Blog posts of '2021' 'June'

As they say, the key to buying furniture is to buy quality furniture and you only have to buy it once. So if and when you do buy quality furniture such as a solid wood coffee or dining table, bedroom furniture and side tables you should consider protecting the surfaces from damage including water marks, scratches and stains from cups/glasses/drinks. The only real way to do this is by using glass furniture protectors.

The two main ways you can use glass furniture protectors

• Clear glass furniture protectors
• Coloured glass furniture protectors (or you can add something more to the design of your space with printed glass furniture protectors 

Clear Glass Furniture Protectors

The beauty of using clear glass furniture protectors is that you can still see the furniture underneath. Clear glass tops can come in a variety of colours and finishes- frosted/satin glass, clear glass, and tinted glass such as bronze and grey which may add more of a feature. The most scratch resistant of these choices is frosted glass, with frosted glass you can have the satin side facing up and it is much less likely to get scratched. The other types of glass can scratch, as with all glass, but it is better the furniture protectors get scracthed than the furniture itself of course.

Coloured glass furniture protectors

As our coloured glass furniture protectors are literally available in any colour they can be used to compliment your existing decor. As with all our glass products, they are made from toughened glass so the surface is incredibly strong and are highly unlikely to break uopn impact (we have tested our toughened glass with hammers on the surface and it takes several blows before you chip the surface and eventually manage to break the glass). We do offer a cut to size service with all our furniture protectors and glass tops also so you will always be able to order glass that is a perfect fit for your furniture.

Printed Furniture Protectors (add a design or pattern)

My personal favourite is personalising your glass tops, like the example which is a bit of an IKEA hack. This example shows some IKEA furniture with a printed stripe that almost looks like a Paul Smith design. You can use any of the designs on any of our printed splashbacks pages (you can order from these pages also as the glass is the same toughened glass), or you can use your own image or something you find online. Some lovely designs we have made for customers in the past include black and white marble prints that greatly enhance the look of solid oak furniture.

As with all glass, furniture protectors made from glass are incredibly easy to clean and will not stain so a very functional product that if coloured, printed...or mirrored can "hack" your existing furniture to look like something much more expensive than the sum of it's parts.

There has never been more choice of kitchen splashbacks available to UK consumers as there is right now. In the past it was simply stainless steel or wall tiles but now there are a multitude of options available. Choosing the right splashback for your kitchen should be easy then right? You would certainly think so but the problem is sifting through all the options to find the right type of splashback for your kitchen.

Coloured Glass Kitchen Splashbacks

As with tiles, glass kitchen splashbacks are available in any colour you can imagine. Made from toughened glass in made to order or "stock sizes", they can be used behind any kitchen hob and heat resistant so they will not break. Toughened glass splashbacks are even suitable for use behind gas hobs, range cookers and AGAs. One main feature of a coloured glass kitchen splashback is that they are incredibly easy to fit yourself, just add some blobs of adhesive or silicone to the rear colour coated side and fix to your wall. If you have ordered the right size ok you should have one fitted in a few minutes, as simple a DIY task as you can imagine.

The other main feature of a coloured glass kitchen splashback is that it is very easy to find one to compliment your kitchen colour scheme, as they can literally be made in ANY colour. 

Printed Glass Kitchen Splashbacks

Technology has came a long way in the last 10 years in the glass and printing industry and one huge advancement is the arrival of large format flatbed printers. Flatbed printers allow us to digitally print directly onto the glass itself using UV ink. In the past, printed kitchen splashbacks were made by adhering a piece of printed vinyl to the rear of the glass. Unfortunately kitchen splashbacks made this way (vinyl backed) had a very limited lifespan as the vinyl itself would degrade and the adhsive used to atttach them to the wall also tended to affect them (if shopping on other websites or ebay it is worth checking as many cheaper printed kitchen splashbacks still use this method). Things have moved on though as mentioned and printing directly onto the glass itself means this is no longer a concern, the print will not degrade and as we use UV ink it will not fade.

Digital printing designs onto glass opens up an unlimited choice of designs and patterns but if you want a personalised glass splashback that is an option too. Once again, too much choice is not always a good thing when it comes to choosing the perfect design for your kitchen but it does mean that no matter what colour scheme your kitchen has you can always find the right design for your kitchen splashback.

Mirrored Kitchen Splashbacks

Glass Mirrored Kitchen Splashbacks are probably on the higher end of the range but a product that will definitely add value to your home. As the name suggests they are mirrors but for kitchen hobs they are (usually) made from toughened glass, unlike a normal mirror. As standard they are available in three mirror colours- standard silver mirror, bronze mirror and grey tinted mirror. Silver will go in the vast majority of kitchens as they mostly just reflect what is already in your kitchen. Grey and Bronze tinted mirror splashbacks are a little darker than silver and tinted/coloured but they will each further compliment the right kitchen (for example in a grey kitchen a grey tinted mirror is the perfect compliment and natural wood and white gloss kitchens may be better suited to bronze).

As with all of our glass kitchen splashbacks they are made from toughened glass and can be made to order so they are well suited for use behind a hob and they can be ordered to fit perfectly. 

Antique mirror splashbacks may also now be made from toughened glass, we have found that many people do not want a simple reflection but something a little more to make more of a feature of their splashback.

Acrylic Kitchen Splashbacks

Glass and acrylic kitchen splashbacks are mostly made the same way, specialised paint is applied to the rear of the clear substrate, glass or acrylic, to add colour. Acrylic kitchen splashbacks can also be made to order to perfectly fit the space. The main differences between coloured glass and acrylic kitchen splashbacks are below.

Acrylic splashbacks are much softer than toughened glass, so they can be easily scratched - but scratches can be fairly easily polished out again if they do occur.

Acrylic splashbacks are only heat resistant to around 80C, so we would not recommend you use them behind your hob.

Other than the two differences above, although they are quite important differences, they look identical to a glass kitchen splashback. Due to the lack of heat resistance we would probably only recommend them for behind sinks and in bathrooms, where they are ideal.

Stainless Steel Kitchen Splashbacks

Stainless steel is a very practical product for a kitchen splashback, but not very aesthetically pleasing. The main reason they are used, mostly in commercial kitchens, is because they are biologically neutral so therefore antibacterial and easy to clean (although many of our customers would argue this point).

Stainless steel can be cut to any size so can be made to fit your kitchen but only available in the one colour. Stainless steel is highly temperature resistant so can be used behind any heat source so no problem behind any type of kitchen hob. The main drawback with a stainless steel splashback is that it only comes in one colour so not so easy to match your kitchen decor but if you have a stainless steel hob then it will be a perfect match. Stainless steel is probably more of a functional product which you would view more of as an appliance but certainly a great option if you need a functional and affordable solution.

Kitchen Wall Tiles

There is no doubt that kitchen wall tiles can look beautiful, especially when first installed. Kitchen tiles have been around for centuries and there are countless high street retailers offering them so you are not spoilt for choice and it should be very easy to find a tile to match your kitchen. Also very heat resistant so once again they can be used behind all types of kitchen hob. The main drawback with kitchen tiles is of course tile grout which is prone to staining and not very hygenic so they do need a lot more cleaning and maintenance than other kitchen splashback options. Not every kitchen will suit the modern look of a glass or acrylic splashback so tiling your kitchen wall is by no means a thing of the past and will forever be a popular choice in the kitchen.

Summary

When choosing a kitchen splashback the main thing is to choose one that matches your kitchen colour scheme. All the above options are suitable for use in a kitchen but keep in mind the heat resistant properties and of course how much time you wish to spend cleaning and maintaing them.

Antique effect and designer mirrors are, without doubt, the latest trend in kitchen wall covering designs and an area we are developing. The latest designs we have created, which can be purchased from our antique mirror splashbacks page, are below. Featuring gold, rusted and stone textured veins each mirror is hand made at our UK factory in made to order sizes. 

GOLD VEIN MIRROR

The Gold Vein effect has been created to simulate the varying colours of gold as it reflects light. All areas without this gold vein are highly reflective, silver, mirror. The Gold Vein design should sit comfortably in most kitchens, it is partculary well suited to blue, white and black kitchens with the gold veins adding a nice extra feature that you just will not achieve with a standard silver mirror.

Rusted Vein Mirror

The new Rusted Vein mirror design has again used a rust effect to create the look of rust, encapsulated by silver mirror which really brings out the rusted veins in the design. The Rusted Vein antique mirror design is also well suited to darker kitchen units and doors and would be well suited to kitchens featuring copper accessories and lighting.

Stone Vein Mirror

As with the gold and rust vein antique mirror designs we have used a textured design to try to create a stone effect in the pattern of the vein. Breaking up the plain silver mirror all of the vein design antique mirrors are idealfor customers who would like a mirror but want something that is a little more of a statement piece.

All of our antique and mirror splashbacks are made in the UK using toughened glass so can be used behind all types of kitchen hobs. As they are made to order they can be made in any size up to 2.5m wide by 1.3m high which should be large enough for most kitchens. For kitchen walls over this width of 2.5m the same look can still be achieved but the splashback should be broken into sections rather than one single piece. Likewise with our coloured glass splashbacks, we are able to cut and shape the mirrors to allow for socket cut outs and to follow the shape of your kitchen walls. 

A full measuring and fitting service is available for large parts of the UK, we do not have our own fitters but we can recommend trusted installers with whom we have been working with for many years. More details on our measuring and fitting service is available by contacting us- it's best to start by emailing us your requirements along with the postcode of the property.

If you would like to see any of these new designs, or another other design or colour, samples can be ordered from the product sample page of our website.

A fast growing trend in kitchen design is the use of mirrors as a kitchen wall covering. The ability of a mirror to transform a space by increasing the amount of natural and artificial light as well as making the space seem much larger is pushing more people to use mirrors. As you can see below, a mirror splashback is also very aesthetically pleasing.

Are Mirror Splashbacks Heat Resistant?

The quick answer to that is yes, toughened mirror splashbacks are very heat resistant and suitable for use behind any type of kitchen hob. Normal mirror, that is not made from toughened glass, is not and could crack at any time while cooking so we would advise against a normal mirror behind a heat source. DIY Splashbacks only supply toughened kitchen mirror splashbacks so all of our mirror products are suitable for this use.

Untoughened glass and untoughened (normal) mirrors are heat resistant to around 80C, toughened glass and mirrors are four or five times more heat resistant so 320C to 400C- well above the maximum temperature you can expect behind a hob.

How Easy Are Mirror Splashbacks To Keep Clean?

Glass is itself very easy to clean (windows, glass tables etc.), much easier then most other surfaces such as wall tiles and stainless steel, to make it easier to clean you can also add our Easy Clean coating which is a nanophobic, hydrophobic (water repellant) coating. Mirror splashbacks, being mirrors, will show dirt up more than tiles though as they do of course reflect anything on the surface. The dirt is still there on tiles, it's just harder to see. For this reason, many of our customers choose one of our antique effect mirrors which have different effects on the rear of the glass which can help disguise some splashing- but they are easy to clean with just a microfibre cloth.

Image of an antique mirror splashback (styles vary please contact us for our most recent styles)

What Colours Of Mirror Splashbacks are Available?

Presently, we offer mirror splashbacks for kitchens and bathrooms in the below colours and styles.

Bronze Tinted Mirror, Grey Tinted Mirror, Silver Mirror and Antique Mirror. The antique mirror range is constantly evolving but at present there are two styles, many more are on the way. 

How Easy Is It To Fit A Mirror Splashback?

As with our range of coloured glass splashbacks, mirror splashbacks can either be stuck to the wall using silicone adhesive or screwed to the wall using mirror screws. A simple cooker splashback would literally take 5 minutes to fix to the wall and seal the edges and screw fitting one perhaps 5-10 minutes more- just be careful you don't drill into any pipes or wires!

You can find measuring and fitting instructions in our tutorials section.

Why Choose A Mirror Splashback Instead Of Coloured Glass?

There is no real reason, choose whatever compliments your kitchen design. However, one huge benefit of a mirror splashback is of course behind able to see the reflection.  What we mean by this is if your cooker wall is facing your garden or a scenic view this view will be visible from your cooker wall also, so you can enjoy the view while cooking. Also, for kitchens with breakfast bar islands you see the person beside you within turning around which make meals for families much more pleasant (if you can get the kids off their tablets. Likewise for bathrooms, a mirror splashback will make any bathroom look much bigger and brighter so they will definitely increase the resale value of any property.

When choosing a kitchen wallcovering there are many options, tiles, glass, mirrors, laminate or acrylic splashbacks. DIY Splashbacks manufacture glass, mirror (glass) and acrylic splashbacks. Coloured glass splashbacks and our custom coloured acrylic splashbacks are both manufactured in the same way- a clear substrate is colour coated on the rear facing side to produce a coloured splashback. So as they are made the same way they look identical- the difference is the practicalities which will go into more detail on below.

How heat resistant is acrylic compared to glass?

Glass splashbacks are made from toughened glass, this means the glass has been superheated to melting point before being rapidly cooled. This process changes the physical properties of the glass so it is at least four times stronger than normal glass but more importantly it is incredibly heat resistant. A glass splashback manufatured using toughened glass is perfectly suitable for use behind any kitchen hob, even gas.

Acrylic splashbacks, as the name suggests, are made from acrylic- we use the highest quality acrylic which is Perspex. Perspex has a maximum service temperature of around 80-85C. So as long as a hot pot or pan does not come into direct contact with it while heated and that it is at least 10cm from any rings on the hob they can be used behind induction hobs. You cannot use an acrylic splashback behind a gas hob, we would not recommend you use it behind an electric hob either although if enough spacing is allowed theoretically it should be ok. Acrylic should not be used behind freestanding electric ovens either, the reason being the oven will vent the heat upwards from the back which will be very close to the wall/acrylic.

How scratch resistant is glass compared to acrylic?

Glass itself is very scratch resistant compared to many ither materials, but anything harder than glass can and wil scratch it. There are of course a large percentage of glass coffee tables and dining tables, they do scratch if not looked after. This is never really the case for a kitchen splashback though as you would very rarely touch the rear wall of your kitchen with a hard, sharp, object so scratching is not a concern.

Acrylic on the other hand is not very scratch resistant at all. As there are many materials harder than acrylic there are many ways to accicentally scratch it. Again though, as a wall covering in a kitchen this is a rarity so this form of scratching is seldom a concern.

Where glass excels when compared to acrylic in terms of scratch resistance is when cleaning it. We have found ourselves that even using a microfibre cloth acrylic can be scratched if there is any form of foreign object on the cloth. That could be a smal amount of dirt or even a harder part of the cloth itself if it's a little used. On the other hand, glass can be cleaned with wire wool. It is unlikely that stains will ever be so bad on your splashbacks that you need wire wool but we use it to clean our glass panels before we process them so we know this is the case (we use medium grade wire wool).

How easy is it to cut glass compared to acrylic?

This is very straightforward, toughened glass cannot be cut or drilled, acrylic on the other hand is fairly easy to work with. To cut or drill acrylic you just need to use HSS bits, which are designed for metal. HSS jigsaw blades, which fit in any jigsaw, have very fine teeth- non HSS bits or blades for cutting wood have large teeth in comparison so they will chip or crack the acrylic and should not be used. If drilling, you must gradually build up the hole size starting with a very small 2mm drill bit.

Anything else to consider?

While glass is definitely better for most kitchen uses, and bathrooms, it is much heavier. At 15kg/m2, a typical cooker spalshback weighs in at 6.75kg. Not heavy, but not a large panel. What about a glass shower panel though, what does it weigh?

Glass shower panel 2.3m x 0.9m - weight 31kg (reasonably heavy but not flexible at all and large, so hard to manoeuver upstairs to a bathroom or shower)

Acrylic shower panel 2.3m x 0.9m - weight 12.42kg much lighter, and flexible (much easier to get upstairs without any serious risk of injury)

I have personally carried three large glass shower panels upstairs and it is very difficult. What was more difficult was getting something the full width of my shower, 2.3m high and completely inflexbile, inside the shower. Basically, by the time I had finsihed the shower, I needed a shower. You can of course use two people to carry glass shower panels upstairs just be very careful, if the glass slips the person behind you is in trouble.

When deciding, weigh up the above options. Acrylic, if used in the right place can make a beautiful wall covering and is ideal in a bathroom. Glass can be used anywhere without any worries other than the weight.

A common question we are asked is how does the cost of a glass splashback compare to the cost of tiled kitchen walls. Let's take a look to see how they compare. In this study, we will use prices from one of the UK's largest tile suppliers.

Kitchen Wall Tiles (prices vary by retailer)

Subway Kitchen Wall Tiles £25-£30m2 (as high as £155m2 for glass subway tiles)

Rustic Kitchen Wall Tiles £57m-£139m2

Victorian Kitchen Wall Tiles £48-£395m2

Terazzo Kitchen Wall Tiles £39-£79m2

Glass Kitchen Wall Tiles £60m-£250m2

Tile Adhesive £26.99 will cover around 6m2

Tile Grout £20.99 for a 2.5kg bag (not pre-mixed) which will cover 8.9m2

Hiring a professional tiler £20-£50m2 for wall tiles (depending on location, many tilers would have a minimum charge of £150-£200)

As you can see from the above prices, a tiled wall would cost anywhere from  £52.50m2 to £452m2

The Cost of Glass Splashbacks

We will use our own prices to compare to the cost of kitchen wall tiles

Coloured Glass Splashbacks 

600mm x 750mm (0.45m2) £235m2, adhesive £7.99, fitting- 5 minutes to fit yourself

Full Wall example 2400mm x 500mm £180m2, adhesive £7.99 fitting varies by location but £200 - £500 (if you can't fit yourself).

Cost for comparison £243m2 - £596m2 (the price is greatly influenced by the fitting cost, a fully ktichen up to 6m2 would be the same installation cost so for a full kitchen the fitting cost should realistically be around £33m2 - £83m2 which would reduce the cost for compasion to £213m2 - £263m2 based on a 6m2 area

Mirrored Glass Splashbacks 

600mm x 750mm (0.45m2) £495m2, adhesive £7.99, fitting- 5 minutes to fit yourself

Full wall - 2400mm x 500mm £412m2, adhesive £7.99 again fitting costs vary by region (and fitter)

As with the above prices for coloured glass, fitting can be as low as £33m2 if the fitter is covering a kitchen with a wall area of around 6m2.

Head to head/like for like

As with any product, you can purchase products at the high or low end of the market. Kitchen wall tiles are no exception. Prices from one high street retailer who themselves are not the high end of the market range from £25m2 to £395m2 alone depending on the style of wall tile. To make a more fair comparison then we will use the glass wall tile prices to compare to the cost of a coloured glass splashback

Cost of glass kitchen wall tiles compared to coloured glass splashbacks

Glass Kitchen Wall Tiles £60 - £250m2

Coloured Glass Splashbacks £180 - £235m2

Cost of installation, wall tiles from £20m2, glass splashbacks from £33m2

As you can see there isn't a massive price difference between the two but there are some factors that should make a glass splashback more appealling than kitchen tiles.

• Glass Splashbacks are very easy to fit yourself and even a novice DIYer can achieve great results
• Kitchen wall tiles require grout, which is very easy to stain and not so easy to clean- unlike glass
• The labour costs for professionally fitted glass splashbacks (which require two visits instead of one as the site survey must be first made) is on a sliding scale, so the larger the area the cheaper the m2 tends to be.
• For a contemporay kitchen, not having any lines or joins in the glass does not spoil the look of a sleek kitchen

Wall tiles can of course look beautiful and are the right choice in many kitchens, like every room of the home it is important to take time to choose the right colours or wall coverings to suit your decor.

To answer the question, are glass splashbacks cheaper than tiles, the answer is both yes and no. It depends on the tile chosen and the area you would like covered. A cooker splashback only is without doubt going to work out a lot cheaper than tiling as it is something you can fit yourself in a matter of minutes. A single wall of glass to under cabinet height will in most cases work out a little more expensive than lower end kitchen wall tiles but for full kitchen the cost is comparable (again depending on the wall tiles chosen). Glass splashbacks can also vary considerably by supplier and style, antique mirror splashbacks would be at the higher end of the scale.

When designing a kitchen there are many factors to consider, choosing the kitchen doors, worktops and appliances are the first step towards your dream kitchen but what do you put on the walls? Kitchen tiles look great in traditional kitchens but for more contemporary kitchen styles they can make the walls look a little dated. Fortunately, there are now many more options for contemporary kitchen wall coverings that are a lot more in keeping with the modern look. Coloured glass splashbacks are a great choice as they can be matched to any paint colour so you are essentially just choosing a colour and creating a fully washable, stainpproof, easily cleaned wall of glass.  Likewise, you can create exactly the same look with coloured acrylic panels which are manufactured in exactly the same way as glass splashbacks- the only downside is that they are not as heat resistant as glass so this is something to consider at the planning stage. The most in trend kitchen wall covering is now mirror splashbacks, available in different colours and styles mirror splashbacks protect your wall just as coloured glass splashbacks do but they also dramatically change both the amount of light in your kitchen as well as the perceived amount of space.

The above image of a bronze mirror splashback is a great example of how a mirror can not only be functional but also makes a dramatic difference to how big the kitchen looks. This example faces the seating area which is great as it allows anyone sitting in the kitchen to speak to other people without having to turn their head. The bronze tint in the mirror is the perfect complement to the sleek grey lines of the kitchen and of course the colour of the kitchen doors and worktops. Kitchen tiles would simply not have been the right match for this kitchen with grout lines ruining the aesthetics.

As mentioned, toughened mirror splashbacks are available in different colours (silver being the most common) so above you can see a nice example of a grey mirror kitchen splashback. As with the bronze example above you can see straight away that the kitchen looks much brighter and larger despite this being a darker coloured mirror. In this kitchen you will see that the mirror is behind the kitchen hob, this is an important feature of toughened glass mirrors as they are just as heat resistant as coloured glass splashbacks as they are both made from toughened glasss. Another great example of how a mirrored splashback is a great choice for a modern kitchen.

The most in trend style of kitchen mirror splashbacks at this time is though antique effect splashbacks. There are several reasons why people choose this look with the main one being that they create a feature of the kitchen rather than just making it look much bigger. This example is a rusted iron antique effect mirror but again, made from toughened glass so perfectly suitable for use behind any type of ktichen hob- including gas.

Whatever style you choose, the main thing to consider is the colour or effect. Grey mirror splashbacks would not suit certain kitchen colour schemes such as creams or ivory whereas a bronze mirror would, as it would have a degree of red in it as would the kitchen. For a grey or white kitchen you will find that a grey, silver or silver antique mirror splashback may be the better choice.

How can we help you find the right choice of mirror splashback for your kitchen?

The first step would be to order a sample to check to make sure your colour choice of mirror complements your kitchen doors and worktops. Mirror samples can be ordered on this page of our website.