Kitchen Splashback Tiles Australia — An Australian Buying Guide

01 September 2026 · Tile Touch

A kitchen splashback protects the wall behind your cooktop and sink from splashes, grease and steam, so the tile needs to wipe clean and cope with heat and moisture. For most Australian kitchens that means a glazed ceramic or porcelain tile, though honed and tumbled natural stone works too if you are happy to seal it. This guide walks through the materials, finishes, sizes and styles worth knowing, and finishes with a short FAQ.

The quick answer

Choose a glazed ceramic or porcelain tile for the easiest maintenance, pick a gloss finish if you want the wall to bounce light around and a matt finish if you prefer a softer, low-glare look, and order samples before you commit so you can see the colour against your benchtop and cabinetry. Subway shapes suit almost any kitchen; mosaics and specialty shapes are for when you want the splashback to be the feature.

Materials: what to tile with

Ceramic is the classic splashback choice. It is glazed, so the surface resists water and wipes down easily. The Kiko Subway Baby Blue Gloss Ceramic Tile 76x302mm, the Rela Jade Gloss 152x152mm and the August Grey Glazed Ceramic Italian Subway Tile 100 x 200mm are all ceramic options in different shapes and colours.

Porcelain is denser and hard-wearing. The London Mini Bricks Moss Green (60x240mm, textured, from Italy) is porcelain, as are the Colson Spanish Subway Matt Tile 60x300mm in Rouge Pink, the Cagua Almond Beige Matt 300x300mm and the Roccia White Matt 600x600mm. Larger porcelain formats like these mean fewer grout lines across the wall.

Natural stone and marble bring a different character. The Baylor Carrara Subway Honed 60x200mm is a honed natural stone, and the Stedman Rosso Pink Tumbled Marble Penny Round Mosaic is tumbled marble. Stone is porous, so it needs sealing and a little more care behind a cooktop, but the pay-off is a surface with natural veining and movement no printed tile quite matches.

Finish: gloss or matt

Gloss tiles reflect light, which helps smaller kitchens feel brighter, and the smooth surface is quick to wipe. If your kitchen is short on natural light, a gloss like the Wellwood Water Green Gloss Fishscale Mosaic or the Collie Artisanal Charcoal Gloss Zellige Look Spanish Subway Tile (65x200mm, ceramic, from Spain) will help.

Matt finishes read as calmer and hide fingerprints and water spotting better. The Cagua Almond Beige Matt and Roccia White Matt are matt porcelains if you want that quieter surface. There is no right answer here; it comes down to how much light your kitchen gets and the look you are after.

Sizes and formats

Splashback tiles fall into a few broad groups:

Subway and brick shapes such as 60x200mm, 65x200mm, 76x302mm, 100x200mm and 60x300mm. These are the everyday workhorses and lay out neatly in a running bond or stacked pattern.
Squares like the 152x152mm Rela Jade or the 300x300mm Cagua Almond Beige, which give a more geometric, repeating grid.
Large-format tiles like the 600x600mm Roccia White, useful when you want to keep grout lines to a minimum.
Mosaics such as penny rounds and fishscale, which come sheet-mounted and are ideal for a feature run of wall.

A smaller tile gives you more grout lines and a busier look; a larger tile calms things down. Behind a cooktop where splashes are heaviest, fewer grout joins can mean slightly less cleaning.

Choosing a style and colour

Subway tiles are the safe, versatile pick and work in cottage, coastal and modern kitchens alike. If you want warmth, look at pink and beige tones like the Colson Rouge Pink or Cagua Almond Beige. For colour with personality, the Kiko Baby Blue, Rela Jade green and London Mini Bricks Moss Green add it without shouting.

Feature shapes let the splashback carry the room. The Wellwood Water Green Fishscale and the Stedman Rosso Pink Penny Round both read as decorative, so they suit a splashback you actually want people to notice. The Collie Zellige Look subway has the handmade, slightly uneven surface of traditional zellige tiling, which gives a gloss run of wall extra depth.

One handy trick: hold a tile against your benchtop and cabinet doors in the actual kitchen light before deciding. Colours shift a lot between a showroom and a north-facing window at home, which is why we keep samples available.

Texture and something different

Not every splashback has to be flat and glazed. The textured surface of the London Mini Bricks Moss Green catches light differently across the day, and the Upholstered Textile Tile in Citric (square, 300x300mm) offers a fabric-look surface for a more unusual feature panel. Textured tiles need a touch more attention when wiping down, so keep the busiest section behind the cooktop simpler if easy cleaning is your priority.

Practical points before you order

Measure the area in m². Work out the width and height of each wall section, multiply, add them up, then add around 10% for cuts and offcuts.
Think about grout. A matching grout blends the tiles into one surface; a contrasting grout makes the pattern pop. Behind a cooktop, a darker grout can be more forgiving over time.
Order samples. We ship Australia-wide and samples are available, so you can test colour and finish at home before buying the full quantity.
Visit if you can. Our Sydney showroom in Waterloo lets you see and handle the tiles in person.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best tile for a kitchen splashback?

Glazed ceramic and porcelain are the most practical because the surface resists water and wipes clean easily. Natural stone and marble also work well and look beautiful, but they are porous and need sealing, so factor in a little extra care.

Gloss or matt splashback tiles, which is better?

Gloss reflects light and helps a darker or smaller kitchen feel brighter, and it wipes down quickly. Matt is softer to look at and hides water spots and fingerprints better. Choose based on how much natural light your kitchen gets and the finish you prefer.

Are subway tiles still a good choice?

Yes. Subway shapes suit almost any kitchen style and lay out in several patterns, from a classic running bond to a stacked grid. Options like the August Grey, Kiko Baby Blue and Collie Zellige Look show how much variety sits within the one shape.

How many tiles do I need for a splashback?

Measure each wall section in metres, multiply width by height for the area in m², add the sections together, then add about 10% for cutting and waste. If you are unsure, our team can help you work it out from your measurements.

Can I get samples before buying?

Yes. Tile Touch ships Australia-wide and samples are available so you can check colour and finish against your own benchtop and cabinetry. You can also visit the Waterloo showroom in Sydney to see the ranges in person.