What materials are most popular for stone splashbacks?

Quartz and porcelain dominate the splashback market for good reason — both offer an enormous range of colours and patterns, from subtle neutral tones to dramatic marble reproductions, and both are completely non-porous, meaning cooking splashes, oil, and steam wipe away without leaving a trace. Natural marble splashbacks remain hugely popular for their authentic beauty, particularly in traditional and transitional kitchen designs. Sintered stone is gaining rapid ground among clients who want absolute heat immunity behind hobs. We typically recommend matching your splashback material to your worktop for a seamless, cohesive kitchen design.

Can a splashback be cut from the same slab as the worktop?

This is exactly what we recommend wherever possible, and it is one of the significant advantages of working with a single fabricator for your entire kitchen. Cutting the splashback from the same slab as the worktop ensures a perfect colour, pattern, and veining match — the two surfaces read as a single, continuous piece of stone. The visual impact is particularly striking with dramatic veined marbles or bold quartz designs, where the veining flows unbroken from the worktop up the wall. We plan the slab layout during the templating stage to optimise material usage and vein alignment across both surfaces.

How tall should a kitchen splashback be?

The most common height for a splashback between worktop and wall units is between 450mm and 600mm, dictated by the gap between your cabinets. Full-height splashbacks — running from worktop to ceiling — are increasingly popular in modern kitchen designs, particularly on feature walls behind hobs or around kitchen islands. Behind a hob with an extractor above, building regulations require a minimum non-combustible zone, and stone comfortably exceeds this requirement. We measure the exact height during templating, accounting for any variations in ceiling height or cabinet alignment that a standard tile installation might struggle to accommodate.

Is a stone splashback easy to keep clean behind a hob?

Dramatically easier than tiles. The absence of grout lines means there are no textured channels for grease, oil, and cooking residue to accumulate in. On quartz, porcelain, and sintered stone, cooking splashes simply wipe away with a damp cloth or a mild kitchen cleaner — even dried-on sauce, oil spatter, and turmeric staining clean up effortlessly. Natural stone splashbacks sealed with a quality impregnating sealer perform almost as well, though acidic splashes (lemon juice, vinegar, tomato sauce) should be wiped promptly from marble to prevent etching. For hob-adjacent areas, sintered stone offers the added benefit of complete heat immunity.

Can stone splashbacks accommodate power sockets and switches?

Absolutely — this is a standard part of our fabrication process. During the templating visit, our surveyor marks the precise position of every socket, switch, and any other cutout required. We then machine these openings in our workshop using CNC equipment, ensuring clean, precise apertures that align perfectly with the electrical fittings. The result is far neater than the typical tile installation, where sockets often fall awkwardly across grout lines or require unsightly tile cuts. If you are planning a kitchen renovation and want to relocate sockets, we recommend coordinating with your electrician before the templating visit.

How is a stone splashback installed?

Installation is a clean, precise process that typically takes a few hours for a standard kitchen. The stone arrives pre-fabricated with all cutouts already machined, so on-site work is minimal. Our fitters apply a specialist adhesive to the wall and position the slab using vacuum lifters, adjusting for perfect alignment with the worktop and cabinets. Joints between splashback sections (if required) are sealed with colour-matched silicone for an almost invisible finish. Unlike tiling — which involves mixing adhesive, cutting tiles, grouting, and cleanup over one to two days — a stone splashback installation is faster, cleaner, and delivers a dramatically superior finish.

Does a stone splashback need a gap between the worktop and the bottom edge?

We always leave a small expansion gap (typically 2–3mm) between the worktop surface and the bottom edge of the splashback. This gap accommodates the natural thermal movement of both surfaces and prevents any stress cracking that could occur if the two are rigidly bonded. The gap is sealed with a matching silicone bead that is virtually invisible once cured. This is standard practice in professional stone fabrication and ensures the installation remains structurally sound for decades. The same principle applies at the junction between the splashback and wall units above.

Can stone splashbacks be illuminated with LED strip lighting?

Under-cabinet LED lighting paired with a stone splashback creates one of the most effective and affordable kitchen upgrades available. The light washes down the stone surface, highlighting the natural veining and texture while providing excellent task lighting for food preparation. For maximum impact, we recommend honed or leathered finishes that diffuse the light beautifully, rather than polished surfaces that can create glare. We can also fabricate splashbacks with a small rebate at the top edge to conceal LED strip lighting channels, creating a clean, integrated look with no visible light fittings.

Stone Splashbacks | Quartz, Granite & Marble