What Is a Splashback and Do I Need One for My House?
The kitchen splashback plays an extremely important role in protecting your kitchen walls as well as being a key role in setting the theme and design of your modern kitchen.
What is a Splashback?
A splashback is usually placed on the wall that is directly above or behind a wet area such as the kitchen sink but you would usually also install it near your cooktop or benchtop workspace since these areas have high chances of moisture or food splatters. The splashback protects the wall from moisture, oil, food splatter, grease and any other mess that can occur in the kitchen when you're washing or preparing food.
How Does a Splashback Affect the Kitchen Design?
Splashbacks end up covering a lot of surface area in your kitchen so it is essential that you consider what type and style your splashback will be when designing your kitchen. It can act as a feature wall in the kitchen space and could even help revive or revamp an outdated Kitchen which could set the tone and vibe for the entire room or even house if you've got an open kitchen design, it will help give your kitchen a modern look and is usually used to create a feature wall within the kitchen.
Does My Kitchen Require a Splashback?
The answer is yes, your kitchen requires a splashback because it keeps the moisture off the drywall, moisture on the plaster wall won't seem like much of a big deal but eventually, it will be exposed to so much moisture it will start to mould and that is difficult and costly to fix later on.
Does My Laundry Require a Splashback?
Most people only talk about the kitchen splashback, but this is because that people choose to install a splashback for design purposes, whereas the laundry room is not seen as much by guests and is not out in the open of your house. This being said if you have a laundry with a sink then it is definitely important to make sure that you have splashback in your laundry for the same reasons that you require one in the kitchen.
Why Would I Need a Splashback Next to My Cooktop?
The reason is simple, when you're cooking you're going to create steam, and the steam will then stick on the walls and that moisture will start to make the wall mould, the other reason is that sometimes when you're cooking it splatters and the splatters will create a mess and having a splashback that's easy to clean to catch that makes a massive difference to your cooking experience.
What Material Are Kitchen Splashbacks Made Out Of?
Historically kitchen splashbacks were always tiled since it was easy to install and would make the wall waterproof, but with modern manufacturing and design, we're now seeing more options available and a wider range of designs and versatility in being able to choose the style. Even though wall tiles are traditionally better, we've found that sometimes the grout between tiles catches food or dirt and can easily discolour and is a lot harder to clean than some of the newer colour options. Below is a list of different materials that can be used in assisting with new splashback ideas.
Stainless Steel
A very easy option is using a stainless steel sheet as a splashback, this is quite popular because you know it will be resistant to the heat and will also give your kitchen a professional and commercial kitchen environment vibe, it will also suit our Kitchen sink ranges that are available here.
Tiles
Tiles used to be the most common material used for a kitchen splashback, for a while they were abandoned for easier to clean surfaces but with the rise of subway tiles and mosaic tiles, the tiled splashback is slowly making a come back in the kitchen. Since the evolution of the new printed tiles, there is a vast range of colours that you can choose from. The costs of a tile splashback can vary depending on your tiler as well as the type of tile you will choose, larger tiles may be easier to install and cheaper to purchase whereas a mosaic type design or smaller subway tiles might require more labour and be more expensive to purchase, generally you could expect to pay between $50 to $250 per square metre. If you wanted to try and reduce the cost you could consider doing a bit of research and doing a tiling DIY project.
Toughened Glass
Toughened glass splashbacks are extremely popular since they're really easy to clean and it comes in different designs such as textured glass, coloured glass, high gloss or even clear glass. Some people are getting creative and choosing intricate designed wallpaper and placing a clear glass on top to create their own artistic splashbacks.
Acrylic Splashback
An acrylic splashback is a cheap alternative to toughened glass and it is typically made of a high quality toughened plastic sheet, they're made in multiple colour ranges and can be found in most hardware stores like Bunnings, but always doublecheck that the plastic wall panel that you've chosen is fire rated especially if you're planning to install it behind or near your cooktop. You can look for a single colour scheme for a simple kitchen or you could go for a more intricate colour scheme to suit your kitchen renovation theme.
Natural Stone or Reconstituted Stone
This has probably got to be one of the most common designs in the past few years, the reason for that is because stone benchtops whether it is natural material or reconstituted stone such as Caesarstone has become extremely popular for benchtops and what people are choosing is using that same stone and design to be put on the splashback. Using this splashback material can help give popular stone designs like white marble, terrazzo or Calacatta. Previously this was considered an extremely expensive option but more recently they have created 2mm thick sheets which is a lot more cost-effective to be stuck on the wall since there will not be much weight applied to the wall the stone doesn't need to be as thick as the benchtop.
Mirror Splashback
Mirrored splashbacks or Metallic Splashback can be popular because the reflection can really open up the kitchen, but these tend to not last as long because they cannot withstand the food debris, moisture and other harsh environments that a kitchen could expose to it.
Related Posts
