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What Tiles Are Best for Kitchen Splashback?

Tilemall Pty Ltd |

The kitchen is the single most important home in your house to invest in. There are so many ways to play with its appearance and a splashback is a feature that complements the rest of your kitchen. Tiles have been on a journey in terms of relevance to consumers.

They were once the only material option to be placed behind or above the kitchen sink, stove, and countertop. When other materials such as glass and acrylic became available, splashback tiles faded out into irrelevance. However, they’ve now come full circle in splashback popularity and there are more options than ever!

Choosing the Material

Ceramic and porcelain are the most commonly chosen materials for kitchen splashbacks.

Benefits of Ceramic Tiles:

  • Readily available
  • Cost-effective
  • Water-resistant
  • Available in gloss or matte finish
  • More affordable than porcelain tiles

Benefits of Porcelain Tiles:

  • Fired at higher temperatures which makes them virtually nonporous
  • Don’t require additional glaze for protection
  • Tougher than ceramic tiles

Benefits of Glass Splashbacks:

  • Available in a wider variety of colours
  • Effective at bouncing light around the room
  • Naturally non-porous, stain-resistant
  • Mirrored glass tiles for a dramatic, interesting look

Other available tile materials are metal, stainless steel, natural stone, cement, and marble tiles.

Tile Size

Smaller tiles mean more grout lines, so choose carefully, depending on how big of an area the splashback is covering. Large-format tiles look cleaner and less busy than small tiles if the kitchen splashback is a larger area. Large-format tiles are also quicker and easier to install.

Colour Scheme & Pattern

Colour: Firstly, ensure that the colour scheme won't clash with your furniture. Your kitchen's surrounding walls and splashback should complement your furniture and decor. If you want a piece of furniture, such as a benchtop to pop out in the room, you should opt for a more subtle color.

Grab some colour palettes and place them against the wall in your kitchen to see how they’d look among your furniture and decor.

Pattern: Geometric shapes have risen in popularity. Common options for kitchen splashbacks include:

  • Hexagon tile
  • Herringbone pattern
  • Mosaic tiles

A modern style idea is to take the look of traditional subway tiles and place them in a herringbone pattern. Grey or black grout works well as an accent in white kitchens.

Herringbone Tiles

These tiles form a trendy zig-zag pattern with rectangular-shaped tiles. This splashback tile pattern is incredibly popular in white kitchens and is complemented by marble finishes.

The Bottom Line

Take inspiration from this list and be your kitchen designer. It can be overwhelming to choose from so many colours, patterns, and materials, but create a kitchen splashback that speaks to you.