A splashback is the most visible square metre in a kitchen and the cheapest part to change. It is also where bad setting out shows up worst, because it sits directly between two dead-straight reference lines — the bench and the underside of the cupboards.
Setting out
Tiles are set out to the joinery, not to the wall. Walls in older homes are rarely plumb, and a splashback set out to a wall that leans will visibly taper against the cupboards above it.
Replacement
Old splashback removed, wall made good, new tiling set out and finished. Cut cleanly around cooktops, windows and existing power points.
Common questions
- Can you replace a splashback without redoing the kitchen?
- Usually yes. The splashback is one of the few parts of a kitchen that can be changed independently, which makes it the cheapest way to visibly change the room.
- What about around the cooktop and power points?
- Tiles get cut around penetrations properly. Note that moving or adding a power point is electrical work and always needs a licensed electrician in NSW — we tile around what is there.
- Do you remove the old splashback?
- Yes, including making good the wall behind it. Removal often takes surface with it, so patching the substrate is part of the job rather than an extra.