The splashback goes in last and gets noticed first. It is the surface at eye level, directly in your sightline while you cook, and the one thing in a kitchen that sits between the benchtop and the cabinetry without belonging to either.
Most people approach it as a purely visual choice. It is not. A significant part of the decision is made for you by the appliance sitting in front of it.
Your cooktop sets the rules before taste does
If you are installing a gas cooktop, the gas installation standard requires a minimum clearance of 200mm between the edge of the nearest burner and any vertical combustible surface. Where that clearance cannot be achieved, the surface behind has to be protected with non-combustible material, extending the full width of the cooktop and reaching at least 150mm above the nearest burner.
Toughened safety glass is one accepted method of providing that protection. It has to comply with the Australian safety glazing standard, be at least 5mm thick, and sit over a suitable backing such as fibre cement sheet or gypsum plasterboard at the specified minimum thicknesses. The glass itself must be marked as toughened safety glass, or the manufacturer has to supply documentation confirming it.
This is not a technicality. The Victorian Building Authority has identified inadequate clearance around domestic gas cooktops as a recurring problem in Victorian homes, and installations of this type can be audited. Your plumber or gas fitter carries the compliance obligation, but the material you choose determines whether they can sign off on it, which is why the conversation belongs at design stage rather than on install day.
One more thing that overrides everything above: the appliance manufacturer’s own installation instructions take precedence over the general requirements. Read them before choosing a material, not after.
With induction or electric cooktops, the constraints loosen considerably.
Engineered stone is not an option here either
The engineered stone ban that removed quartz benchtops from the Australian market covers benchtops, panels and slabs. A splashback cut from an engineered stone slab falls inside that definition, so matching your benchtop and splashback in the same reconstituted material is no longer available as an option in Victoria.
There is a second reason it would not suit a gas installation regardless. Reconstituted stone and quartz products contain polymer resins, which means they may not satisfy the non combustible requirement in the clearance zone around a burner. Where such a product is used, conformance has to be confirmed rather than assumed.
What works, and how each behaves
Tiles
Still the most flexible option, and the cheapest way to introduce texture or pattern. The trade-off is grout, which discolours behind a cooktop over time. Larger format tiles reduce the number of grout lines, and an epoxy grout will hold its colour far better than a standard cement grout in the zone directly behind the hob.
Toughened glass
Seamless, wipes clean in seconds, and can be colour matched to almost anything. It suits gas installations well because it is a recognised protection method. The catch is that every cut-out for a power point has to be made before the glass is toughened. Toughened glass cannot be drilled or trimmed afterwards without shattering, so the electrical layout has to be finalised and measured precisely before the sheet is fabricated.
Porcelain and sintered stone
The natural partner to a porcelain benchtop, and increasingly the way people achieve a continuous run from bench to wall now that engineered stone is unavailable. Non porous and easy to maintain, and full height slabs remove grout entirely.
Stainless steel
Genuinely heat-proof and the obvious choice for a serious cooking zone. It shows fingerprints and fine scratching, so it reads better as a deliberate feature behind the cooktop than as a full kitchen run.
Natural stone
Works beautifully as a full-height feature behind a cooktop or on a rear wall. It is porous, so sealing matters, and oil splatter on an unsealed stone splashback is difficult to reverse.
Where the splashback starts and stops
The standard run is from the benchtop to the underside of the overhead cabinets. That gap is usually somewhere around 600mm, though it varies with your overhead height and how tall the people using the kitchen are.
Two decisions change that. Where there are no overheads above the cooktop, the splashback usually runs full height to the ceiling or to the underside of the rangehood, which turns it into a feature wall and makes the material choice more consequential. And where the run meets a window, the splashback either stops at the reveal or returns into it, and the neater of those two options depends on how the cabinetry is set out. Getting the cooktop position right early avoids most of these problems, which is something we cover in our guide to designing a functional kitchen layout.
The details that make it look built in
Three things separate a splashback that looks integrated from one that looks added on afterwards.
- Measure after the benchtops are installed and levelled, never off the plans. Walls are rarely straight and benchtops are rarely exactly where the drawing says
- Seal the junction between benchtop and splashback with a flexible neutral cure silicone, so the joint can move without cracking
- Decide power point positions before fabrication, particularly with glass, where they cannot be changed later
Finish matters as much as colour. A high gloss splashback bounces light around a small kitchen and makes it feel larger, but it also reflects every mark and shows the underside of the overheads. A matte or satin finish is calmer and more forgiving. The same reasoning applies to the doors it sits above, which we worked through in our comparison of gloss and matte finishes.
In practice, the splashback is the final item in the sequence, going in after the cabinets and benchtops are complete. That is also why it is one of the more common late change requests we field on renovations through Pakenham and the growth corridor, and our cabinet maker in Pakenham page sets out how we coordinate the trades on those jobs. The completed projects gallery is the easiest way to see how different splashbacks sit against different cabinetry.
FAQs
Do I need a special splashback behind a gas cooktop?
Often yes. The gas installation standard requires a minimum 200mm clearance between the nearest burner edge and any vertical combustible surface. If that is not achievable, non-combustible protection is required across the full width of the cooktop and to at least 150mm above the nearest burner. Toughened safety glass over an appropriate backing is one recognised method. Your gas fitter carries the compliance obligation, and the appliance manufacturer’s instructions override the general requirements.
Can a glass splashback be cut or drilled after it is made?
No. Toughened glass cannot be cut, drilled or trimmed once it has been through the toughening process without breaking. Every cut out, including power points and switches, has to be positioned before fabrication. This is why the electrical layout needs to be locked in earlier than most people expect.
Are engineered stone splashbacks still permitted in Victoria?
No. The ban covers engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs, and a splashback cut from an engineered stone slab is caught by that definition. Porcelain and sintered stone products that contain no resin are excluded from the ban and have become the common substitute.
How high should a kitchen splashback go?
The usual run is from the benchtop to the underside of the overhead cabinets. Where there are no overheads above the cooktop, it is common to run full height to the ceiling or to the rangehood, which changes the splashback from a practical surface into a feature and is worth deciding early.
Which is easier to maintain, tiles or glass?
Glass, comfortably. It is a single wipeable surface with no grout lines to discolour. Tiles offer far more variety in texture and pattern, and the maintenance gap narrows if you use larger format tiles and an epoxy grout in the area behind the cooktop.
Speak With Kitchen Design Cabinets
Splashbacks are installed last, which is exactly why they are worth deciding early. Cooktop type, power point positions and overhead cabinet heights all narrow the field before style enters the conversation, and all three are locked in well before anyone is ready to fabricate.
If you are planning a kitchen and want the splashback resolved as part of the design rather than as an afterthought at the end, bring us the cooktop you are considering, and we will work backwards from there.
Call 0433 321 360 to book a design consultation, or send your plans and appliance details to admin@kitchendesigncabinets.com.au. Alternate line: 0433 559 121.
Kitchen Design Cabinets, 31 Tech Wy, Cranbourne VIC 3977. Custom kitchens, benchtops, splashbacks, vanities and wardrobes across Melbourne’s southeast.
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