A fast growing trend in kitchen design is the use of mirrors as a kitchen wall covering. The ability of a mirror to transform a space by increasing the amount of natural and artificial light as well as making the space seem much larger is pushing more people to use mirrors. As you can see below, a mirror splashback is also very aesthetically pleasing.
Are Mirror Splashbacks Heat Resistant?
The quick answer to that is yes, toughened mirror splashbacks are very heat resistant and suitable for use behind any type of kitchen hob. Normal mirror, that is not made from toughened glass, is not and could crack at any time while cooking so we would advise against a normal mirror behind a heat source. DIY Splashbacks only supply toughened kitchen mirror splashbacks so all of our mirror products are suitable for this use.
Untoughened glass and untoughened (normal) mirrors are heat resistant to around 80C, toughened glass and mirrors are four or five times more heat resistant so 320C to 400C- well above the maximum temperature you can expect behind a hob.
How Easy Are Mirror Splashbacks To Keep Clean?
Glass is itself very easy to clean (windows, glass tables etc.), much easier then most other surfaces such as wall tiles and stainless steel, to make it easier to clean you can also add our Easy Clean coating which is a nanophobic, hydrophobic (water repellant) coating. Mirror splashbacks, being mirrors, will show dirt up more than tiles though as they do of course reflect anything on the surface. The dirt is still there on tiles, it's just harder to see. For this reason, many of our customers choose one of our antique effect mirrors which have different effects on the rear of the glass which can help disguise some splashing- but they are easy to clean with just a microfibre cloth.
Image of an antique mirror splashback (styles vary please contact us for our most recent styles)
What Colours Of Mirror Splashbacks are Available?
Presently, we offer mirror splashbacks for kitchens and bathrooms in the below colours and styles.
Bronze Tinted Mirror, Grey Tinted Mirror, Silver Mirror and Antique Mirror. The antique mirror range is constantly evolving but at present there are two styles, many more are on the way.
How Easy Is It To Fit A Mirror Splashback?
As with our range of coloured glass splashbacks, mirror splashbacks can either be stuck to the wall using silicone adhesive or screwed to the wall using mirror screws. A simple cooker splashback would literally take 5 minutes to fix to the wall and seal the edges and screw fitting one perhaps 5-10 minutes more- just be careful you don't drill into any pipes or wires!
You can find measuring and fitting instructions in our tutorials section.
Why Choose A Mirror Splashback Instead Of Coloured Glass?
There is no real reason, choose whatever compliments your kitchen design. However, one huge benefit of a mirror splashback is of course behind able to see the reflection. What we mean by this is if your cooker wall is facing your garden or a scenic view this view will be visible from your cooker wall also, so you can enjoy the view while cooking. Also, for kitchens with breakfast bar islands you see the person beside you within turning around which make meals for families much more pleasant (if you can get the kids off their tablets. Likewise for bathrooms, a mirror splashback will make any bathroom look much bigger and brighter so they will definitely increase the resale value of any property.