7 Tips – How To Choose Your “Glass Alternative” Splashback

Acrylic splash­backs are becom­ing very pop­u­lar for investors. They look identical to glass, are inex­pens­ive to pur­chase, quick to install and add a wow factor.

And that means higher prop­erty rents and less main­ten­ance.

Glass is heavy and notori­ously easy to break. And tiles are time-consuming to install and leave grout, which dis­col­ours, mak­ing your house look dated before its time.

They’re com­mon in kit­chens, showers, van­it­ies and laundries.

If you’re updat­ing your prop­erty, here are 7 tips for check­ing out acrylic splashbacks.

Tip 1. Is it high-quality acrylic?

Like any­thing, there are always dif­fer­ent products you can pur­chase. Some use high qual­ity acrylics which look identical to glass. Oth­ers are lower qual­ity acrylics which appear more like plastic.

High qual­ity acrylics are pro­duced in clean, state-of-the-art factor­ies from high qual­ity res­ins. This means they’re incred­ibly clear and free of spots and imperfections.

Your eye is the best judge. Does it look like glass, or more like plastic?

Higher qual­ity products typ­ic­ally have longer war­ranties. 7 years is required by Aus­tralian law, how­ever, Plexiglas, the acrylic used by Innov­at­ive Splash­backs, comes with a 30-year No-UV Yel­low­ing warranty.

The thick­ness is also import­ant. Glass is 6mm, and this gives it depth of col­our. Thin­ner acrylics may not be rigid enough, and could warp around imper­fec­tions in walls. 6mm acrylic is more than strong enough to avoid this happening.

The safest thing to do is to ask for 6mm PMMA cast acrylic.

Tip 2. Make sure it’s per­fectly clear

The acrylic Innov­at­ive Splash­backs are as clear as optical glasses. It has no green tinge which you often get with glass.

Make sure your chosen splash­back looks identical to glass, and is vibrant and col­our­ful. If it’s dull then you could be dis­ap­poin­ted with the result.

Tip 3. Com­pare the TOTAL cost

Acrylic splash­backs are typ­ic­ally sup­plied in single sheets of a set size. And while the square metre cost may be lower, you’re also pay­ing for wastage.

Cut to size is usu­ally more eco­nom­ical. You only pay for what you use, and as long as your meas­ure­ments are cor­rect, you’ll save time and money on installation.

Watch deliv­ery costs too. Some large hard­ware stores charge very high prices for deliv­ery, even across town. Innov­at­ive Splash­backs have sent deliv­er­ies inter­state for the same price as hard­ware stores charge for cross-town deliveries.

Tip 4. Does it come with a play piece?

Hav­ing a ‘play piece’ is import­ant. This small piece can be used to check your cut­ting pro­cess first. You don’t want to get this wrong on your ‘live’ pieces; it can get very costly when you begin repla­cing panels.

Tip 5. Does it come with easy to fol­low instruc­tions, and is install­a­tion quick and easy?

Check you get access to an easy to fol­low install­a­tion guide. No mat­ter how simple it is to install you don’t want to make any mistakes.

Tip 6. Can you get help when you need it?

Many install­a­tions hap­pen after hours and on week­ends. So check you can get help when you need it. If you’re restric­ted to office hours, it could add a day or two to your install­a­tion. And for an invest­ment prop­erty, this could mean lost rent.

Tip 7. How is it painted?

The best paint­ing pro­cess is spray paint­ing the rear of the splash­back. Some products have a col­our layer ‘glued’ to the back dur­ing man­u­fac­ture. This often appears dull, and you don’t get the glass-like appear­ance you deserve.

In Sum­mary

Acrylic is a great altern­at­ive to glass for investors.

The many bene­fits make it the per­fect choice.

Use these tips as a check­list to com­pare dif­fer­ent products, and you’ll have a res­ult you and your ten­ants will be delighted with.