Splashback Ideas & Material Choices

Detail that decides the lookThe junction where the benchtop meets the wall

Reference photo · Slab continuationVeined stone benchtop with an undermount sink — continuation means the wall piece is cut from this same slab, at template stage

Six things to settle before you choose

A splashback is specified late but constrained early. Most of the choice is closed off by measurements and appliance decisions made weeks before, so run through these first.

01 Measure bench-to-overhead height at three points. Walls in older Bentleigh homes rarely run true, and a tapering gap shows badly in a single slab.02 Confirm the cooktop type. Gas burners carry clearance requirements that rule some materials out behind the hob.03 Decide on slab continuation before the stone is ordered — the wall piece is cut from the same slab as the bench, not sourced later.04 Plot power outlets, switches and any window return against the splashback line while it is still on paper.05 Fix the rangehood type. Integrated, canopy and undermount units each set a different top edge for the material.06 Agree grout and silicone colours at selection stage, in writing, rather than on the day of installation.

Slab continuation, or tile

Almost every splashback decision resolves into one question: does the benchtop material continue up the wall, or does a second material take over? Continuation reads calm and joint-free but ties you to slab availability and fabrication cost. A second material introduces a grout or shadow line, which is not a fault — it is a deliberate horizontal that can sharpen the whole elevation when it is set out properly.

Schedule · Splashback

Four materials, read honestly

Each line below is a scope you can ask about on its own. Material behaviour matters more than pattern: heat near the cooktop, oil near the fryer, and how the surface takes a wipe six months in.

Stone slab, continuedSeamless from bench to underside of overheadsCut from the same slab so veining can be book-matched or run through. The premium sits in fabrication and slab yield, and the decision must be made at template, not afterwards.

Porcelain slabThin, heat-tolerant, dense surfaceHandles heat and staining well and can be specified in large formats with minimal joints. Pattern is printed to the face, so exposed edges need care in the detailing.

TileWidest choice, and a grout line to designThe most adaptable option for awkward walls and returns, and the easiest to repair in a single area. Grout colour and joint width change the result more than the tile itself.

GlassOne uninterrupted, wipeable planeMade to measure from a final site check, which means cut-outs for outlets are fixed before manufacture. Reflective, so it repeats whatever sits opposite it.

Detailing · 08 lines

Heights, junctions and the cooktop zone

These are the eight lines that get marked up on a splashback elevation. Getting them agreed before ordering is what keeps the finished wall looking deliberate rather than assembled.

01 Top edge
Full height to the underside of overheads, or stopped at a set line with wall above.02 Window return
Whether the material wraps into the reveal or stops square at the frame.03 Behind the cooktop
The hottest, oiliest zone; specify the material that cleans without abrading.04 Open shelf zone
Fixings land through the splashback, so brackets are set out before the wall is finished.

05 Silicone line
The bench-to-wall junction is sealed, not grouted, so it can move without cracking.06 Grout width
A narrow joint in a matched tone reads as one surface; a wider joint reads as pattern.07 Outlets and switches
Centred on a tile or a slab panel, never straddling a joint by accident.08 Vein direction
Mark the run of the pattern on the slab before cutting, including the island piece.

Reference photo · Working zoneA patterned splashback carries appliances and clutter in front of it — test the sample with the bench loaded, not bare

Bring the splashback question to the design table

Tell us the wall you are working with, the cooktop you have chosen and the benchtop material you are leaning towards, and the splashback options narrow quickly. We work across Bentleigh, Bentleigh East, Brighton East, Hampton East, Moorabbin, McKinnon and Ormond.

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