What is a
splashback?
The wall surface between the benchtop and the overheads, doing a genuinely thankless job.
The short answer
A splashback is the water- and heat-resistant surface fixed to the wall between the benchtop and the underside of the overhead cabinets, protecting the wall from cooking splatter, grease and moisture. It ranges from a narrow strip behind the cooktop and sink only, to a full-height splashback running the entire wall from bench to overheads or ceiling.
Strip versus full height
A strip splashback covers just the areas most exposed to splatter and is the cheaper option; a full-height splashback covers the entire wall in one material, which reads as more considered and eliminates the join line between splashback and painted wall above it — visible in almost every kitchen that used a strip.
What it is usually made from
Stone or engineered stone matching the benchtop, glass, tile, or a mirror-polished panel are the common choices. Behind a cooktop specifically, heat rating matters more than anywhere else in the kitchen — check any material's heat tolerance before it goes anywhere near a gas or induction cooktop.
Kitchen & cabinetry glossary
More in this series: What is a cabinet carcass? · What is a kickboard? · What is a scribe piece? · What is edge banding? · What is a full-extension runner? · Soft-close hinges explained · What is a handleless kitchen? · What is a waterfall benchtop edge? · What is a mitred join? · What is a service drawing? · What does "supply only" mean? · What is a tall pantry unit? · What is a corner carousel? · What is a blind corner cabinet? · Push-to-open hardware explained · What is moisture-resistant board? · What is an overhead cabinet?.
Frequently asked
Common questions
If your question is not here, call the studio. We would rather talk it through than have you guess.
Ask us directly →Does a splashback need to match the benchtop?
No, though a full-height splashback in the same stone as the benchtop is a common way to make a kitchen feel like one continuous material rather than several competing finishes.
Is glass or stone better behind a cooktop?
Both perform well if correctly rated for heat; toughened glass and stone both tolerate cooktop heat, while some laminates and standard tiles with certain grouts do not hold up as well over time.
Is a full-height splashback worth the extra cost?
Often, for the visual result alone — it removes a join line and reads as a more finished, considered kitchen, which matters if the room is on display as much as it is used.
Delivered assembled
The assembly is done
before it arrives.
Carcasses built square on a bench, Blum hardware fitted, doors hung and adjusted to even gaps. On site you are fixing finished cabinets to a wall, not building them on the floor. Our own team fits it in Central Queensland; your installer fits it anywhere else in Australia. Prefer to build it yourself? The same kitchen ships flat pack.
Long island, one delivery
Tall units arrive as built boxes
Concrete-look doors, matte black hardware
Put it to use
Reading is one thing.
Your room is another.
Send us your dimensions and we will tell you what actually works in your space — and what it costs. Free, fixed, and yours to keep either way.