrylic is the cost-conscious alternative to glass, and it does much of the same visual work.
It comes in a wide range of colours with a glossy finish. A bright or bold colour is achievable at a lower price per square metre than glass. Acrylic is lighter than both glass and stone, which makes handling and installation quicker where access is tight.
One practical note on placement. Acrylic is a plastic sheet, so it is chosen for colour and cost, not for heat tolerance. Where the splashback runs directly behind a cooktop, glass or stone is the material for that section. Acrylic can still be used across the remainder of the run.
How Much Wall to Cover
Coverage is a separate decision from material, and it changes both the look and the cost.
The standard run is benchtop to the underside of the overhead cabinets, across the full width of the bench. That covers the whole splash zone and gives a continuous horizontal band at eye level.
Where there is no cabinetry above, taking the panel to the ceiling turns that section into a feature wall. It uses more material, so it costs more, and it works when the wall behind the cooktop is the one you want the room to read first.
The narrower option is covering only the section behind the cooktop and the sink, which are the two areas that actually take splashes. That reduces material and keeps the cost down. The join between panel and painted wall becomes visible, so it suits a plain colour more than a bold one.
Choosing Colour and Finish
Splashback colours behave differently from wall paint, because the area is small and it sits under task lighting.
White remains the default. It reflects light onto the benchtop, it does not date, and it lets the cabinetry lead. Warm whites suit timber and cream joinery, while cooler whites suit grey and black. A pure white can read cold under LED strip lighting, so it is worth seeing a sample in the room before ordering.
Colour is where the splashback becomes the focal point. A deep green, navy or charcoal panel against plain cabinetry gives the wow factor across an entire kitchen at a fraction of the cost of coloured joinery. Metallic finishes are available in glass for a bolder statement again.
Matte finishes and gloss behave differently in use. Gloss reflects more light and shows marks more readily. Matte finishes are less reflective and more forgiving in a busy kitchen. Both are aesthetically pleasing, and the choice is about light and upkeep instead of taste alone.
Running the panel to the underside of the overhead cabinets is standard. Taking it to the ceiling where there is no cabinetry above turns the wall into a feature wall, and it costs more in material.
Heat and Cooktop Clearances
This is the practical constraint that decides material for one section of the run.
Cooktops vary in the heat they throw and in the clearances their manufacturers require behind and beside them. Gas differs from induction, and models differ within each type. The appliance manufacturer’s specification for your particular cooktop governs what can be installed and how close, so we check it against your layout before the panel is ordered.
Glass and stone are the materials suited to that section. If your cooking style runs to high heat and frequent frying, mention it at the quoting stage. It affects material choice for the area immediately behind the burners.
Measurement, Cutouts and Installation
A splashback is fabricated to your kitchen instead of bought in a standard size, and that changes the order of the job.
Measurements are taken on site, because walls are rarely perfectly square, and a panel cannot be trimmed to fit afterwards. Cutouts for powerpoints, switches and plumbing fixtures are made during fabrication, which is why their positions need confirming before the panel is cut. A toughened glass or mirror panel cannot be altered once it has been toughened.
There is one exception to glass type. Annealed glass is permitted in a splashback under set conditions. The panel must be fully backed by and continuously adhered to a solid wall. A fixed bench or cabinet at least 760 mm high and 300 mm deep must sit in front of it across the full width. We confirm which applies to your kitchen when we take the measurements.
Installation itself is quick relative to tiling. A single panel goes up in one operation, and there is no setting time for adhesive grout or a second visit to grout the wall. A straightforward kitchen splashback is generally completed within a day on site.
Cleaning and Aftercare
Upkeep is the reason many kitchen renovation decisions land on a panel, and it stays straightforward in practice.
For routine cleaning, use a soft microfibre cloth with a light detergent solution. Avoid harsh cleansers and scouring pads, as both can damage the surface finish. For a more stubborn mark, a glass cleaner or a diluted vinegar solution works on glass and mirrors.
If you have hard water, wiping the panel down with a squeegee after cleaning prevents the spotting that hard water leaves as it dries. That single step is what keeps a mirrored panel looking right between deeper cleans.
Talk to Us About Your Splashback
A splashback is made to your measurements, so the process starts with the wall, not with a catalogue. At Star Sheetmetal, our splashbacks are made in glass, stone, mirrored and acrylic finishes, cut to the dimensions of your wall. If you are still deciding between materials, we can provide samples so you can see them in your own light before committing. We also take the measurements on site, so the panel arrives cut to your wall. To arrange a site measurement or talk through options, please call us on (03) 9000 0280.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a splashback go over existing tiles?
Often, it depends on the condition of the wall. Where the existing tiles are flat, sound and well adhered, a panel can be fixed over them, which avoids the mess and cost of removal. We assess the wall first, because any unevenness will show once a rigid panel is fixed to it.
How much does a splashback cost?
Cost is driven by the material and the measured area, so a price needs your dimensions. Acrylic sits at the lower end, glass in the middle, and stone at the upper end. Two ways to reduce the figure are covering a smaller section instead of the full run, and asking about remnant pieces left from larger jobs.
What happens if a panel gets damaged later?
A panel is replaced as a unit, since it cannot be patched the way a single tile can be swapped out. That sounds like a drawback, and in practice it means the original measurements are on file, and a replacement is cut to the same dimensions. Toughened glass and mirror are considerably harder to damage than standard glass in the first place.
Can I choose a colour to match something I already own?
Usually, colour on glass and acrylic is applied rather than inherent. Bring in a cabinetry door, a benchtop offcut or a paint chip, and a colour can be matched to it. Stone is the exception, because the colour comes from the material itself.
How long before the splashback is installed?
There are two stages. Site measurement happens first, then the panel is fabricated to those dimensions, which takes time in the workshop. Installation on site is generally a single day once the panel is ready, so the overall timeframe depends on fabrication, not on the fitting.
References
https://ncc.abcb.gov.au
https://www.standards.org.au/blog/as-1288-2021