Kitchen splashbacks and feature walls

A tiled kitchen splashback is usually a one or two day job: the wall is prepared, tiles are fixed between the benchtop and the overhead cupboards or rangehood, then grouted and sealed. The published Brisbane range for a splashback with tiles supplied and laid is $400 to $1,200. Toowoomba Tilers is a referral website, so the tiler who receives your enquiry sets the price and does the tiling.

Feature walls outside the kitchen

The same skills apply to feature walls in living rooms, entries, bedheads and behind a bath. Feature walls are usually about the set out. A tiler will want to agree where the pattern starts, how it meets the ceiling and corners, and where any cut tiles end up, because a feature wall puts every joint on show. Heavy stone or thick tiles may need the wall checked or relined so it can carry the weight.

Why people tile a splashback or feature wall

• The kitchen has painted plaster behind the cooktop that stains and will not scrub clean.
• New benchtops have gone in and the old splashback no longer fits.
• An older kitchen is being refreshed without replacing the cabinets.
• A living room, entry or bedhead wall needs a single feature surface.
• A glass splashback has cracked and the owner wants something easier to replace.

Splashback tile options compared

Tile	Look	Labour and upkeep
Subway ceramic	Classic brick pattern, many colours	Lots of grout lines, simple to cut
Large format porcelain	Few joints, modern	Heavy, needs a flat wall and careful cuts around power points
Mosaic sheets	Texture and pattern	Slow to set out, more grout to keep clean
Natural stone	Marble or travertine feel	Needs sealing and care with acidic spills
Handmade or zellige style	Uneven, glossy	Wide joints and extra time to lay

Feature and mosaic work takes longer per square metre. The published labour range for mosaic or feature tiling is $80 to $170 per sqm, against $40 to $100 per sqm for standard wall tiles.

What the tiler will check

1. The wall. Old tiles can sometimes stay as a base if they are sound and well stuck, but a tiler may prefer to remove them. Old timber or VJ board walls in a Queenslander kitchen usually need a sheet lining before tiles go on.
2. Height and finish lines. Where the tiles stop at the top, the ends of the bench and around windows.
3. Power points and switches. Tiles add thickness, so outlets may need to come forward. Only a licensed electrician can move or refit them.
4. The cooktop. Gas cooktops have clearance rules to nearby surfaces under AS/NZS 5601.1. Your gas fitter or the appliance instructions confirm what applies, and the tiler works around it.
5. Tile supply. Splashback tiles are often chosen by the owner, so tell the tiler early whether they are supplying or laying yours.

How a splashback gets done

1. Bench, cooktop and floor covered, power isolated at the outlets being worked on.
2. Old splashback removed if needed and the wall patched flat.
3. Layout set out from the centre of the cooktop or sink so cuts are even at each end.
4. Tiles fixed with adhesive, spaced and checked for level.
5. Grout once the adhesive has set, then flexible sealant along the bench and at inside corners.
6. Electrician refits the cover plates.

What does it cost?

From the published Brisbane ranges in this independent cost guide:

• Splashback with tiles supplied and laid: $400 to $1,200
• Feature or mosaic labour: $80 to $170 per sqm
• Tiler hourly rate for small jobs: $50 to $100 per hour

Small splashbacks are often charged as a minimum job rather than per square metre. Our tiling cost guide for Toowoomba has the full table.

Rules for small jobs in Queensland

The QBCC licence threshold is building work valued over 3,300 dollars, so a small splashback may fall under it. Hiring a licensed tiler is still worth doing, because the licence record shows their history. For jobs up to 3,300 dollars, the QBCC says the deposit should be no more than 20 per cent, according to its guide to deposits and progress payments. Jobs under the threshold are also outside the Home Warranty Scheme, so keep the written quote and invoice.

What a careful tiler will not do

• Tile over a greasy or painted surface without cleaning and priming it.
• Pull off cover plates or move power points themselves.
• Tile hard into the bench joint with grout instead of a flexible sealant.
• Start a feature wall before agreeing the layout and where the cut tiles will sit.

Toowoomba kitchens

Older Toowoomba kitchens in timber houses often have uneven walls and windows over the sink, which add cuts and set out time. Plasterboard walls in more recent houses usually tile faster. In a unit or townhouse, and Kearneys Spring has plenty of them, check any body corporate rules about renovation work before booking. Many owners do the splashback at the same time as new floor tiles, or alongside a bathroom retile, which can cut setup and travel costs.

Next step

Measure the length and height of the splashback, photograph the wall with the cooktop and power points in view, and ask for splashback quotes through the form.

Send a job enquiry