Make A Splash With Your Kitchen Walls
Splashbacks are a fab way to brighten up and redesign your kitchen and can be a real eye catcher in a new installation by providing a strong accent colour. But of course when it comes to choosing the right splashback for your room you’re not just restricted to colour choices, there’s also a whole world of kitchen splashback textures out there from glass, acrylic, ceramic and laminate to granite, steel and glass – you’re spoiled for choice.
It all really boils down to why you want the splashbacks in the first place (ie mostly décor?), where you want them, whether you’re prepared to clean them regularly and how much you’re willing to spend. We’ve broken it down to try and make it easier for you.
Looks
Glass, steel, acrylic are all reflective materials and can make a small pokey kitchen look bigger, lighter and sunnier. Glass splashbacks are stunning, especially when lit from behind. Acrylic can really brighten up a room as it comes in a range of stunning colours. Marble looks really classy while colourful tiles can jazz up a room up in no time. Fit steel for splashbacks and you’re looking at a professional chef’s kitchen
Location
Some materials for splashbacks just aren’t suitable for behind sinks where the wet will erode them, or they risk erosion from the heat of cookers. Wood splashbacks for instance can warp with too much moisture and although they’re fine with water while acrylic tiles aren’t good near a cooker. It’s recommended splashbacks which can’t cope with heat are placed at least 300mm from such a source. The rest of the splashbacks we’ve mentioned above are fine with both water and heat.
Maintenance
Again, wood is singled out here as the top offender. Wooden splashbacks have to be oiled regularly to keep them looking good and stop them being damaged by water. The rest of the splashbacks can be washed with hot water and detergent but glass will need a spray every now and again to remove finger prints and other smears while an anti-static cleaner and soft cloth provides the same purpose on acrylic and steel respectively. With tiles, the grout will need to be cleaned thoroughly every now and again to keep them looking good. Steel in particular needs very little maintenance and is highly practical, hence the reason it’s a favourite of professional chefs.
Price
Ceramic tiles are your least expensive option, and then you’re looking at laminate. For those who want to really push the boat out there’s marble or specially-made composite stone (both are durable but expensive to replace if damaged). Glass is less expensive than acrylic and steel and around the same price as wood.
Call My Beautiful Kitchen today on 0141 771 3640 to arrange a FREE no obligation kitchen quote!
Whatever material you’re think about for your splashbacks talk to us here at My Beautiful Kitchen and we’ll give you our opinion of how it will fit into your overall kitchen design. You’re going to be living with this room for a long time so you want to get it right from the outset!