Kitchen Splashback Installation Costs UK — What to Charge to Fit One in 2026

Splashback Costs by Material

The single biggest driver of price is the material. Each one carries a different supply cost, a different fitting method, and a different level of skill and risk. Here's a breakdown of the main types with current UK supply and fitting prices. Supply figures assume a standard run behind a hob and worktop — roughly 1–3m of wall — unless stated otherwise.

Acrylic / Perspex Splashback

Acrylic (often sold as Perspex or under brand names like Splashpanel) is the cheapest and fastest option. It comes as a 3–6mm sheet, cuts easily on site with a jigsaw or circular saw, and bonds straight to the wall with a high-grab adhesive and a bead of colour-matched silicone at the edges. It is the go-to for budget refits and rental properties.

The one limitation to flag: standard acrylic is not heat-resistant enough to sit directly behind a gas hob or a high-output induction unit without a guard, so most manufacturers specify a minimum gap or a heat-resistant variant behind the hob. Check the product spec before you commit.

• Supply (standard run): £40–£120
• Fitting: £60–£150
• Per linear metre supplied: £25–£60/m

Toughened Glass Splashback (incl. Coloured / Printed)

Toughened glass is the most popular premium upgrade. It's heat-resistant, wipes clean, and a single seamless panel looks far more expensive than tiles. Plain low-iron glass with a back-painted colour is the standard; digitally printed and bespoke-coloured panels cost more. Crucially, glass must be cut, toughened and have any socket cut-outs made before tempering — you cannot drill or trim it on site, so accurate templating is non-negotiable.

Fitting is straightforward once the panel arrives — adhesive pads or silicone fix it to the wall — but the lead time on bespoke glass is typically 1–3 weeks. Build that into your programme so it doesn't hold up the rest of the kitchen.

• Supply (back-painted, standard run): £150–£400+
• Printed / bespoke-coloured: add £100–£250
• Fitting: £80–£200

Tiled Splashback

Tiling remains the most flexible option and is priced quite differently — by area (m²) or per tile for the materials, plus tiling labour. Metro tiles, mosaics and large-format porcelain all sit in different cost brackets. Tiling labour is the big variable: a simple straight run of metro tiles is quick, but herringbone, mosaics or natural stone tiles take far longer and justify a higher rate.

• Tile supply: £15–£60/m² (budget ceramic to premium porcelain/stone)
• Tiling labour: £40–£90/m² depending on pattern and tile size
• Adhesive, grout, trims and sundries: £20–£60 per job
• Typical small splashback area: 1.5–3m²

For a small splashback most tilers apply a minimum day or half-day charge rather than a pure m² rate, because setup, cutting and edges take the same time whether the area is 2m² or 4m². Don't let a tiny m² figure drag your quote below your day rate.

Stainless Steel Splashback

Stainless steel suits behind-hob zones in both domestic and semi-professional kitchens. It's fully heat-resistant, hygienic and has an industrial look that some clients love. Off-the-shelf hob-width panels are cheap; full bespoke sheets with brushed finishes, folded edges and pre-cut socket apertures cost considerably more and need ordering to size.

• Off-the-shelf hob panel: £40–£100
• Bespoke brushed sheet (full run): £150–£450
• Fitting: £70–£170

Stone / Quartz / Granite Splashback (matched to worktop)

This is the top of the market — a stone, quartz or granite splashback (often called an upstand when short, or a full-height panel when it runs to the wall units) cut from the same slab as the worktop for a seamless match. It is the most expensive option by a clear margin because it must be templated on site, cut by a stone fabricator with CNC machinery, and the socket cut-outs and edge polishing add labour and risk.

Lead times of 1–2 weeks are normal because the panel is fabricated alongside or after the worktop. If a client wants a perfect colour match, the splashback should ideally be cut from the same batch as the worktop — coordinate this with the fabricator early.

• Supply & template (per piece): £200–£600+
• Full-height bespoke panels: can exceed £800
• Fitting / installation: £100–£250

Installer Day Rates and Context

Most splashback fitting is priced as a part-day or day job rather than a pure per-metre figure, so it helps to anchor your quote to a realistic day rate. In 2026 a kitchen fitter, joiner or tiler typically charges £150–£300 per day, with the higher end in London and the South East or for specialist stone work. An electrician brought in to move or add a socket charges similar — expect £150–£300 per day or a fixed price per accessory.

A straightforward acrylic or single-panel glass splashback is often a half-day for one person; a full tiled run or a templated stone job with cut-outs can run to a full day or span two visits (template, then fit).

What Drives the Price Up

Two splashbacks of the same material can differ in price by hundreds of pounds depending on the conditions of the job. Survey for these before you quote:

• Material choice: the largest single factor — acrylic to quartz spans roughly £40 to £800+ on supply alone.
• Heat resistance behind the hob: standard acrylic may need a heat-resistant upgrade or a gap, changing the spec and cost.
• Cut-outs for sockets and switches: every aperture for a socket, switch or extractor adds cost — for glass and stone these must be cut at the factory, so an error means a remake.
• Templating: glass and stone need an accurate site template, a separate visit and a chargeable skill.
• Removing old tiles or splashback and making good: stripping old tiles, removing adhesive and re-plastering or skimming the wall can easily add half a day.
• Wall flatness: bowed or uneven walls are a real problem for rigid panels — glass and stone won't sit flush, and you may need to pack, scribe or skim first.
• Number of pieces and joins: a return wall, a window reveal or a corner means multiple panels and more joins to silicone.
• Edge polishing (glass and stone): exposed polished edges add fabrication cost versus an edge that tucks behind units.
• Delivery and lead time: bespoke glass and stone carry 1–3 week lead times and delivery charges that you must price in.

Sockets, Fixing and Matching the Worktop

Splashbacks rarely sit on a blank wall — there are almost always sockets, switches or an extractor in the way. Coordinate socket positions with the electrician before the splashback is templated. If sockets need moving or adding, that's electrical work: under Part P of the Building Regulations, certain kitchen electrical work is notifiable and should be carried out or signed off by a registered electrician. Don't cut a client's bespoke glass around a socket that's about to be relocated.

On fixing method, you generally have two options: a high-grab construction adhesive (panel bonded flat to the wall) or specialist fixing pads, with a bead of colour-matched silicone around all edges and abutments. Silicone alone is not a fixing — it's a seal. Adhesive does the holding; silicone keeps water out behind the panel and gives a clean finish where the splashback meets the worktop and units.

Where a stone or quartz splashback is matched to the worktop, cut it from the same slab or batch wherever possible so the veining and colour run through. Even on glass, take care matching a back-painted colour to existing units or worktops — ask for a sample before ordering a full panel.

Quick Reference: Splashback Prices UK 2026

Worked Example: Pricing a Glass Splashback Behind a Hob and Run

A client wants a single seamless back-painted glass splashback behind a 600mm induction hob and along a 2.4m run of worktop, with two double sockets to be cut out. The wall is reasonably flat and there's an existing tiled splashback to remove first. Here's how you might build the price:

• Glass panel supply (back-painted, ~2.4m with 2 cut-outs): £320
• Templating visit (half-day allowance): £90
• Remove old tiles + make good / skim: £120
• Fitting (adhesive, silicone, trims): £140
• Delivery of bespoke panel: £40
• Electrician (coordinate sockets, no relocation): allow £0–£120

That comes to roughly £710–£830 before VAT and your margin. Quote it as a single fixed price with the panel, template and making-good shown as separate lines so the client sees what they're paying for. If sockets need relocating, add the electrician's charge and Part P sign-off as a clearly separate line.

Quoting Tips and Avoiding Underpricing Bespoke Materials

The classic mistake on splashbacks is pricing the easy bit (fitting) and forgetting the expensive bit (a bespoke material with a lead time, a delivery charge and a remake risk). Protect yourself with these habits:

• Always template before ordering glass or stone. A measurement off a drawing is not a template. The cost of a remake on a £400 panel wipes out your margin instantly.
• Charge separately for templating and making good. These are real time costs that disappear if you fold them into a single fitting figure.
• Mark up supplied materials. If you're supplying the bespoke panel, add a sensible margin — you're carrying the lead-time and remake risk, not just passing on a sheet of glass.
• Apply a minimum charge. A tiny acrylic or tiled splashback still costs you a half-day of setup, cutting and edges — don't quote below your minimum job rate.
• Survey the wall. Bowed walls turn a quick panel fit into a packing-and-skimming job. Spot it on site, not after you've quoted.
• Confirm the hob spec. Heat behind the hob changes the material spec — get it right before ordering acrylic or printing glass.
• Put lead times in writing. A 2-week wait on bespoke glass should be in the quote so it never becomes a complaint about you holding up the kitchen.

A clear, itemised quote that shows the client exactly what the material, template, removal and fitting each cost wins more work than a single round number — and it stops you absorbing costs that should have been charged.