A splashback is mostly set-out. The tiling is the easy part.
It is the most visible tiled surface in your kitchen, at eye level, lit from under the cabinets, and it deserves more than a straight tile and a bead of silicone. We plan the layout around your cabinetry, powerpoints and rangehood before a single tile is cut.
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Three ways a splashback goes wrong
None of these show on day one. All of them show for the next ten years, at eye level, every time you stand at the bench.
Spot-fixed tiles
Adhesive dabbed on in five blobs instead of combed across the whole tile. It holds — until something knocks it, or the tile sits over a cavity and cracks. Tap a bad splashback and you can hear it.
Set-out from the wrong end
Start tiling from the corner nobody planned and you finish with a 12 mm sliver against the most visible edge. Set-out decides where the cuts land, and it is a decision made before the first tile, not during.
Silicone doing grout’s job
Silicone belongs at movement junctions — bench to wall, internal corners. Used to hide sloppy cuts it discolours, peels and turns a new kitchen into a tired one inside two years.
What a proper splashback install looks like
A good splashback is planned before it is tiled. We set the layout around your cabinetry lines, powerpoints and rangehood so every cut is intentional and every joint is consistent, then bed the tiles in full-coverage adhesive.
We install every splashback material: slim subway laid in brick bond, large-format slabs with almost no grout lines, handcrafted-look gloss tiles, glass, natural stone and mosaics. If a tile needs special handling — glass, marble, oversized formats — we tell you up front, and we will be honest about what actually works behind a cooktop.
What actually drives the price
Anyone quoting a splashback per square metre over the phone is guessing. A small area carries proportionally more setup than a large one, so the rate moves. These are the things that decide it:
The tile
Glass, marble and oversized formats need slower cutting, different adhesive and more care on the setout. A standard ceramic subway is the quickest thing in the kitchen.
What is behind it
Whether the substrate is flat, sound and properly bonded, and whether an old splashback has to come off first. This is where surprises live.
Cuts and cutouts
Powerpoints, switches, rangehood returns and window reveals. Every cutout is a precise cut you only get one attempt at.
We look at the job and give you a clear, itemised quote before anything starts — preparation and finishing included, not a vague number that grows later.
Four stages, one tiler, no hand-offs
- Look and quote. We measure, check the substrate and what is coming off, talk through the tile, and price it line by line. No obligation.
- Set-out. Layout planned against cabinetry, powerpoints and rangehood so the cuts land where they should and the joints line through.
- Preparation. Surface made flat, sound and primed. Old splashback removed and the wall made good if there was one.
- Tile, grout, finish. Full-coverage adhesive, grout to suit the tile and the joint, silicone only at genuine movement junctions, and the bench left clean.
Judge the finish first
Before you book
How much does splashback tiling cost in Auckland?
It depends on the tile, the area and the surface condition. Small areas carry proportionally more setup and preparation time, which is why per-metre guesses mislead. We look at the job and give you a clear, itemised quote up front, no guessing.
How long does a splashback take?
Most kitchen splashbacks are a one-day job. Full wall height, intricate layouts or oversized formats can take two days. We confirm the timeline in your quote.
What tiles can you install as a splashback?
All of them: ceramic, porcelain, glass, natural stone, large format and mosaic. We advise on what suits a cooking zone, heat, grease and cleaning, before you commit to a material.
Do you supply tiles or do I buy them?
Both work. We can point you to our suppliers, or install tiles you have already chosen. Either way we specify quantities so you do not over-order.
Can you tile over an existing splashback?
Sometimes, but rarely without checking. It depends on what is behind it and whether the existing surface is sound, flat and properly bonded. We look before we commit to it, because tiling over a failing substrate just moves the problem.
Ready for a splashback you will actually enjoy looking at?
Send a photo and a rough size and we will tell you what it needs. For an itemised quote we will come and look.