Answering Your Questions About Glass Splashbacks
Glass splashbacks are a great choice for your kitchen, as the glass opens up the space and makes it seem bright and clean, and also coordinates with any type of decor, from traditional to ultra-modern and everything in between. If you're thinking of glass splashbacks for your kitchen, note a few questions you might have about this material and then discuss this choice with an installer as needed.
Can the glass be as large as I want?
Glass splashbacks will usually have a maximum size, because the glass is so heavy and larger pieces can be difficult to transport. However, the pieces you need can be joined at unpolished ends so that their seam looks invisible to the eye, and the glass will look like one long, uninterrupted piece.
Is the paint colour safe?
Glass splashbacks are usually painted on the backside with an automotive paint, and then a heat process is applied so the paint is firmly adhered to the glass. This ensures that the paint will never peel, melt, chip, or otherwise come off, and especially not when exposed to the heat and humidity of a kitchen.
This also means that you cannot paint the glass splashback yourself, even with a glass paint, if you want to change the colour. Talk to your installer about how to repaint the splashback if you ever want to make a change in your kitchen.
Does the glass break?
All glass can technically break, but the toughened glass used as a splashback is very durable and not like a fragile window or drinking glass. If it should break, the glass won't shatter but will simply crack along the surface, which is an added safety feature, since you won't be at risk for injury from flying shards of glass.
Does heavy glass damage the walls?
The connectors used for a glass splashback help to disperse the weight of the glass along the wall studs, so it shouldn't cause any type of structural damage to the home. In many cases, the strong glass can actually help to keep walls firm and secure and provide structural support to your home.
The glass is also applied without grout and it doesn't have pits and grooves like many types of tile, so there is nothing to hold mould, bacteria, food particles, and other such debris. The glass then stays hygienic and clean, while the glass splashback protects the walls from food stains and damage due to humidity and steam in the kitchen.