Kitchen splashbacks - coloured glass v tiles?

dinky73

Hi

We are in the process of getting a quote for some building work to knock through our kitchen and dining room. I am looking ar replacing the kitchen and am quite taken by the toughened coloured glass you can have as splashbacks. I just wondered if anyone has them and what they thought of them and how they compare to standard tiling. I don't mind tiles but the glass looks much easier to just wipe clean (no more stained grouting).

Any ideas on cost versus tiling. Are they much more expensive and are they tricky to fit?

Probably going to make decisions on flooring and worktops too so may be back for more advice. We don't have a massive budget but want to do it well, keep being told to spend the money on worktops, sink and taps and not the cupboards!

thanks for any advice
dinks

devotee

Hi, I'm also planning to use glass splashbacks in my kitchen and was quoted £150 per metre - and that was the cheapest place I found. They are much more expensive than tiles, but the good thing is that they can pretty much match any colour that you want. The shop where I got the quote measure and install as well and that's included in the price.

Hopefully someone here has already glass splashbacks so they can provide more info!

Meepster

I don't have glass splashbacks myself, but I have sold them to a lot of people with their kitchens.

Yes, they are more expensive than tiles, but they are easier to maintain (no more magic grout sticks) and in my opinion look a lot better. Plus as would said above, you can get them any colour you want.

Also, there are two types of glass toughened available, your standard run of the mill glass, which is usually a slight green colour, and Optiwhite, which is completely clear. The main difference between these two is price. If you are using a dark colour, then the standard glass is fine and will save you a bit of money.

Lastly, you only need 6mm thick glass, no matter what anyone tells you, some places try to upsell to a 8mm or 100mm glass, which is really a waste of money...

andyhop

As the splashbacks are toughend glass they cant be cut for sockets

Best of with tiles and a good quality mapei or bal grout and not the rubbish B&Q sell

cajef

We have a glass splashback behind a gas hob up to the extractor and then tiles either side of it between the wall units and the work surface round the remainder of the kitchen, it does look good and is easy to keep clean with just a wipe over.

dinky73

Thanks for all your replies. I do have my heart set on glass and it does look easy to clean (I am a bit of a clean freak)!

Thanks for the tip on the thickness needed, I was thinking of getting a white kitchen with red glass splashback so hopefully that would count as dark and be a bit cheaper!

If anyone has any recommendation of suppliers of this glass then plese let me know. I have looked at a couple of sites online but its always nice to know you aren't being ripped off!

I have read it is easy to cut all the socket spaces out off site so that shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks for all your help.

Meepster

andyhop wrote: »

As the splashbacks are toughend glass they cant be cut for sockets

Absolute rubbish!!! Before glass splashbacks are manufactured, they are templated, which involves taking accurate measurements of all external sizes and the sizes and positions of any cut outs. A sheet of float glass is then used to make the splashback, with trimming and any cut outs done. THEN the float glass is put through a heating process and tempers the glass, which then makes it toughened...

It is then left to cool, and is finally painted.

Sure, if you get a sheet of toughened glass, you can't then cut it (although it can be trimmed down by around 2mm by filing if needed) but any reputable company supplying splashbacks would know this...

Edinburghlass_2

I've only seen them in B&Q and while I hankered after the pink I think I'm going for the black and white floral, only behind the hob with no tiles but... I might change my mind once the units are in so haven't ordered as yet!

No pictures on the website but I have seen it instore with a black gloss kitchen.

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?isSearch=true&fh_search=glass+splashbacks&x=18&y=14&fh_start_index=0&ts=1244240466467

Ladybird20

in the brochure for b an q it does say cant be cut round sockets,,i am thinkin bout the cream high gloss and the pink splashbaks ,,sounds awful i know but it luks great in the showroom....

andyhop

mwilletts wrote: »

Absolute rubbish!!! Before glass splashbacks are manufactured, they are templated, which involves taking accurate measurements of all external sizes and the sizes and positions of any cut outs. A sheet of float glass is then used to make the splashback, with trimming and any cut outs done. THEN the float glass is put through a heating process and tempers the glass, which then makes it toughened...

It is then left to cool, and is finally painted.

Sure, if you get a sheet of toughened glass, you can't then cut it (although it can be trimmed down by around 2mm by filing if needed) but any reputable company supplying splashbacks would know this...

Yes i know this, i was refering to the off the shelf items that the likes of B&Q sell

honey06

i have had a red glass splashback for a couple of years now and can highly recommend it. it looks fab and is quite easy to keep clean- just a spray with diluted stardrops or mirror/glass cleaner and its fine. it really does have the wow factor.

i shopped around at the time, and a lot of the online companies were quite expensive. I went with a local company- i think i looked up glass merchants or local glaziers.

i decided to go for supply and fit for the guarantee and ease of mind (on one side it was going on top of existing tiles and cooker hood)
so it was a bit more expensive.

i got more than one quote, most suppliers do a standard range of colours plus an extensive any colour range which is more expensive. my red was a standard colour. they can give you lots of advice and the company i went with had a showroom (v inspiring to look round) and offered sample tiles in the colours i was interested to see how they looked at home.

Mwilletts advice is right from my experience- everyone advised me 6mm was fine, though i cant remember whether it was standard or opticolour.

one other thing to consider, is that if you were set on red to go with the white unit, I looked around for red tiles in the past, and struggled to find anything in the right shade, and that didnt seem cottagey. Having said that, a friend has fired earth midas tiles dark red and copper with black grout and they look great (but not v mse )

as i say, i would recommend glass and would say you wont regret it

HTH