Should I choose Splashbacks or Upstands?

 

Splashbacks, upstands or even tiling are all options available to you when protecting kitchen walls that are susceptible to water splashes, bubbling pans or contents from a spitting frying pan.

Which one is right for you I hear you ask? Well, that all depends on the look that you are after inside your kitchen and the budget that you have available.

See the sections below to see some images of how kitchens utilise splashbacks, tiles  and upstands.

Upstands

Our laminate upstands are around 120mm high and are used to create a border around the kitchen wall that is easy to wipe down after cooking. Upstands are also available in granite, quartz and Dekton and can be as high as 200mm, but the cost of granite is considerably more.

It is not recommended to have laminate upstands around the hob area. Laminate upstands are made primarily of wood and gas hobs can tend to project flames quite far, and as we all know, wood and flames do not mix! The solution would be to either use granite, which can go behind the hob or use a splashback or tiles behind the hob instead.

Upstands 3141

Kitchen Upstand

Kitchen Upstand

Kitchen Upstand

Splashbacks

Think of an upstand but much bigger. Splashbacks can either be put behind a kitchen hob or sink or you can have them all around your kitchen to leave a real stylish effect that will also be really easy to clean after prepping food.

Splashbacks are available in a multitude of materials ranging from stainless steel, glass, granite & acrylic. Splashbacks are about 20mm in thickness, so remember to factor this in as they butt up to your worktop so you will lose 20mm of usable space all the way around.

Splashback 3154

Kitchen Splashback

Kitchen Splashback

Kitchen Splashback

Tiling

Some people tend to tile the splashback areas of their kitchen, which is perfectly fine and can look just as good. Other people like to mix and match tiles with upstands to get a completely unique look. Whatever method you choose, your kitchens walls will get the protection that they need.

Kitchen Tiling

Kitchen Tiling

Kitchen Tiling

 




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38 thoughts on “Should I choose Splashbacks or Upstands?”
  • Nicola says:

    Hello, I am currently configuring my upstands, in the planning tool I had selected 100mm upstands but now that I am in the solid surface calculator tool it is only giving me the option of 75mm or 150mm upstands. The material I am going with is White Marble quartz.

     
    January 11, 2022 at 9:45 am
    • DIY Kitchens says:

      Hi, if you give our sales team a call on 01977 608 418 or create a support ticket on our website then they will be able to look into this for you and advise on which sizes are available.

       
      January 11, 2022 at 9:50 am
  • Lisa Watson says:

    I’m in the planning stages and only want an upstand in part of the kitchen, is the upstand supplied loose so that the sections can be fitted that we want installed and leave the others off.
    I can’t see an option on the planner to only supply certain sections.

     
    November 29, 2020 at 6:30 pm
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi Lisa, upstands for laminate/wooden worktops are supplied in 3 or 4 meter lengths, so you can order the correct amount to be fitted where you need. When your basket is created, you can remove any items/lenghts that you do not require, before checking out. If you need any more advice on this then our sales team will be able to help on 01977 608 418.

       
      November 30, 2020 at 7:16 am
  • Jamie says:

    Are your laminate splashback panels heat resistant and suitable to place along a run with a ceramic hob? Thank you.

     
    November 14, 2019 at 7:29 pm
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi Jamie, our Duropol Laminate Splashbacks are heat resistant to BS/EN 204 and are suitable to fit behind a hob, when fitted with the required distance between the hob and the wall (please see your appliance user manual for full details).

       
      November 15, 2019 at 2:25 pm
  • Laura says:

    Hi
    I want an acrylic made to measure splashback to cover tiles throughout my kitchen. Do you provide such a service?
    Thanks

     
    October 18, 2019 at 9:47 am
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi Laura, unfortunately we do not provide made to measure splashbacks, Just the ones shown on our website here. Sorry about that.

       
      October 18, 2019 at 9:58 am
  • Samantha says:

    I note that you state that your Duropal upstands and back panel/splahback are both 12mm in depth. However the Duropal website and other website state different depths. Can you confirm if both are indeed 12mm?

    I am proposing to use upstands throughout kitchen and back panel/splashback behind hob only, with the remainder of the walls being painted. I am concerned that if the tow products are not the same depth, there will be potential “gaps”/variations in depths, when using both products together [whether it be a) back panel/splashback ontop of upstand or b) back panel/splashback ontop of worktop i.e. inbetween gap in upstands].

    Your comments would be appreciated.

     
    February 26, 2019 at 11:11 pm
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi Samantha, we have checked this with our laminate supplier who has confirmed that our upstands and splashbacks are 12mm square edged, so there will not be any difference in thickness.

       
      March 1, 2019 at 9:11 am
  • Linda says:

    Hi I need your help I’ve finished of putting my sparkly kitchen worktops on now I need to put black gloss panels strips all around my worktops instead of grout or sealer but I’m not sure what there called I hope you can help me

     
    February 24, 2018 at 3:50 pm
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi, the strips that go around on the walls, the same colour as your worktop are called upstands.

       
      February 27, 2018 at 9:42 am
  • John says:

    When putting plug sockets into kitchen walls, do you know if there is a recommended height from the base of the worktop and does this height differ if I were to have upstands around the kitchens as well?

     
    January 19, 2018 at 9:43 am
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi, you will need at least 50mm from the upstands. If no upstands are being used then a gap of 100mm from the worktop would be sufficient. If you are tiling then we would suggest fitting the plug socket on the top of the tile so it is easier for the tiler.

       
      January 19, 2018 at 9:43 am
  • Tony Jones says:

    Hello
    We have a 1000mm stainless steel sink with a wooden worktop.
    And yes, the surround has gone mouldy and horrible.
    Are there sinks with a built-in upstand at the back, and wider at the sides, which could cover our mouldyness?
    Say 1080mm wide?
    Thank you
    Tony

     
    August 10, 2017 at 12:17 pm
  • Sandy Gatfield says:

    Hi – I’m in the planning stage of our kitchen and am considering a glass splashback behind the hob and laminate splashback to match the worktop everywhere else. The glass and laminate are different thicknesses and the laminate is thicker than the glass. How do you deal with the cut edges of the laminate splashback where it butts up to the glass splashback and on the end of a run? Any guidance appreciated. Cheers Sandy

     
    August 5, 2017 at 1:08 pm
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi, you can use a tile finishing strip, this is available from a variety of hardware and DIY stores, it comes in a range of thicknesses and colours. This will give a much cleaner and professional finish.

       
      August 8, 2017 at 10:00 am
  • Julie Finnegan says:

    I would like a glass splashback behind the hob but what do I do behind the sink? The space between the sink and the windowsill is 23cms so an upstand wouldn’t cover it. What do other people do about this?

     
    August 31, 2016 at 9:02 am
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      This would be down to personal reference. You can use upstands and it doesn’t have to cover it all but depending on which material worktop you are having, you could use either backboards from laminate and cut to size or if you are using a solid surface like quartz, the guys who install it can cut quartz to specific heights and measurements.

       
      September 1, 2016 at 8:31 am
  • Este says:

    Dear all
    We have a glass splashback, quartz upstands and planning to tile as well. We have a u shaped kitchen and I would like to use mosaic tiles at the front to liven up the plain grey cupboards.

    When does upstand come in – before or after the tiling? I will not tile behind the glass splash back though.

    I am getting conflicting advice from the fitter and tiler. Fitter says, plaster, splashback, tile then upstand. Tiler says, he can tile after the upstand.

    Help please

     
    July 6, 2016 at 9:45 am
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi, you would fit the upstand first then tile, the upstand needs a flat surface for this to fix to.

       
      July 7, 2016 at 12:29 pm
  • Jean James says:

    Should a glass splashback sit directly behind gas cooker as our fitter put splasback on top of upstand.

     
    November 28, 2015 at 12:10 pm
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi,

      Most people have them fitted right down to the worktop but it can sit on top of the upstand just fine.

       
      November 30, 2015 at 2:13 pm
  • Becky says:

    We are looking at laminate up stands in the Roma marble gloss, it comes as a height of 120mm, is it possible to trim this down as in one length we can only have 60mm height due to Windows?

     
    November 17, 2015 at 2:30 pm
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      The upstands can be cut down on site to the required height and the raw edge would be where the customer joins it to the worktop.

       
      November 17, 2015 at 2:30 pm
  • Olivia Sherwin says:

    This is some great information, and I appreciate your point that splashbacks make for easy cleaning after food preparation. I’m about to undergo a kitchen remodel, and one of the things I want to improve is the ease of cleaning it. I’ll definitely look into getting a glass splashback so it will be easy to maintain and keep looking nice. Thanks for the great post!

     
    October 30, 2015 at 8:17 pm
  • Mrs lea says:

    We tiled at the back of the hob but find the grout gets dirty can we put a glass splash back over the tiles?

     
    October 3, 2015 at 4:50 pm
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Yes you can put the splashback straight on the tiles but seal the top with silicone sealant to stop any water getting down behind it.

       
      October 5, 2015 at 4:13 pm
  • Eleanor says:

    We have just had an acrylic splash back fitted – should we have a glass protector over the hob to prevent heat damaging the acrylic?

     
    August 15, 2015 at 8:48 am
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Acrylic is a wonderful hard wearing product but it would be expensive to replace if it were to be heat damaged. Ceramic and induction hobs would give off the least amount of heat but gas hobs on a high setting give off extreme heat around the pan and will have an adverse effect on the acrylic splash back over time. Some protection for it would be advised.

       
      August 18, 2015 at 7:27 am
  • Ray says:

    How does a glass splashback attach to a wall behind a hob? Also, is it recommended to put the extractor up first and just cut the splashback to size so that it butts up to the top of it?? Thanks.

     
    July 3, 2015 at 7:13 am
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      It would depend on the splashback as some are supplied with pre-drilled holes for screw fixing but the majority would just fitted using adhesive.

      With the fitting, it would be down to their installer as some are bevelled and shaped at the top and some are cut perfectly to size.

       
      July 3, 2015 at 7:14 am
  • David Mannheim says:

    Wish I would have read this first! We went for splashbacks, not upstands. I think it was needed though. We also went for glass, not tile. Is there any reason why those shown here are so plain? I much prefer our bespoke one of the Avengers – it creates an awesome talking point (the guy that did it is called Ashley at http://www.glartique.com and he just does one off pieces – amazing!)

     
    May 21, 2015 at 12:21 am
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi,

      We get sent many pictures of people’s kitchens but none of them have ever had bespoke/custom made splashbacks. Yours does sound very interesting though! If you bought your kitchen from us then we can add it to our real customer kitchens page below.

      https://www.diy-kitchens.com/customer-reviews/

      You can send your kitchen pictures to social@diy-kitchens.com

      Look forward to seeing them!

       
      May 21, 2015 at 7:40 am
    • Ashley Phillips says:

      Thanks David for your lovely endorsement, I’m glad you went for the full glass bespoke splashback in the end. We think it looks fantastic and we really enjoyed working with you on your brief. It’s on our website now as we’re very proud of it http://www.glartique.com/project/london-with-a-twist-avengers-2
      cheers Ashley

       
      June 18, 2015 at 10:28 pm
  • Suri says:

    Hello

    I love the Liverno white gloss kitchen in your showroom. May I know the name of the worktop+splashback and upstands please?

    Can we just buy the worktop with splashback and upstand ?
    If we have to buy it with complete kitchen would you please help me with the name or product code ? I dont want to order the wrong worktops .

    I hope to hear from you soon.

    Kindest Regards ,
    Suri

     
    April 11, 2015 at 5:29 pm
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi, the worktops are Turissimo Basalt laminate. However, our supplier has discontinued it and it is unobtainable from us. Sorry.

       
      April 13, 2015 at 9:11 am
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