Splashbacks, Splashbacks, Splashbacks!
Splashbacks, splashbacks everywhere!Â
It seems as though nearly every job at the moment has some full height splash-backs to match the quartz worktops. (For what a splashback is, see our glossary.) I don’t think that this look has ever been more popular than it is right now.
Personally, I am a big fan – particularly for the whole hob wall. The reason for this is it gives such a sleek and practical finish. I love it when real practicality combines with aesthetics. I don’t always recommend putting full height splashbacks on all adjoining walls because if the stone is dark (perhaps a black granite) it can feel a bit like a dungeon, or at least shrink the space. And with big-veined quartz splashbacks the pattern can seem a bit overwhelming. But at least on the hob wall it rarely over-dominates, and is always practical.
In this article I will be talking mainly about quartz, or engineeered stone. (For why we keep calling it that, please see our recent article.) And, at present, quartz means “marble-look, with a vein”, most of the time. So quartz splashbacks are on my mind as I write.)
Quartz splashbacks – the positives
The big pros are:
- Easy maintenance – with no grout lines, wiping down has fewer places where dirt can stop and stay.
- Contemporary clean look
- If two colours or materials of kitchen units are being used, having a matching splashback (as opposed to a non-matching, perhaps glass, one) avoids yet another choice of colour material.
The current trend for big-vein quartz materials particularly aids that clean yet dynamic look – so long as your worktop fabricator and installer is committed to good vein-matching. Seeing a vein flow down the wall and across the worktop really lifts the professionalism and beauty of the finished kitchen.
Quartz Splashbacks – the Negatives
Now here come the Cons:
- Full height splashbacks can be costly – or very costly
- Longer manufacturing and installation time
People can get a bit of a shock if they are having full height quartz splash-backs , especially if they are going all the way around the kitchen. It may not seem very much material as it is just a bit going up to the wall units, but that distance is actually often around 550-600mm high which is basically another worktop. Also, not that in a corner, with worktops and splashbacks in an L-shape, one worktop stops 600mm or so short of the corner, but both walls have to get there!
Again, vein-matching in large-veined stones does come at a price. To get veins to line up as well as we can (and it is never a perect science) we usually have to cut the slabs less efficiently than we would in a paternless, mottled or speckled stone. Putting it bluntly, in large-veined stones, we often have to buy-in an extra slab just to ensure a good vein-match, even in a modest kitchen.
The other reason for extra cost is that if we are installing 30mm thick worktops, we, at Affordable Granite, unlike many of our competitors, nearly always mill the splash-back to 20mm using the 30mm slabs. The reason for this is that we can get the best possible vein -match and the back-ground colour is going to be exact from the quartz splash-back to quartz worktop. (20mm and 30mm engineered stones are not made from the same batch.) There are a few materials where it is possible to use matching 20mm and 30mm slabs, but this is only possible in really plain, single pigment quartz slabs.
Another additional cost for manufacturing is for mitring. In some materials we also think that it looks better to mitre the splash-backs, particularly around boxing and window reveals.
Other points to note:-
- If you are vein-matching the worktops to the splash-backs on an L-shape or U-shape kitchen, with pattern flowing up in each direction from the worktop, it is not always possible to get a match in the corner. Think about it or try it with some lined paper! The same applies around boxing, piers, sills and window reveals.
- Each socket or light swich will need to be cut out. The sockets plates need to be off (in some cases loose is fine) for our installation of the splashbacks and you or your kitchen installer will need to organise the electrical reconnection. Â Longer screws may be required for the extra thickness of the quartz or engineered stone on the wall.
- If the stone splashbacks are super tall i.e. up to a tall shelf or beyond the height of the extractor, Affordable Granite will have to assess the access on templating and whether different lifting equipment will be required.
If you are interested in having full height splash-backs
but feel the need of professional advice,
please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss your vision
We are Affordable Granite, the leading installer of granite, quartz, and ceramic worktops across Surrey, Sussex, and the South East. If you have any questions about our worktops or need specific advice on splashbacks, we’re here to help.
It’s easy to get in touch — call us on 01293 863992 or email us at sales@affordablegranite.co.uk.
Imagery from (and copyrighted by) © Andrew King Photography
