Jump to content

What is that continuous splashback stuff for kitchens called?


Mrs Trellis
 Share

Recommended Posts

I've seen a couple of posh kitchens lately where the walls behind the worktops are covered with smooth material, like splashback but all round, instead of tiles.

I realise I don't know what it's called, (in English or French) to search on websites.

It would be neater than tiles, especially as we have some tricky bits, but don't need a huge amount.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The posh stuff is glass. It needs to be cut by a specialist as it's specially toughened, and if you have sockets above your worksurface it needs to have the holes custom-cut for them. In the UK, you can now buy it in places like B&Q...as long as you don't want to have any holes in it for sockets as above.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't think the stuff I saw was glass. The local glass place might not have the right colour. Judging by what the quincaillerie charged for plain glass for a door, it would be very expensive.

Now I know what it's called, I found it in Castorama in 3 metre length, so I think we might have a look there.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The glass IS very expensive (although only marginally more so than tiles) and I was simply pointing out, Theiere, that B&Q sell it...and the DIS- advantages of buying it from them (i.e. that if you want to make any cuts in it, you've had it).

I priced it up for a job we were hoping to do, and as it turned out, we would (had we done the job) have bought from a specialist glass merchant. Not because I have any particular burning desire to support my local anything (unless they happen to be the cheapest and best choice, which is often the case) but because they could provide the bespoke sizes and cutting which would have been required.

Glass for splashbacks looks stunning, BTW. For the stuff Mrst Trellis wants, and now apparently knows what it's called (although unless it's what Wooly mentioned, it appears it's on a need-to-know basis) I have no idea.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Mrs Trellis"]I didn't think the stuff I saw was glass. Now I know what it's called, I found it in Castorama in 3 metre length, so I think we might have a look there.[/quote]

Recently whilst in Casto I saw quite a few credence; one seemed to be in a slate-type material whch looked great, felt good and was at a really low price. Another seemed to be a marble-type in various colours. Yet another in a brilliant lacquer-type material. All at good prices.

So my advice is go and have a look for yourself.

Sue

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Sue, yes we will, it's only about 45 minutes to Casto. The stuff I saw went from worktop to wall cupboards, looks very neat and easy to clean. I was thinking of just having it part way up, like the tiling in our previous house, that way it would go below the wall sockets so no careful cutting out required.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Russethouse"]We just had splashback where it was needed, behind the sink and cooker and 'upstand' elsewhere...glass looks lovely but I suspect behind a cooker it would be a pain and require daily attention, which is above my housework grade, frankly.[/quote]

I know exactly what you mean, Russethouse. I was wondering too how easy they'd be to keep clean. Life's too short for daily housework, especially when you're retired.[:)]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Housework is not something I spend a lot of time on! It is only really noticed when it isn't done. Especially with a lot of rain and 24 muddy paws.

I have a postcard saying 'A tidy house is the sign of a wasted life'.

I was thinking a smooth backing - not shiny glass - would be easier to wipe clean and with no grouting for splashes to settle in.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Russethouse, totally agree that granite is the best way to go, not only in terms of posh but also in efficiency. We had a new kitchen installed in England in 2003 and splashed out on granite worktops. We also had a leisure multifuel cooker installed, but had tiles fitted to the walls between worktops and cupboards. We also fitted a rack of 5 copper pans behind the cooker that we bought on one of our trips to France a few years before. The kitchen is still in pristine shape and the only upgrade will be to upgrade the unit doors in perhaps 5 years time. Cleaning is not a problem, though where most of the food prep is done I must say you can tell its "functional" until its polished. Better than replacing the tops when kids leave hot stuff there though. Its also easy to just grab a pan and start cooking. To clean the copper things though, get the propriety stuff from France which makes the task very easy. In the UK we could not find the right cleaning stuff. In brief its proving to be a very cheap kitchen given the number of years use.

To get back to the topic, I think that the splashback material used really does depend on personal taste. We have recently had an ensuite installed by a builder friend who by trade is a joiner and he used a tile finish. Its good but far from perfect. We need another ensuite at the other end of the house and bathroom upgraded and dont want to go down the tile route with him. OH and I disagree in that I would be happy to keep the tiles there and just upgrade taps. ceiling, floor and fan (we don't have a fans). I've won with the bathroom, but not with  the ensuite. When we went to the Carolinas last year we stayed (via home-exchange) in a lovely house that had splashbacks, no joints, material in the shower unit and just down the road we saw a totally new house built during the three weeks that we were there. The compromise seems to be to have cottage style wood at the bottom, plaster above and a walk in shower with splashback material. Any comments in my favour would be appreciated.

Betty, etiquette on e-mail, and presumably here, says that posting in capitals is the equivalent of shouting. Also this type of communication is different to verbal in that innuendo, sarcasm etc is not always appreciated or picked up by the recipient.

NB all this current work on the English house  is with a VIEW TO SELLING IT.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="richard51"]

Betty, etiquette on e-mail, and presumably here, says that posting in capitals is the equivalent of shouting. Also this type of communication is different to verbal in that innuendo, sarcasm etc is not always appreciated or picked up by the recipient.

NB all this current work on the English house  is with a VIEW TO SELLING IT.

[/quote]

Perhaps you might enlighten me as to the reason you have directed this last little pearl of wisdom at me? And then gone on to shout about selling your house?[8-)]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Certainly. Your post at 21.10 yesterday on this thread, and numerous others previously when others disagreed with you.

Smilies should also be discouraged.

Google "etiquette in e-mail" to find my reference.

I must admit I've breached one rule in responding immediately and also was being sarcastic in last sentence of my previous post..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you maybe taking the etiquette rules a little too seriously...it looks to me as if the caps in the post you refer to are used to stress a point, in two cases, and as an abbreviation in another....there's a big difference in that and WRITING WHOLE SCREEDS OF TEXT IN CAPS, LIKE THIS....that IS shouting

What's the point of smileys if they are discouraged?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...