Splashback above worktops?

amandada

I'm away to replace my kitchen with one from Ikea.
Having had the tradional tiles splashback above the worktops, I'm keen to have a change. I've had a look at a few magazines etc, and have seen stainless steel and glass used a lot. Obviously the ones in the magazines are scary prices!
Can anyone suggest where I can source these things (I'm preferring the glass option) at a reasonable price, or indeed make any suggestions as to what other materials can be used?
Thanks

Hitch

Stainless steel prices have rocketed as of late, so anything stainless has got hideously expensive!

One to consider, could be laminate ones, to match your worktops. Dont know if ikea do them.

Fruity1

I'm not sure if its what you are looking for but MFI do (or did a year ago) a wall backing that matched some of the worksurfaces.

iamcornholio

A local glass merchant will make a splashback to your specification, and often you will just pay for the glass at a set rate per m2, same as if it was for a window.

It will need to be toughened or laminated, and you will need to investigate how it will be fixed - in case holes are required at at manufacture stage.

A cheaper option would be to use some acrylic or polycarbonate/perspex sheet. If you use a clear sheet, this can be painted on the reverse side to look like coloured glass

never_enough

Frosted glass looks good. With any glass you need to get the holes cut so it can be screwed rather than attached by glue, because it will show through the glass (unless frosted of course!)
Wooden upstands look lovely if you have a wooden worksurface. Ikea have nice wooden worksurface.
Granite is scarey prices. Corian is too, but fantastic because you can have the upstand made as part of the worksurface so it's seamless. Depends on your kitchen, but I've got painted tongue & groove above my worksurface. It's a foot high, with dado rail to top it off. Imagine it was really cheap to do & looks good although I'd never have thought of doing it.

shopaholicjules

I have ordered the space cream kitchen from MFI and too am interested in peoples thoughts on splashbacks.
I have ordered the solid wood worktop and am having a stainless steel five ring hob so what do people think would be the best for my splashback and colour and type of tiles.
I was thinking of the stone ones you can get but do not really know.
Any advice appreciated.

Jules

amandada

The more I think about it, the keener I am on the glass idea, especially with what HItch said about the price of stainless steel!
Thanks for the input everyone

babyblooz

We were going to have stainless steel, but my son had it in his new kitchen and said it was forever getting splashed and looking messy. He suggested we have some coloured toughened glass cut to size at the local glass shop. I checked out price and it was about half the price of ordering one off ebay. We are having formica upstands on our worktops, but they can't be used to go behind the gas hob, so we have used mosaiic tiles, set into a chrome strip either side. It looks good so far (just on with it now).

We have also substituted a few of the tiles for mirror glass tiles, positioned to catch the light from the window and break up the expanse of tiles. It looks good. I can email you a photo if you want!

shona_2

My worry about glass would be that something crawls down behind it and dies! I say this because a spider once died inside the display in our microwave, and we could do nothing about it!! I thought a thick glass fire hearth would be nice when I saw it in mags, but have gone off the idea!

Would be ok if it was painted maybe...

bennygod

Ok, the perfect solution for you. Just get a normal sheet of plain toughened glass made to measure, this should be reasonably cheap. Then get yourself a tin of hammerite smooth and give one side of it a good half dozen coats, especially making sure its coated up to the edges. Then, you should be able to get from your glass man or somewhere else special self-adhesive foil (it will crease, dont peel off or it will take the paint with it, just flatten the creases, you wont see it after all). when you have stuck the foil over the paint use some mirror adhesive (comes in a tube for a mastick gun) to stick it to the wall. I've recently done a huge black one for my kitchen, can email a photo if you pm me. my old neighbour works in a glass factory so he gave me the glass to make mine. He's done the entire tiled surface of his kitchen the same way, complete with cut outs for sockets. Trust me, it looks mustard and it shouldn't cost the earth. It's like a black mirror and is easy to keep clean with a splash of windowlean and a couple of sheets of kitchen roll.:j

If you're worried about it staying stuck, my old neighbour also got me a huge mirror for my old house (1.5m * 0.5m) and it stays stuck with the adhesive, the only problem is if you want to remove as it'll be a !!!!!! to do. The way round is to get the glass manufacture to put fixing holes, then just run a bead of silicone a few mm inside the edge to stop anything getting behind it, also will cushion when you put the screws in.

ANNIEHAHA

Hi we used to have stainless steel splashback my hubby was in the game and made it all himself. when we looked at what the shops were charging he was gobsmacked.
It is worth contacting smaller steel companies to see if they will do it or if they can recommend anyone that can.
On the cleaning of it you can have a choice of steel but you have to keep on top of it. my hubby also done cladding on dishwasher fridge etc for someone else