Thread: Alternative splashbacks to glass and tile

Originally Posted by OBBob

What about powder coated MDF as another alternative?

Hi Obbob,

In regards to powder coated mdf. How and where can you have it done?

In my current reno I have one of those old shave cabinets built in to the wall under the window, it had sliding mirror doors.

I have removed the doors and track. I would like to put a door on it with mirror that lifts up. I am trying to figure out what type of wood to put the mirror on to, that will hold up to the steam and water etc. I am also, trying to figure out the best way of attaching the mirror to the wood.

I am open to suggestions, see photo below.

Back to the main thread, for the splash backs in this reno I am using a strip of approx. 200mm Creastyle laminate and painting the rest of the wall. I have electric hotplates so the heat factor is not the same as gas, I haven't decided if I am going to put stainless steel or glass etc behind the hotplates or not. The laminate is really cool, it's stainless steel look with little dots of chrome.

Celeste

Not sure where to get the mdf in Perth but I don't think it is that uncommon, however I haven't looked into it toomuch so I'm not sure what the common uses or limitations are.

I guess you could get moisture rated mdf for the door. The mirror could just be glued on if you used an appropriate glue.

Originally Posted by Splashbacks

Sorry everyone. We have been inundated with emails and am working on replying to one and all. In the meantime, as pawnhead suggested, here are some pics. I am not a pc wizard so I hope these work out for you all. Please continue to send your emails and we will be pleased to help you. We have a lot of work ahead of us to get out there but we will be happy to help anyone who is interested.

did anyone ever get any pics of the fuax-glass splashbacks?

Originally Posted by Pulse

I know this is an old post but has anyone used Akril? They distribute through Nover which have heaps of locations.

I might look into it for my next project

Pulse

I was looking at this too, has anyone used this?
Robot Trading in Vic supply it, I haven't enquired about the price yet, but it looks simple to use and I assume it's a lot cheaper than glass, but looks quite similar (on pictures anyway, I haven't seen in real life)

http://www.akril.com.au/

Originally Posted by encino_

I was looking at this too, has anyone used this?
Robot Trading in Vic supply it, I haven't enquired about the price yet, but it looks simple to use and I assume it's a lot cheaper than glass, but looks quite similar (on pictures anyway, I haven't seen in real life)

http://www.akril.com.au/

looks good, butnot recommended behind cooktops

Can Akril be used behind cooktops?
Akril can be used in any vertical situation where coming into contact with direct heat isn’t a consideration. Heat sources greater than 100° Celsius can cause distortion and while Akril has a higher heat resistance than most polymers, it is generally not recommended for applications directly behind cooktops.

100 degrees would definately be a problem with gas, possibly for someone who use high heat on a rear electric radiant, a fair bit less likely on a ceran top electric and virtually impossible ona induction cook top.

Hoever they wont cover you, so its use at your own risk. I have a non toughened mirror as splashback, and the supplier was having a hissy fit, found a supplier who would do it no probs as long as i didnt ring him if it cracked - fair enough - no dramas 2yrs later!

Yeah I'm having an induction cooktop, so heat really isn't an issue I don't think

Originally Posted by encino_

Yeah I'm having an induction cooktop, so heat really isn't an issue I don't think

Except that the pots still get hot and can radiate heat.

I would not recommend using anything but a material that is completely fire retardant behind a cooktop - this includes materials that might not burn but will distort under a heat load.

Cheers,

My kitchen has granite splashbacks. Looks very nice.

I hate tiling so I used 600x600 porcelain tiles.
The whole kitchen was done with 12 tiles
Looks excellent!!!

Originally Posted by Daren

did anyone ever get any pics of the fuax-glass splashbacks?

Yes i did...

looks like a great product, can't wait to hear more from these guys....

I have seen the Robot Trading products and think they're brilliant.... I am not talking about them in the context of splashbacks requiring heat resistance, which they are unsuitable for, but as a translucent 'accent' or 'detail' material they're spectacular. I recall one material that had an amber hue and 'bits' in it like fern pieces ..... it was backlit softly and was stunning. I thought it'd make beautiful lampshades. I reckon they'd work well for all other areas in a kitchen..... even door panels .... upper ones with soft lighting behind .... yummy!

- OK, back on my head!

Originally Posted by Sybarite

Except that the pots still get hot and can radiate heat.

I would not recommend using anything but a material that is completely fire retardant behind a cooktop - this includes materials that might not burn but will distort under a heat load.

Cheers,

Hi Sybarite,

what would you recommend personally for a good splashback?

Hi Daren,

There are a few good options that are fire retardant and durable.

Tiles, Toughened Glass, Engineered Stone, Granite and Steel are at the top of the list.

These all have thier pros and cons as well as significant price differences for supply and Installation.

I am particularly fond of glass.
It is smooth and mostly seamless, which makes it easy to keep clean and is available in a large range of colours.

Cons are price and installation.
A template needs to be made once all cabinets are in place and holes need to be cut for GPOs and other services.

Alternatively you can choose to only put a fire retardant material such as glass behind the cooktop and finish the rest of the splashbacks in some of the other options previously discussed.

If you are looking for a cheaper option I think those 600 x 600 square edged vitrified tiles (as per MickJ) are a pretty good option.
The idea with them is that the amount of exposed grout is kept to a minimum which keeps things clean and tidy.

I hope this helps some.

Cheers,