Tiling a kitchen splashback: heights, hobs and materials

The most common upstand between worktop and wall units is around 600mm, which typically covers two or three courses of a standard 100mm metro tile plus grout joints, or a single large-format panel.

Above a run of units with no wall cabinet, such as behind a range cooker or in an open-plan kitchen island, splashbacks are often taken full height to the ceiling or to a defined bulkhead, purely for visual effect rather than protection.

Where units step down (an appliance gap, a window above the sink) the tiled height should stay consistent across the run rather than following every step, otherwise the finished wall looks patched together.

Manufacturers specify a minimum clearance between hob and any combustible surface above it, and separately a minimum clearance to any wall-mounted extractor. Tile itself is non-combustible and generally not the limiting factor; the substrate and any timber trim behind it can be.

As a practical minimum we tile at least 600mm above the worktop directly behind a hob, in ceramic or porcelain rather than glass, because glass can be more sensitive to sustained heat and grease build-up close to a ring.

Where an extractor hood sits above the hob, always check the appliance's minimum mounting height in its own instructions; that figure, not a generic rule of thumb, should set the top of the tiled area if it is being finished up to the hood.

Kitchen sockets above a worktop should be positioned with tiling in mind before installation, ideally centred on a joint line or a whole tile rather than straddling two tiles awkwardly.

We fit standard square-edge or bevelled tile trims around socket cut-outs rather than leaving a raw sawn edge, and use a socket surround or extended plate where the finished tile thickness pushes the switch face proud of a standard plate.

Cutting a neat circular or square hole in glass splashback for a socket is a specialist job done before toughening, which is one reason glass splashbacks are supplied and measured to order rather than trimmed on site.

Splashback material changes the price, the joint pattern and how much preparation the wall needs. The table below sets out how the common options compare on a typical run behind a kitchen worktop.

A 100mm x 200mm ceramic metro tile in a brick bond pattern is inexpensive, easy to source in almost any colour, and forgiving if one tile chips because it can be replaced individually without disturbing the rest of the wall.

Running the bond horizontally is standard, but a herringbone or vertical stack behind a specific feature (an island hob, a sink run) is increasingly common and adds a modest labour uplift for the extra cutting involved.

Metro tile grout lines do collect grease near a hob over time; a CG2 grout with an impregnating sealer, or an epoxy grout on the hob section specifically, keeps this manageable.

Toughened glass gives a completely seamless finish with no grout lines at all, which some homeowners want purely for the cleaning benefit. It is made to measure from a template taken after the worktop and units are fitted, so it typically follows on a week or two after tiling would otherwise happen.

Large-format porcelain panels achieve a similar low-joint look while remaining a tiled product that any tiler can cut and fit on site without a bespoke lead time, and individual panels can be replaced if damaged.

Both options need a genuinely flat substrate; more so than metro tile, which can accommodate very minor wall irregularity within its own joint lines.

Start from the centre of the hob or window, or from the most visible run, so the cuts are equal at both ends. A thin sliver of tile against a wall unit is what makes a splashback look amateur.

Check the worktop is level before tiling off it. If it is not, a batten set level for the first row keeps the grout lines straight even where the worktop dips.