Luxe Or Less: The Ultimate Guide To Kitchen Splashbacks™

Whether you’re installing a new kitchen splashback as part bathroom splashbacks of a complete kitchen renovation or just replacing your existing one, there are many materials to choose from. Deciding on one that will best suit your kitchen can be difficult. Which look do you prefer? What colour do you like? And most importantly, how much is it going to cost?

To reduce costs you could go for a DIY option, but only if you’re confident in your tradie skills. Some splashbacks, however, are best left to the professionals. This guide will help you get a feel for the most common splashback materials - as well as a few more unusual ones - and provides a rough indication as to how much you can expect to pay for each.

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Tiles

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.

COST: Expect to pay anywhere between $45 and $250 per square metre 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 labour cost by doing the tiling yourself.

On-trend tile options for your kitchen

Toughened glass

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 cooktops. 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.

COST: 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.

To follow, are a few different toughened glass options.

The first is solid-coloured toughened glass. You can choose almost any colour in the world for your new coloured glass splashback. Ask your designer, or the wonderful community here on Houzz, to help you choose a colour that will work with the rest of your kitchen.

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.

Splashbacks for the adventurous

Mirrored glass

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.

COST: 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

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 Australian safety guidelines.

COST: Large sheets of four-millimetre-thick acrylic splashback material can be bought for around $150 per square metre from hardware stores, and they will provide you with all the installation instructions. There are no specialised tools required.

A handyman will likely charge you an hourly rate to install this material, and will probably add a minimum call-out charge.

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Stone

This is a less common splashback material in Australia, 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.

COST: 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.

You may be able to negotiate a better price per square metre, if you are having both your benchtop and splashback manufactured from the same stone.

Pressed metal

So many people love the look of pressed metal splashbacks, and with so many different patterns to choose from they can be incorporated into almost any style of kitchen. They are manufactured from an aluminium alloy, which won’t rust, and are suitable for use behind cooktops.

Pressed metal splashback installation is one that you can do yourself. The splashback material is bought in large, ready-to-paint sheets, which you can easily cut to size at home. Installation is easy; simply glue and pin the sheet to the wall, ensuring the wall is clean and smooth first. Once your splashback is installed, you can paint it to match your kitchen. Ask your supplier what paint they recommend for their product.

COST: Depending on the pattern that you choose, expect to pay around $110 to $150 per 1800 x 600 millimetre sheet.

Emboss your kitchen with pressed metal

Stainless steel

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.

Stainless steel splashbacks are another option that you can install yourself. Buy sheets of stainless steel splashback material from your hardware store for about $270 per square metre, and cut it to size at home. Again, no specialised tools are required for installation, and it is completely safe to use behind cooktops.