A stainless steel backsplash in the kitchen is more popular than ever. The sleek, industrial look of stainless steel fits perfectly in modern kitchens and instantly gives your space a professional feel. At Designerwand, you can order a stainless steel look kitchen backsplash online, fully custom made for your kitchen.
Why choose a stainless steel look backsplash?
Real stainless steel panels are heavy, difficult to cut to size and hard to install yourself. Our stainless steel look backsplashes deliver the same result, but in a smarter way. We print the stainless steel design on brushed aluminium, giving you the look and feel of real stainless steel without the drawbacks.
- Lightweight and easy to install. No heavy panels, no specialist needed
- Fully custom made. Including cut-outs for sockets and taps
- Unique designs possible. Combine the stainless steel look with prints, patterns or your own photo
- Affordable. A fraction of the cost of real stainless steel panels
- Easy to clean. No fingerprints like with real stainless steel
Stainless steel sheet or stainless steel look: what are you buying?
Search for a stainless steel kitchen sheet and you will find two very different products that often go by the same name. The difference is worth knowing before you order.
A real stainless steel sheet is solid metal, usually 1 to 1.5 mm thick. It is the material of professional kitchens: heat resistant far beyond anything a hob produces, and it shrugs off almost everything. In return it is heavy, it has to be cut to size by a metalworker, and every fingerprint shows. Expect several hundred euros for a standard run, before cutting and fitting.
A stainless steel look backsplash is what we make: brushed aluminium with the appearance of stainless steel. Lighter, cheaper, easy to fit yourself, and you can print a design on it. It is not stainless steel and we should not call it that. For a domestic kitchen that is rarely a problem, and the price difference is considerable.
When you do need the real thing: extreme heat directly against the panel, a kitchen that has to meet food safety rules, or when you specifically want that cold metal touch. In every other case a made to measure stainless steel look backsplash in brushed aluminium does exactly what you expect of it.
Brushed aluminium creates the perfect stainless steel look
The secret is in the material. Our Brushed panels are made of brushed aluminium, which gives exactly that characteristic stainless steel appearance. The brushed texture is both visible and tactile, just like real stainless steel. Combined with our special white ink, we can print designs that blend perfectly with the brushed aluminium.
On the left you see a design on our DW Original panel. On the right the same design, specially created for the stainless steel Brushed panel. The difference is clear: the brushed texture gives the design a completely different character.
Stainless steel backsplash with a unique design
At Designerwand, you do not have to settle for a plain stainless steel panel. We have designed several beautiful designs specifically for the Brushed panels. Think of subtle textures that let the brushed aluminium shine through, or combine it with a sleek pattern.
A few popular choices on brushed aluminium:
- Texture Anthra. Dark and industrial, perfect with black or dark grey kitchens
- Texture Gray. Neutral grey that suits virtually any kitchen
- Texture Soft Sands. Warm sandy tone for a soft, natural appearance
Or go for something completely different and have your own photo printed on brushed aluminium. The result is surprisingly beautiful: the metal texture gives every image a unique dimension.
A stainless steel backsplash behind the hob
The wall behind the hob takes the most punishment in any kitchen: grease, steam and heat, day after day. That is exactly why people search for a stainless steel sheet behind the cooker.
What you need depends on your hob. With induction or ceramic the wall stays relatively cool and brushed aluminium is perfectly fine. With a gas hob the flame sits closer to the wall and things get hotter. Keep at least 10 centimetres between the burners and the panel, or choose solid aluminium or tempered glass, both of which take more heat.
One practical advantage that often gets overlooked: a backsplash is a single continuous surface. There are no grout lines for grease to soak into, and grout is exactly where a tiled wall behind the hob gives up after a few years. Cleaning is a cloth and a mild detergent, nothing more. See also combining a gas hob with a kitchen backsplash.
Stainless steel backsplashes for hospitality and commercial kitchens
In hospitality, stainless steel is the standard, and for good reason. A professional kitchen has to survive heavy use, high temperatures and daily cleaning with aggressive products. That is where our stainless steel look backsplash stops.
Honest advice: if this is the cooking line of a restaurant kitchen, where an inspector will visit and where it genuinely gets hot, buy real stainless steel sheets. We do not make those.
What we are good at is everything around it. The wall behind the bar, the coffee corner, a lunchroom, an office pantry, the dining room of a care home. Spaces where you want the industrial look without the demands of a professional cooking line, and where you can put your own design or brand identity on the wall. That last part is not possible with real stainless steel.
For business orders we will look at the measurements and the fitting with you. Send us your dimensions via contact and we will tell you honestly whether it suits what you need.
A stainless steel backsplash in an IKEA kitchen
IKEA sells wall panels of its own, including LYSEKIL with a stainless steel style face. Useful, but you are tied to a fixed width of 119.6 cm, and you end up cutting and fitting until it works out. In a METOD kitchen that does not happen to match that width, that means visible joins in awkward places.
A made to measure stainless steel backsplash solves that: one continuous panel across the full length of your worktop, with the socket cutouts already in the right place. You supply the measurements, we print and cut to them.
On price the two are often closer than you would expect, certainly once you would need two or three IKEA panels. We wrote a separate piece about it: the perfect splashback for your IKEA kitchen, covering METOD dimensions and what to watch out for when measuring up.
Stainless steel look combined with other styles
The stainless steel look does not just suit industrial kitchens. You increasingly see a combination of stainless steel elements with warm wood, concrete or marble. At Designerwand, you can effortlessly create these combinations. Choose for example a marble design on brushed aluminium for a luxurious industrial effect. Or combine a concrete look with the brushed texture.
Which material for your stainless steel look?
- DW Original Brushed. Lightweight, affordable and easy to install. Perfect for most kitchens.
- DW Solid Brushed. Solid aluminium, extra heat resistant. Ideal behind gas cookers.
Both materials are custom made, including cut-outs. The Brushed variant is available on request. Get in touch for a quote or view all material options.
Frequently asked questions about stainless steel backsplashes
Is a stainless steel backsplash suitable behind a gas cooker?
Yes, especially the DW Solid Brushed variant is perfect behind a gas cooker. The solid aluminium is extremely heat resistant.
What is the difference between real stainless steel and your stainless steel look?
Real stainless steel panels are heavy, expensive and difficult to custom cut. Our brushed aluminium panels give the same visual appearance but are much lighter, cheaper and easier to install. Moreover, our panels are far less prone to fingerprints.
Can I have a custom design printed on brushed aluminium?
Absolutely. You can choose any design from our backsplash collection, or upload your own photo.
How do I maintain a stainless steel look backsplash?
Very simple. A damp cloth is all you need. Unlike real stainless steel panels, our backsplashes are much less prone to fingerprints and stains.
Can I place a stainless steel backsplash over existing tiles?
Yes, our Brushed panels can be easily mounted over existing tiles. No demolition needed.
Want to see how a stainless steel look backsplash would look in your kitchen? Request a free simulation. Or browse customer photos for inspiration. Have questions? Get in touch, we are happy to help.
