Splashbacks. Acrylic or glass?

[ScreamingBeans]

That's it really. All the acrylic companies say acrylic is better and all the glass companies say glass is better.

So I thought I'd ask people who actually have them in situ.

I have glass splashbacks and worktop. Love it. You can't burn glass when you take something out of the oven lol

I have glass ones and hate them. They need taking down regularly to clean behind then (insects and grease end up there) which is a pain but most annoying is that the twit who put in the splashback behind the oven put it in so that it can't be moved so we now have several years worth of grease (we are keen cooks) dripping down behind it. Yuck.

I have quartz same as my worktop

Neither. Id do granite to match the counter, or tile.

I had glass in my old house, installed for 12 years. I was really pleased with it and it looked as good at end as when we had them fitted. No issues at all. But they were firmly stuck to the wall unlike PP describes. No issue with insects and couldn't remove them.

I do miss my old kitchen (and the mango coloured glass splash backs - They glowed in the light ...)

Janina that sounds alarming, how can that happen? Surely it's been fitted wrongly if that's happening?

I have red glass which looks lovely. But the cleaners cracked it by cleaning it too hard. Gutted.

Whatever you do, don't have tiles that aren't flat. We have textured tiles that are an absolute bugger to get clean and I hate them.

Neither. Id do granite to match the counter, or tile.

This.

I haven't got a granite counter, it's one of those composite laminates.

Why tiles rather than glass?

Screamingbeans nothing has ever got behind my glass!

Love my glass splashback. It’s firmly stuck and sealed so no grease or insects behind it!

@ScreamingBeans
I had tiles last time round and would not do it again - cleaning the grout is a job and a half ( although I did have a stainless steel splash back once behind the oven )

I have glass now and the way mine are stuck to the wall there is no way any fly could get behind it - I agree with @CorsicaDreaming and @BonnyandPoppy if you get grease or flies down the back they are just badly fitted.

I can't speak about acrylic but my instinct would be it may scratch more easily or become dull after cleaning. If you clean glass carefully it will pretty much come up well

@Campervan69 - Oh I am sorry but you must have had extreme cleaners - I do wonder how they could have cracked a splash back - banged something against it ? - but that would have to be hard. We've had ours for 10 years near as anything and still look as good as they ever did

I love tiles with a clear glass splashback on top at the hob. No more grout scrubbing.

I have composite laminate too and have it as a splashback as well, it's the thin one so v straightforward (doesn't stick out IYSWIM)

@ScreamingBeans

Janina that sounds alarming, how can that happen? Surely it's been fitted wrongly if that's happening?

Well yes, probably. But the splashbacks were put in by the previous owners so nothing we can do about it except change them.

Neither. Have you looked at granite? I have a granite splash back and love mine!

I have been thinking about having glass splash backs as I can't quite find the tile colour I am after and thought this way I get the colour and the protection without all that grout to clean. I was a bit worried reading someone got grease and flies behind theirs but glad to see that's a one off, or at least not the norm.

I wouldn't have acrylic - surely it would be far too easy to scratch!

We have acrylic and love them. They are so much better than tiles. Depending on what’s splashed on them I either use a non abrasive cleaner or furniture polish. They shine up a treat.

@MrCrackersmum that looks lovely! I’m about to bite the bullet and order pink acrylic splashbacks. I moved a year ago and the kitchen is about 11 years old, so I don’t want to spend 2k on glass splashbacks around an old kitchen.

@JaninaDuszejko I'm glad I'm not the only one! We have a few bugs behind ours. We even got the builder to come and refit the glass. Somehow it keeps happening. I wouldn't have glass again for this reason.

Just got rid of my glass splash back because of the hideous tiny flies that went there to die.
Never again!

Tiles or granite would be my choice

We were going tonhave glass but when the fitter started on our units he realised our wall had a very slight bend in it (old house). He was able to fit the units to fit and the worktop was cut to fit but glass/acrylic was ruled out and we had tiles instead. We've gone for grey grout so they don't get discoloured. We've got dark coloured acrylic ones at work and they really show watermarks (hard water area).

Acrylic scratches pretty easily.

I'd go for glass (which can also scratch but does so less easily). I'm on my second glass splash back.