Glass Splashbacks - A Guide To Buying

Glass splashbacks are the latest must have item - and we have many enquiries both for our standard sized splashbacks and upstands plus custom made versions, so I thought I'd give a quick guideline to answer most of the questions we get asked.

I will concentrate here on the options available to purchase – and in a subsequent blog, how to fit and maintain them.

So first of all, when is it a splashback and when is it an upstand? Well they are really the same thing in terms of functionality - they are glass panels fitted against the wall to protect it from the splashes and general mess created from preparation of food and cooking - the two terms are simply used to distinguish between a panel that goes directly behind the hob (splashback) and a panel that fits against the wall above a work surface or other part of the kitchen (upstand). If you want to use a single term, then call it all splashback.

Do I Buy Standard Or Bespoke?

1. Standard Splashbacks and Upstands

As the term implies,

standard splashbacks come in fixed size and colour variations. The splashbacks are varying widths that conform to the standard sizes of hobs and cookers, 600mm, 800mm, 900mm, 1000mm and 1100mm. Our standard glass splashbacks are 750mm in height.
Upstands (which come in matching colours so that you can create a continuous wall of glass) are in fixed lengths of 1m and heights of either 450mm or 140mm.

The colours vary from vibrant lime, fuschia, Vermeer (stunning! Zest green is shown in the pic above), to more subtle blues, browns and blacks and mid range colours between

Key Question: Can I Cut Them?

If the splashback is made of standard float glass, then technically yes. But the reality is that you will be taking a risk. You should not cut them yourself, but take them to a glazier who can also smooth and polish the edges – but beware; the glazier will not guarantee that the panel won’t fracture or that the cutting won’t weaken the glass. If you need to conform to a particular size or shape, you could save yourself some stress and possibly money by having a bespoke one made.
If the panel is in toughened float glass, then they cannot be cut.

2. Bespoke Splashback panels

Bespoke panels offer you great flexibility in having anything from a simple made to measure back panel for the hob, to creating a fabulous made to measure wall of glass. We recommend that panels be a maximum of 2m for handling, but corner cut-outs, curvature shaping and socket holes can all be accommodated to ensure the panels fit snugly under cabinets, around window sills and so on. There are some minor limitations, (you can’t for example, have an exact square cut out of the corner of panel as it will break), but apart from this, most designs will be workable.

Another major advantage of bespoke panels is that you can have virtually any colour – select from a

standard RAL chart or provide a paint colour that can be matched to suit your décor.

Types of Glass – What to Choose

There are essentially three types of glass, which can come in varying thicknesses. Our splashbacks and upstands are all formed in 6mm glass, which is standard (work surfaces, window sills and so on tend to be thicker).

1. Stand 6mm float glass

Formed in extra strong glass but not toughened. This technically means the glass can still be cut, but please beware the points made above. Our standard splashbacks and upstands come in this option, but not bespoke.

2. Toughened 6mm float glass

This is one of the options we use for our bespoke splashbacks. This glass conforms to all required EN and BS standards. The difference between it and the Low Iron variation (see details below) is in colour purity and consequently, cost. Float glass has a slight natural green tinge which may show though to varying degrees in the final colour of your splashback. For pale and some mid range colours (blue for example), the green tinge will be noticeable to a small degree (and some people prefer it), whereas for dark colours and heavier mid range colours (re, pink etc) the tinge is barely noticeable. This is the lower cost option.

3. Toughened 6mm Low Iron Glass

Manufactured by Pilkington and branded Optiwhite, the glass is purer and offers a more accurate representation of colour. For paler colours and where you are specifically aiming to colour match, this may be the best option. It is a little more expensive than the float glass.

So that’s an overview of the options available.

In the next blog, information about measuring for, fitting and maintaining your splashbacks. If you have any questions in the meantime, then email

enquiries@mykitchenstore.co.uk and we’ll be delighted to help!