This week I got an email from a lovely reader asking about my kitchen splashback — is marble hard to maintain, does it stain easily and any other feedback I have on using marble in the kitchen.
For those of you who followedmy home build, you’d remember thatdeciding on benchtops and splashbackswas a nightmare. I had my heart set on marble benchtops but when all I heard was horror story after horror story about staining, chipping etc, I started looking for other options.
That’s when I stumbled across a stylish kitchen Greg Natale designed that used a quartz benchtop and marble splashback.
I loved it immediately and knew a similar approach would work in my home.
Instead of a quartz benchtop though, we opted for ‘Organic White’ by Caesarstone. It’s a slightly more expensive product but our kitchen designer said it will appear white without being so bright that every finger mark or bread crumb will stand out. He was right and I love the combo!
So onto the real question of this post — is a marble splashback a good idea?
I say, yes, Yes, YES!
The marble is right behind our cooktop and is constantly getting splattered with tomato sauce, wine, oil — my husband is Italian after all — and there’s not a stain in sight.
We sealed the stone with a high quality natural stone sealer (applied two coats) when we moved in and now we just wipe it down with a damp cloth to clean. It’s that easy.
I think a marble splashback is a happy compromise between wanting to use natural marble in the kitchen without being too fearful to use the space (there’s no point in having a designer kitchen if you can’t use it!). We also used marble on the island kick to bring more of the material into the kitchen.
Of course, there are also plenty of faux marble options out there —CaesarstoneandSilestonehave a huge range or you can always use a large format porcelain tile with marble pattern for a more affordable option.
I couldn’t be happier with our kitchen and thought it was worth sharing a positive story about marble in the kitchen because when I did my research, it was mainly negative and I nearly got scared off using marble altogether!
Hi Gina, I’m renovating my kitchen soon and have been wanting to have a feature wall at the back of the induction stove using calacatta gold subway tiles 75x150mm size with 30% offset. For the benchtop, it’ll be Caesarstone. My question is about the splash back like yours, how has it held up over years of cooking and splattering? Tiling companies and builders have discouraged me from using it coz it’s not suitable for Asian cooking (greasy walls). They say the oil will seep into the marble even when it’s sealed.
Hi Merivale, I love our marble splashback. It’s been 6 years and it still looks gorgeous… and we only ever sealed it the one time (probably should do a touch up as they recommend doing it every year!). If you can use an epoxy grout though, that could save you potential headaches with grout. Many people use peroxide etc. to clean grout but when you have a natural marble tile, you need to use gentler cleaners… it may mean your grout discolours over time whereas epoxy grouts are virtually stain proof. Hope this helps
Any recommendations for white kitchen. I’m planning to have white gloss canistry and marble natural finish on benchtop. Any recommendations for splashback? Is it ok for white gloss splashback?
Hi Revelina, personally I love the look of carrying the same stone up from the bench top to the splashback such as this home tour we featured//www.theb2bwriter.com/modern-home-featuring-joinery-perfection/(although the stone is Super White) or this example//www.theb2bwriter.com/kitchen-before-and-after-navy-blue-kitchen/(using Caesarstone marble) so if it were me, I’d use the same marble slab for the splashback.
If you have your heart sent on a tile though, it would be good to know more about the style you want to achieve or what other colours/finishes you have in your home. It is ok to use white gloss splashback although to soften the space, I’d be more inclined to go with a satin finish and something with a handmade or slightly organic texture. Hope this helps
I’m thinking of using marble as the kitchen splashback and quartz on the benchtop for practical reasons. How have you found the durability and practicality of this combination.
Hi Terese, I love this combination (although I have a Caesarstone benchtop). It’s great to have the low-maintenance option of the Caesarstone for the benchtop but the beauty of natural marble for the splashback. So long as you seal the marble with a quality sealer, such asAqua-Seal Gold, it’s just a simple mater of wiping the marble clean with a damp cloth
Hello Gina
I have recently had a new laundry installed. Using Laminex Catalana Marble diamond gloss as the benchtop and parchment on doors. I have a black vinyl parquet floor… I never thought it would be so hard to decide on splashback but … it is. What would you suggest?
Hi AJ, could you please email a pic of your laundry tohello@www.theb2bwriter.comso we can take a look and make some suggestions? We’re working on a few splashback articles at the moment
Hi Gina My splashback area is 221cm cm x 52 cm high plus a small area at the side of the cooktop which is 69cm long x 52 cm high. I would love some tile ideas . Thank you
Help..I have a VERY small open plan unit and am renovating my tiny kitchen. I have a lot of light wood furniture and was thinking of using organic white Caesarstone island bench and around sink and splashback with 1/2 strength natural white on cupboards but worried it may be too bland and perhaps I would be better with mirror splashback or textured white tiles. I have a lot of colour in artwork and cushions and rug
Hi Julie-Anne, I really like the idea of using a mosaic white tile splashback that can add some texture to the space. How big is your splashback? I could email you some tile ideas if you like x
This is really helpful. Having used it on your splash back would you also consider getting a bench top out of it? I’m about to re-do my kitchen and have always loved the marble bench top look.
Ohhhh that’s a tough one Sarah! I certainly don’t think marble stains or chips as easily as some people say if you seal it properly and take a bit of care. Marble is more porous than Caesarstone and other man-made products but if you’re happy to roll with the natural beauty and accept it may discolour over time then yes, I probably would go with a natural stone benchtop. That being said, I think I much prefer the look of a white benchtop and marble splashback now that I have it
It’s always great to get feedback from real life situations.
Another quick question about the cabinetry colour. I love the black but have heard people remarking on fingerprints etc. How do you find yours?
Hey Amanda, good question! I’ve heard this about black cabinetry too but I think it applies to flat matte or gloss finishes. The black I’ve selected is a timber grain so it has a textured finish and fingerprints don’t show up at all. However, it does show oil marks (timber appears a bit darker where oil is) so I do need to clean the timber around the cooktop once a week or so. Hope this helps