Splashbacks and tiling in Gravesend

What prompts splashbacks and tiling in Gravesend?

If your Gravesend home is an older property with uneven walls, the splashback may start with patching, skimming or boarding so the tiler has a flat surface to work from.

If the units in your Gravesend kitchen are already fitted and only the walls are unfinished, we can take on the tiling or splashback as a job on its own. We cover all of Gravesend, including the DA12 postcode district, and travel out to neighbouring towns across Kent.

What does the job involve?

Here is what usually goes into splashbacks and tiling, adjusted to your Gravesend kitchen after we have measured it:

Old tiles removed and walls prepared, patched or boarded where needed
Free survey visit to check the walls, agree the layout and give an itemised quote
Tiled splashbacks between the worktop and wall units, set out from a centre line
Socket and switch plates refitted by an electrician once the tiling is finished
Grout and sealant chosen for easy cleaning, with flexible sealant at the worktop joint
Toughened glass splashback measured after the worktops are fitted, with socket cut-outs

What should you budget for splashbacks and tiling in Gravesend?

These guide ranges include VAT at 20% and are adjusted for prices in the South East. We confirm your price in writing after a free survey visit. Prices in the South East usually run above the national guide, mainly because labour and parking cost more.

What should you budget for splashbacks and tiling in Gravesend?
Typical project	Guide price
Tiled splashbackBetween worktop and wall units	£170–£460
Kitchen wall tiling, 4–6 m²Preparation, tiling and grouting	£340–£920
Toughened glass splashback behind the hob, fittedMade to measure after the worktops are in	£290–£690
Stone upstands and splashbacksTemplated with the worktop	Priced with the worktop

Tiling guide ranges cover preparation, adhesive, grout, trims and fixing, with the tiles themselves confirmed once chosen; the glass range includes a made-to-measure panel, and stone upstands are priced with the worktop. Prices include VAT at 20%.

Local homes and their kitchens

The housing mix across Kent includes Victorian terraces, weatherboarded cottages, 1930s semis and oast house conversions, so no two kitchen fits are quite alike. Victorian terraces in the Medway towns and along the coast often have a narrow back-addition kitchen, while 1930s semis usually have a small kitchen beside a separate dining room.

Water across Kent is hard, so limescale builds up quickly on taps and boiling water taps, and a scale-reducing filter is worth considering. Seaside terraces, permit parking and narrow village lanes can each make deliveries slower, so the route for long worktops is best checked at the survey.

Regulations for kitchen work in Gravesend

Tiling or fitting a splashback in England needs no planning permission or building regulations approval. If sockets or switches are moved to suit the new wall finish, that is electrical work to BS 7671; adding to an existing kitchen circuit is not notifiable under Part P, but a new circuit is. Behind a gas hob, follow the hob maker's clearance instructions, and in a listed building, removing historic tiles or panelling may need listed building consent.

Listed weatherboarded and timber-framed cottages, oast conversions and homes in conservation areas such as historic Canterbury may need consent for new external vents.

Practical advice for Gravesend homeowners

Give fresh grout and sealant the full curing time shown on the packaging before scrubbing them or letting water sit on the joint at the back of the worktop.
Clear the worktop and empty the nearest wall cupboards before the tiler arrives at your Gravesend home, as cutting dust and adhesive travel further than you expect.
Choosing stone worktops for a Gravesend kitchen? Ask for upstand and splashback heights to be confirmed before the template visit, not after.
Order spare tiles from the same batch to cover cuts and breakages, and keep a few back so a later repair matches.

Questions about splashbacks and tiling in Gravesend

How much do splashbacks and tiling cost in Gravesend?

For a tiled splashback, budget around £170 to £460 including VAT in Gravesend. That reflects typical costs in the South East; we confirm the actual figure in writing once we have measured up.

Do you work near Gravesend as well?

Yes. As well as Gravesend itself, we cover the rest of Kent and nearby towns such as Swanscombe and Grays. The process is the same wherever the kitchen is.

Can a glass splashback go behind a gas hob?

Yes, usually, as long as the glass is toughened and the hob maker's instructions allow it. Toughened glass handles heat far better than ordinary glass, but a gas hob must still keep the clearances set out in its installation instructions, so we check those before ordering. The panel is measured after the worktops are fitted and made with cut-outs for sockets, because it cannot be cut once toughened.

Which grout and sealant are easiest to keep clean?

A darker or mid-tone grout in narrow joints is usually the easiest to keep looking clean in a kitchen, and an epoxy or stain-resistant grout helps behind the hob and sink. Where the tiles meet the worktop, a flexible sealant is used rather than grout, because that joint moves slightly. The sealant can be cut out and renewed later without disturbing the tiles.

Can heavy tiles or stone go on any kitchen wall?

Not always. Heavy tiles such as large-format porcelain or natural stone need a backing that can carry their weight and an adhesive suited to both the tile and the wall. Old plaster, painted plaster or plasterboard may need preparing, priming or replacing with a tile backer board first. We check the wall at the survey and follow the tile and adhesive makers' guidance.

Splashbacks and tiling in neighbouring towns

Close to Gravesend? We cover these nearby towns too: