Kitchen Splashbacks
One slab from bench to wall, with no grout lines and no visible join. Compared honestly against glass, tiles and stainless steel. Samples sent the next business day to NSW, VIC and WA.
Bench and Wall, One Slab
Most splashbacks are a second material bolted onto the design: tiles with grout lines to scrub, glass in a colour that never quite matches, steel that belongs in a commercial kitchen. A sintered stone splashback is cut from the same slab as the benchtop, so the veining carries from the bench up the wall as one continuous piece of stone. It is the difference between a kitchen that looks specified and one that looks assembled.
The Collection
Every colour below is available for both benchtops and splashbacks, cut from the same slab so they match exactly. Samples sent the next business day.
Why Sintered Stone
A single slab cut to the run, so there is no grout to stain, crack or scrub. The most common reason tiled splashbacks get replaced.
Cut from the same slab, so the veining runs from the bench up the wall. Glass and tiles can only approximate the colour.
Fired above 1200 degrees Celsius, so direct heat from a gas burner will not scorch or discolour it.
Non-porous from manufacture, so splattered oil and sauce sit on the surface instead of soaking in. No sealing, ever.
Behind the Cooktop
The wall behind a cooktop is the hardest working surface in the kitchen: direct radiant heat, splattered oil, and daily cleaning. Sintered stone is manufactured at over 1200 degrees Celsius, well above anything a domestic burner produces, and it contains no resin binder that can scorch. Composite stone, banned in Australia since July 2024, was never rated for that exposure. Asetica supplies sintered stone for the full run, bench and splashback together, with a 25-year warranty.
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The Comparison
↔ Swipe to compare all four materials
| Property | Sintered Stone | Glass | Tiles | Stainless Steel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grout lines | None, single slab | None | Across the whole surface | None |
| Matches the benchtop | Yes, cut from the same slab | Colour match only | Colour match only | No |
| Heat behind a cooktop | Fired above 1200C, unaffected | Toughened, good | Good, grout can discolour | Excellent |
| Cleaning | Non-porous, wipes clean | Shows fingerprints and streaks | Grout stains and needs scrubbing | Shows fingerprints and scratches |
| Cut and fitted | On site by your fabricator | Made to measure, cannot alter | On site | Made to measure |
| Look | Continuous natural stone | Flat colour or print | Repeating pattern | Commercial kitchen |
Frequently Asked
The best splashback material depends on what sits behind it. Sintered stone is cut from the same slab as the benchtop, so it carries the veining straight up the wall with no grout lines and no visible join. It is fired above 1200 degrees Celsius, so it handles the heat behind a gas cooktop, and it is non-porous, so oil and sauce wipe off rather than soak in. Glass is seamless but shows every fingerprint and cannot be cut on site. Tiles are the cheapest option but the grout stains and needs regular cleaning.
Yes. Sintered stone is fired above 1200 degrees Celsius during manufacture, so direct heat from a gas burner does not scorch, discolour or craze it, and unlike a combustible splashback material it is not the limiting factor on cooktop clearance. This is the main practical difference from composite stone, where the resin binder can scorch. Asetica has a dedicated guide on sintered stone splashbacks and gas cooktop clearance, and your fabricator will confirm the final installation against the cooktop manufacturer's instructions.
No. A sintered stone splashback is a single slab cut to the width of the run, so there are no grout lines to stain or scrub. Tiled splashbacks have grout across the whole surface, which is the most common reason people replace them. On very wide runs a join may be needed, and your fabricator will place it to follow the veining.
Yes, and it is the most common request. Because the splashback is cut from the same slab as the benchtop, the veining runs continuously from the bench up the wall. This is often called a full height or waterfall splashback. Asetica supplies 31 colours, so the same surface is available for both.
Splashbacks are usually specified in 12mm, which is lighter on the wall and cheaper than the 20mm normally used for benchtops. Both thicknesses come from the same slab range, so the colour and veining match exactly. Your fabricator will confirm the right thickness for the wall and the fixing method.
Yes. Sintered stone is fired above 1200 degrees Celsius during manufacture, so it withstands direct heat, UV exposure and temperature swings without cracking, fading or warping. This makes it suitable for kitchen splashbacks, outdoor kitchen feature walls and alfresco areas in full sun, where composite stone and painted surfaces can discolour or degrade over time.
Yes. The July 2024 ban applies to resin bound composite (engineered) stone. Sintered stone contains no resin binder, so it is excluded and remains fully compliant for splashbacks, benchtops and wall cladding. It is not silica free, so licensed fabricators still wet cut and use dust extraction, the same as any other stone product.
The Editorial
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