Kitchen Paint - good enough substitute for a cooker splashback?

ic

I'm making the final decisions about my new kitchen. At the moment I'm heading for granite worktops with upstands, and a curved glass cooker hood. The walls have been freshly plastered so lovely and smooth. I was planning for a splashback in granite to match the worktop behind the hob, but as the cooker hood is curved that won't be possible without an awkward gap between the two. I'll be painting the walls with kitchen paint, and I just wonder if it actually lives up to the promise of being grease resistant and washable? Could I actually forgo the splashback and just have upstands and the wall above painted in kitchen paint, or will I regret that decision?

A_Frayed_Knot

personally, I think you would regret it.

You could just have the splash back up to the curve or a bit lower, or could get tiles, and another option would be a stainless steel/coloured glass/perspex one cut to exact shape.


I think you would always be wiping with a cloth if you go for paint.

phill99

Firstly, there is no such thing as kitchen paint. Its simply Vinyl Slk Emulsion in a different tin and is something only for the retail market. Architects and interior designers never specify it and professional decorators never buy it.

There are a number of options in trrms of wipeable surfaces such as Silk, Mid sheen, Egg shell or something like Dulux Diamond matt which is a scrubbable matt emulsion.

Its more likely to be the heat that causes you a problem. Splashed burning fat will take its toll on any paint surfaces. A clear glass splashbach, frliberatly cut short of your hood will be a more realistical solution and will still show off the wall colours.

eastonian

We've done exactly this with Valspar kitchen & bathroom paint (scrubbable emulsion) and it works great. Easy to wipe, or scrub if needs be, I would have chosen a better quality paint if I hadn't been looking for a certain colour though.

Only pitfall is heat/moisture from oven as mentioned - if we're roasting something very moist then hot vapour can condense near the oven rear vent which I worry might affect the paint. Fine so far though, and I could always sand/repaint if necessary.

Other option, could you not tile up above / behind where the hood will be fixed, and fix it over the tiles, so there is no strange curve/straight edge join?

rdone

I tried this and the first time I made a meal using pasatta the wall was ruined for ever more...
I've tiled over it now and am so much happier as those little red spots can be wiped away easy.

ic

Thanks all. I considered tiles, but its just not the look I'm going for - I used to find even the grout would stain a bit in my old kitchen. I've decided to go for a more traditional chimney style with a straight edge, so that I can go with a cooker splashback. I'll still use the kitchen paint in the surrounding areas (its already bought!).