Why are glass upstands and splashbacks in a kitchen so expensive?

Innys

I'm getting quotes for these and they seem ludicrously expensive!

I have two 3m lengths, about 40cm high I'm looking to cover and the cheapest quote so far is £1,800. For glass???

I live in Surrey, which admittedly has an effect and the glass is toughened, but I could probably get granite instead for that price. Crazy.

Meepster

Well, they are quite expensive to be fair. Glass isn't the easiest material to manufacture properly and I'm pressuming it is coloured glass?

Does that price allow for any cut-outs/notches etc? And is that including installation?

Innys

Well, it's coloured white. The mind boggles what it would cost if I wanted a more exotic colour. And, yes, it does include several socket cut outs, plus fitting.

When you consider that a large double glazed window wouldn't cost that kind of money, you have to wonder why they are so expensive.

I'm also now thinking about having glass tiles instead. They will cost nowhere near as much to supply and fit. Yes, they don't look as impressive, but I refuse to be ripped off.

System

it's not actually that easy to cut small neat holes out of a glass splashback, that's where the money is, a sheet of glass with no holes would be a lot cheaper...
if you tried to cut the holes out yourself i'm sure you will go through more than 1800 quid's worth of glass!!!
(that is expensive tho)

Meepster

Innys wrote: »

Well, it's coloured white. The mind boggles what it would cost if I wanted a more exotic colour. And, yes, it does include several socket cut outs, plus fitting.

When you consider that a large double glazed window wouldn't cost that kind of money, you have to wonder why they are so expensive.

I'm also now thinking about having glass tiles instead. They will cost nowhere near as much to supply and fit. Yes, they don't look as impressive, but I refuse to be ripped off.

The cost will be the same no matter what colour you have it painted. It's not the paint that costs the money, it's the process of making it that is expensive.

Comparing it to a double glazed window cost is rather silly though. A double glazed window isn't made from (I'm pressuming here) 6mm toughened Opticlear glass, with problematic cut outs, which is then spray painted and then usually film coated to prevent damage to the paint.

The price you have been quoted is actually quite competative (especially for "down south") You need to realise that it isn't just a case of getting a piece of glass, cutting holes out of it and then painting it. Much, MUCH more goes into it...

Meepster

the_r_sole wrote: »

it's not actually that easy to cut small neat holes out of a glass splashback, that's where the money is, a sheet of glass with no holes would be a lot cheaper...
if you tried to cut the holes out yourself i'm sure you will go through more than 1800 quid's worth of glass!!!
(that is expensive tho)

Actually, it's impossible to cut holes out of toughened glass once it's been tempered. What you end up with is around a million smaller pieces of glass

Innys

the_r_sole wrote: »

it's not actually that easy to cut small neat holes out of a glass splashback, that's where the money is, a sheet of glass with no holes would be a lot cheaper...

This is exactly what I'm now considering. If I had the upstands finish short of the cut outs I could save myself a shedload.

*Chattie*

have you checked a local glass company rather than a kitchen company, they can also do coloured glass

Innys

*Chattie* wrote: »

have you checked a local glass company rather than a kitchen company, they can also do coloured glass

Yup - all the quotes I'm getting are from local glaziers. The two I have had so far are £1,800 and £2,300, plus VAT. Another is awaited and one more potential supplier is coming round tomorrow to measure up.

System

Meepster wrote: »

Actually, it's impossible to cut holes out of toughened glass once it's been tempered. What you end up with is around a million smaller pieces of glass

true, although that has also happened to me with most pieces of glass i've tried to cut!!

Mayflower10cat

Don't know if they'd be any cheaper, but worth a try. We ordered a stainless steel splashback from http://www.alcoeng.co.uk/domestic/splash-backs/glass-splash-backs last year and they were very helpful & also fast.