Backsplashes

[rgruby]

I saw an article in the paper that mentioned that this product - Glasskote - is new to Canada, but has been around the Antipodes for a while (a decade or two?).

From what I understand it is essentially tempered glass, available in a myriad of colours, and is being used for kitchen backsplashes (among other uses).

Just wondering if anyone has installed it in their kitchen, or otherwise has comments/ opinions on it.

I do think it looks preety sharp, from the little bit I've seen of it.

Cheers,

Geoff Ruby

[Joe Blowe]

A few more pics are available here, along with some additional comments on the product...

[dtilston]

I've never heard of this before but I really like the way it looks. I'm also interested in hearing if anyone else has used it for a kitchen backsplash as I am considering it for my kitchen remodel.

[Fat Guy]

It's very attractive and seems like a terrible idea. First of all, it's wicked expensive. Second, it's glass. Come on. Unless you're a totally low-impact cook, you're going to scratch and otherwise damage its appearance pretty quickly. I don't care what they say about hardness and coatings -- it's still glass, and it's not the kind of bulletproof glass they use on the windows of the President's limo either. Meanwhile, you have about a million choices of cheap tile that are far more durable than glass and look great.

[tamiam]

I've seen it in use, and it does look great. I wouldn't use it for a countertop, where it would get scratched and marred, but a backsplash mainly gets wiped off.

I would wonder about whether the high gloss finish shows fingerprints and rag marks from frequent wipedowns more than worry about scratches. Backsplashes don't get heavy use, but they do have to be wiped a lot--'specially behind the stove and the sink.

[Fat Guy]

My backsplash gets banged around plenty. For example, if I have a bunch of stuff on the counter I often just gather it together and shove it to the back. That includes various metal and other objects with relatively sharp edges. Certainly the three or four inches of the backsplash closest to the counter surface take plenty of abuse in any relatively active kitchen. Also, I'll occasionally pound a piece of meat on my countertop to flatten and tenderize it, and that force has got to reverberate up into the backsplash. It just seems crazy to make a backsplash out of a single piece of glass. If I were to walk into a kitchen and see a glass backsplash I'd immediately think "pretty, but this isn't a serious kitchen."

[dtilston]

I'm not really worried that it will get scratched or cracked since my backsplash rarely gets touched, other than to wipe it down (I guess I'm a low impact cook ). I am concerned about the smudges and streaking though. It would be a pain to have to clean the entire surface of the backsplash when something splatters on just one area.

Just how expensive is it?