Kitchens take more punishment than any other room in the house. Steam, grease, knocks from pans, splashes from the tap, and the daily wear of a family cooking and eating. When customers ask us about cladding their kitchen walls or replacing a tired splashback, the first thing we talk about is what that wall actually has to cope with, because the right answer changes completely depending on whether we are talking about the run behind a hob or a run of wall by the fridge.
There is a real difference between decorative wall cladding, which gives a kitchen character and warmth, and a functional splashback, which has one job: to protect the wall and be easy to wipe down. Plenty of kitchens now use both, with painted tongue and groove or shaker style panelling on the general walls and a hard, heat rated splashback material tucked in behind the cooking zone. We will go through the options and what they tend to cost fitted in Hampshire.
Cladding versus a splashback: not the same job
Wall cladding in a kitchen is usually about bringing some warmth and texture into a room that is otherwise dominated by hard cabinet fronts and worktops. It goes on walls that are not directly behind the cooking or the sink, things like the end of an island run, a breakfast nook, or the wall behind an open shelving unit. It does not need to withstand direct heat or constant water contact, so timber panelling, painted MDF, and even some fabric backed panels are fair game.
A splashback sits in the zone directly behind the hob and often behind the sink too. Building regulations do not dictate exact heat clearances for every setup, but manufacturers of hobs and extractors give minimum distances, and whatever goes on that wall needs to survive splashed fat, steam, and regular wiping with kitchen cleaners. This is where glass, stainless steel, stone, and tiled surfaces earn their keep over anything timber or fabric based.
We mention this distinction early because it is the most common confusion we come across. Customers see a lovely panelled kitchen photo online and want the same look right behind the hob, not realising the panelling in the photo is probably on a different wall entirely, with a discreet glass or tiled splashback doing the hard work out of shot.
Materials for the cooking zone
Toughened glass splashbacks are popular because they give a completely flat, seamless surface in any colour you like, including a colour matched exactly to your cabinet paint. They wipe clean in seconds and there is no grout line to worry about. The trade off is that glass shows fingerprints and water marks more readily than a textured tile, and a large single pane needs careful templating and professional fitting.
Tiled splashbacks remain the most familiar option and for good reason. They are durable, heat resistant, available in every price point, and easy for most tradespeople to fit and repair if a tile ever cracks. Metro tiles, large format porcelain, and natural stone are all common choices, each with a different maintenance load, stone in particular needs sealing and is not as forgiving of acidic spills as porcelain.
Stainless steel is the classic choice behind a range cooker in a country kitchen and still works well in more contemporary spaces. It handles heat without any concern, is genuinely hygienic, and develops a lived in patina over the years that some people love and others find shows every mark. Solid surface and quartz splashbacks, often supplied to match the worktop, give a very clean monolithic look but come at the higher end of the price scale.
- Toughened glass: colour matched, seamless, needs professional templating
- Tiles: widest choice, easiest to repair, needs grout maintenance
- Stainless steel: heat proof and hygienic, shows marks
- Quartz or solid surface: matches the worktop, higher cost
Where panelling and cladding earn their place
Away from the hob, panelling can do a lot for a kitchen that otherwise reads as a wall of cupboards. A run of vertical tongue and groove behind open shelving, a painted shaker grid on the end panel of an island, or panelling that continues from an adjoining dining or utility area all bring a sense of the kitchen being part of the house rather than a separate box of units.
We also get asked about cladding the wall behind a kitchen table or breakfast bar, effectively bringing dining room detailing into the kitchen itself. Painted MDF panelling works nicely here, and because it is away from direct heat and heavy splashing, ordinary kitchen or bathroom eggshell paint keeps it protected without needing anything more specialist.
For a slightly more textured, tactile finish some customers choose timber cladding with a natural oiled or lightly stained finish, particularly in kitchens that lean toward a Scandinavian or farmhouse look. It needs a bit more thought regarding humidity and needs to sit clear of direct steam sources, but used well it adds real warmth that painted units alone cannot give.
Guide costs for Hampshire kitchens
As a broad guide, a straightforward tiled splashback behind a hob, say a run of two to three metres, tends to land somewhere between 250 and 600 pounds fitted, depending on tile choice and whether existing tiling needs stripping out first. A single pane toughened glass splashback of similar size typically runs from 400 to 900 pounds once templating and colour matching are factored in.
Stainless steel splashbacks vary quite widely depending on gauge and whether it is a bespoke fabricated piece or a standard size panel, but 350 to 800 pounds is a fair range for most domestic runs. Quartz or solid surface splashbacks matched to a worktop are usually priced as part of the worktop quote rather than separately, and can add several hundred pounds on top.
Decorative panelling on the non cooking walls of a kitchen is priced more like our standard wall panelling work, typically in the range of 100 to 200 pounds per linear metre depending on the style and finish, painted on site. All of these are guide ranges only, and the final figure always depends on the exact wall, the state of what is underneath, and the finish you choose.
Practical points before you commit
Extraction matters more than people expect. A splashback material can only do so much if the extractor above the hob is underpowered, and steam that is not pulled away will find its way onto every surface in the room including any timber cladding nearby. It is worth having that conversation with your kitchen fitter or extractor supplier before finalising wall finishes.
Sockets, switches and any existing tiling grid also need thinking through early. Cutting a glass or stone splashback around sockets after the fact is far harder and pricier than templating with them in mind from the start, and the same goes for panelling around existing tiled areas, it is usually cheaper to remove old tiles fully than to try to panel over an uneven surface.
If you are planning a wider kitchen refresh alongside new wall finishes, it is worth reading our guide to kitchen transformation costs, which covers door refacing, worktops and islands, since splashback and cladding choices often get decided at the same time as those bigger decisions.
Getting the right advice for your kitchen
Every kitchen has its own quirks, an odd angled wall, a window that interrupts the run, an extractor that dictates clearances. We would rather see the space and talk through what you actually cook and how you use the room than quote blind from a floor plan, because that is how you end up with a splashback that looks right on paper but never quite works day to day.
If you are weighing up cladding, a new splashback, or a mix of both, give us a ring on 02380 201687 or 07833 227576, or drop a line to info@vipwalls.co.uk, and we can talk through what would suit your kitchen and give you a realistic guide price.
Common questions
- Can I put timber panelling directly behind the hob?
- We would not recommend it. Timber and painted MDF are not designed for direct heat and constant grease splashes, and even a well sealed finish will degrade faster than it should. Keep timber cladding to walls away from the cooking zone and use glass, tile, steel or stone directly behind the hob.
- Is a glass splashback hard to keep clean?
- It is actually one of the easiest surfaces to wipe down because there are no grout lines to collect grease, but it does show water marks and fingerprints more visibly than a textured tile. A quick wipe after cooking keeps it looking sharp.
- How much does a basic splashback cost fitted?
- As a guide, a straightforward tiled splashback for a typical hob run tends to fall between 250 and 600 pounds fitted, with glass and steel options often running a little higher. It depends heavily on size, material and the condition of the wall behind.
- Should I match the splashback to the worktop?
- It is a popular choice with quartz and solid surface worktops because it gives a very clean, continuous look, but it is not essential. Plenty of striking kitchens deliberately contrast the splashback material with the worktop for a bit more visual interest.
- Do you fit both the splashback and any decorative panelling?
- We handle the decorative panelling and cladding side of things ourselves, and we are happy to coordinate timing with your kitchen fitter or tiler so the splashback and panelling come together as one tidy job rather than two separate visits that do not quite line up.
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