A Guide to The Perfect Kitchen Splashback

Whether you’re renovating, building or installing a new kitchen splashback, trying to decide on what splashback material will best suit your kitchen can be exhausting. With so many choices of materials available on the market, kitchen splashbacks have somewhat become the centerpiece or standout feature of the kitchen with its ability to be versatile and diverse.

Here is a quick guide on the feature tile styles available and how their strengths may benefit you.

Ceramic Tiles

Ceramic tiles are manufactured using a red or white clay biscuit, with a decorative glaze applied to the surface, and then baked in a kiln to fuse the glaze to the body. The tiles are extremely durable and easy to clean making them an idealchoice for bathroom walls and kitchen splashbacks. Two styles of ceramic tilescommonly used can include Arabesque and Patterned Encaustic. The formerutilises a simplified damask pattern adding softness and curves to the classicwhite tile look. Encaustic tiles combine two or more colours of clay beforebeing put in the kiln to produce a multitude of patterns with either a matte orglazed finish. These tiles are excellent in achieving that pretty Mediterraneandesign for splashbacks, or other tile applications.

Mosaic Tiles

Asa popular choice, mosaics utilise a wide variety of materials including glass, stone, marble, porcelain, and even pebbles which are adhered onto a mesh to produce a one of a kind pattern. The mesh allows you to easily place the materials directly onto the wall to ensure that a consistent pattern is achieved. Depending on the design, large or small, mosaics can be slotted into any room to add character and detail. Its endless grout joints and grippy nature also make it an ideal choice for bathrooms, toilets and patios.

Natural Stone

Natural stone including marble, slate, quartz andtravertine work great as kitchen splashbacks with its easy to clean andtimeless designs. Natural stone is extremely versatile and can be used almosteverywhere in the home as tiles, tabletops, and even incorporated into mosaicsfor extra character. However, its timeless beauty and hardness comes at a heftyprice, requires regular sealing, and is more difficult to install in comparisonto ceramic or porcelain tiles. Lucky for us, you can now purchase digitallyprinted tiles that accurately replicate the aesthetics of natural stone withoutbreaking the bank or your back.

Porcelain Tiles

Porcelain tiles such as Penny tiles are produced using finer clays than ceramics, and are fired in the kiln at higher temperatures to make them incredibly hard and dense. With the lowest water absorption rate of 0.5%, porcelain tiles are basically waterproof, and can be placed on every wall or floor in your home or commercial space. Porcelain tiles come in two different forms:

• Glazed tiles – A layer of glaze is applied to the surface of the tile before being inserted into the kiln. Combining function and design, its resistance to water, stains and wear and tear, make it the perfect candidate for a kitchen splashback, bathroom wall or anywhere in the home.
• Unglazed tiles – Are composed entirely out of natural clay so that the colour runs all the way through the tile to produce a natural and earthy aesthetic quality. Its scratch resistant and durable properties make it an ideal choice for high foot traffic areas but, unfortunately, are quite susceptible to stains if left unsealed. Once sealed, polished or waxed, unglazed tiles can be quite stunning and used to create kitchen splashbacks.

Subway Tiles

Bringing a classic and vintage look to the kitchen,subway tiles are excellent in both residential and commercial spaces. With eachtile being manufactured and sold individually in a wide range of colours, thereare infinite design options. Create the perfect kitchen splashback using largertiles to form intricate patterns such as basket-weave, listello and Versailles;or smaller tiles to create a herringbone pattern. There are also peel and stickoptions available.

Have a look at the feature tiles we currently have here. If you cannot find what you want, drop us an email or call us. We constantly add products to our catalogue and might have what you are after in our boutiques.