Choosing Kitchen Splashback Tiles

The splashback is the one vertical surface in the kitchen you look at every day from the bench. It protects the wall from splashes, oil and steam — and it is where a lot of a kitchen's personality comes from. Tiles are the most versatile option, with endless colours, shapes and textures, and they are repairable if one ever cracks.

Here is how to choose the tile, the pattern, the grout and the details that make a tiled splashback look professionally finished.

Tiles compared with other splashbacks

Tiles suit people who want texture, pattern or colour, and who don't mind wiping grout lines occasionally.

Tile materials

Glazed ceramic. The classic choice. The glaze is non-porous and easy to clean, the range of colours is enormous and ceramic is light enough for most wall linings.

Porcelain. Denser and harder than ceramic, available in large formats and stone, concrete or terrazzo looks. Large porcelain tiles mean fewer grout lines.

Glass. Reflective and very easy to wipe. Edges and cuts must be clean, and the adhesive colour can show through clear glass, so use what the manufacturer recommends.

Natural stone. Marble, travertine and limestone tiles look warm and individual, but they are porous and can etch from acidic splashes like lemon juice or vinegar. They need sealing and resealing, and are best kept away from the hardest-working zone behind the cooktop unless you like a patina.

Handmade and glazed-edge tiles. Uneven surfaces and colour variation catch the light beautifully. Expect wider grout joints and more variation between tiles — that is the point, but it is not for people who want a perfectly flat look.

Shapes and laying patterns

The same tile can look traditional or contemporary depending on how it is laid.

• Brick bond (offset by half). The classic subway look with rectangular tiles such as 75 × 150 mm or 75 × 300 mm.
• Stack bond. Tiles aligned in a grid, horizontal or vertical. Clean and modern, but it shows any unevenness in the wall or the tile.
• Vertical stack. Long, narrow tiles stood upright make a low splashback look taller.
• Herringbone and chevron. Eye-catching and good for a feature zone behind the cooktop, but more cutting, more waste and more labour.
• Finger or mosaic tiles. Small tiles on mesh sheets work around curves and suit feature areas; more grout means more cleaning.
• Large format. Big porcelain tiles give a near-seamless look with only a few joints.

When choosing, lay a few tiles on the bench against your cabinet and benchtop samples. A pattern that looks calm in a showroom can look busy in a small kitchen with lots of cabinet lines.

Grout: colour, width and type

Colour. Matching grout makes the tiles read as one surface. Contrasting grout highlights the pattern — striking with white subway tiles, but it also shows every uneven joint. Mid-tone grout hides everyday marks best.

Width. Machine-made tiles are often laid with narrow joints, around 1.5–3 mm. Handmade tiles usually need wider joints to absorb the variation. Your tile supplier or tiler will advise what suits the tile.

Type. Standard cement grout is fine for most splashbacks if it is sealed. Epoxy grout resists staining much better and is worth considering behind the cooktop and sink.

The join at the benchtop. The line where the tiles meet the bench, and any internal corners, should be finished with a flexible sealant, not grout. These are movement joints, and rigid grout there tends to crack.

Setting out: the detail that shows

Good setting out is what separates a tidy splashback from an amateur one.

• Centre the pattern on the cooktop or rangehood, or on the window if that is the focal point, so the cuts at each end are even.
• Avoid slivers. Plan the layout so you don't end up with thin strips of tile at corners, under the overheads or around the window.
• Plan the power points. Decide where power points and switches sit before tiling, and have an electrician move them if needed so they land neatly within a tile or on a grout line.
• Choose where the tiles stop. Without overheads, decide on a clean end: the ceiling, the top of the window, the rangehood or a trim at a consistent height.
• Finish exposed edges. Use a trim, a glazed-edge tile or a neatly finished edge where the tiles end on an open wall.

Behind the cooktop

The wall behind the cooktop gets the most heat, oil and cleaning. Glazed tiles cope well; porous stone needs more care. Gas cooktops and rangehoods have installation clearances to surrounding surfaces set by the appliance manufacturer and the gas installation rules, so check the installation instructions for your cooktop and rangehood and let a licensed gasfitter confirm the setup. Induction cooktops also have manufacturer requirements for the space around them.

Removing an old splashback

In homes built or renovated before about 1990, the wall lining or backing sheet behind an old splashback may contain asbestos. Don't cut, drill or break out an old splashback until the materials have been checked. If asbestos is found, it needs to be removed by a licensed removalist.

Cleaning and care

Wipe glazed tiles with warm water and a mild detergent. Avoid abrasive pads that can dull glazes. Reseal cement grout and natural stone as recommended by the product manufacturer — often yearly in a busy kitchen. Deal with splashes on stone quickly.

DIY or a tiler?

A simple rectangular splashback in brick bond is a manageable job for a confident DIYer. Large-format tiles, herringbone, natural stone and handmade tiles are less forgiving, and a professional tiler's setting out usually pays for itself in the finished look.

Planning a new kitchen around the splashback

The splashback is chosen alongside the benchtop and cabinetry, so it's worth deciding them together — see our stone benchtops and kitchen design and layout pages. For what a new splashback adds to a renovation budget, see our kitchen renovation cost guide. If you're in the Sutherland Shire, we can quote your kitchen.