At a Glance
You have just had a new benchtop installed and the bare plasterboard behind it looks terrible. Time for a splashback. In Sydney, a kitchen splashback typically costs $500–$3,500 per job. Subway tiles dominate the market for good reason: they are affordable, they look good, and they suit everything from a Surry Hills terrace to a Parramatta apartment.
What's Included in the Price
- Removal of old splashback if needed (tiles, glass panel, or damaged paint)
- Wall preparation (cleaning, priming, minor patching)
- Supply and installation of splashback tiles to AS 3958
- Cutouts around power points and switches
- Grouting and silicone sealing along the benchtop edge and at wall junctions
- Cleanup
The benchtop must be installed before the splashback goes on. Tiles sit on top of the benchtop and are cut to fit against it. If you are getting a new benchtop and splashback, coordinate the trades so the benchtop goes in first.
What Affects the Cost
- Kitchen layout. Galley kitchens in inner-city terraces have limited splashback area (sometimes just 2–3m2 behind the cooktop). An L-shaped or U-shaped kitchen in a larger home might have 8–12m2 of splashback wall.
- Tile choice. Subway tiles (ceramic or porcelain) are the most affordable and the most popular in Sydney kitchens. Designer and hand-made tiles from tile studios in the eastern suburbs and inner west cost significantly more per square metre.
- Power point cutouts. Sydney kitchens often have 4–6 power points along the splashback. Each cutout adds $30–$60 of cutting time.
- Window reveals. If the splashback wraps around a kitchen window (common above the sink), the reveals add cutting and finishing work that is easy to miss in a quote.
- Pattern. Brick bond is standard for subway tiles and the quickest to lay. Herringbone and fish scale patterns look good but add 20–40% to labour.
- Old splashback removal. Removing old ceramic tiles costs $25–$40/m2. Glass splashback removal is quicker but the wall behind often needs patching and priming.
A subway tile splashback behind the cooktop in a compact Newtown galley kitchen sits toward $500. A full kitchen splashback in a Mosman renovation with designer fish-scale tiles, herringbone behind the cooktop, 6 power point cutouts, window reveals, and old tile removal pushes toward $3,500.
Sydney-Specific Considerations
Sydney kitchens range from tiny galley layouts in terraces to expansive open-plan designs in newer apartments and houses. Each has different splashback implications.
Inner-city terraces. Newtown, Marrickville, Balmain, Surry Hills. Galley kitchens with limited wall space. The splashback area is small (2–4m2), keeping material costs low, but the per-square-metre rate is higher because setup time is fixed and the tiler still needs to cut around power points and fit to uneven terrace walls.
Eastern suburbs. Bondi, Randwick, Rose Bay, Double Bay. These suburbs drive much of Sydney's designer tile market. Hand-made tiles, zellige, terrazzo-look tiles, and imported Italian ceramics are popular. Material costs often exceed labour costs in these renovations.
Apartments. Zetland, Mascot, Rhodes, Parramatta. Standard plasterboard walls behind the benchtop, usually in good condition. Straightforward to tile. If you are in a strata building, check for any noise restrictions on tile cutting.
Subway tile dominance. White subway tiles in a brick bond pattern remain the single most common splashback in Sydney. They work with every kitchen style, they are readily available, and they keep costs at the lower end. If you want something different without a big jump in price, coloured subway tiles or a vertical stack pattern are good options.
Hiring a Licensed Tiler in NSW
In NSW, tiling work valued over $5,000 (including GST) requires the tiler to hold a licence issued by NSW Fair Trading. Most splashback jobs fall under this threshold, but if your splashback is part of a larger kitchen renovation, the total may exceed it.
Even for smaller jobs, look for:
- Public liability insurance
- Photos of recent splashback work
- A clear breakdown of what is included versus extra (particularly power point cutouts and window reveals)
You can verify a licence on the NSW Fair Trading licence search.
Red flags: A tiler who does not ask about the number of power points, quotes without seeing the kitchen, or does not mention the need for the benchtop to be in before they start.
How We Calculate
Estimates are based on surveyed trade rates for licensed tilers in the Sydney metro area. All prices include GST. Figures cover the splashback tiling itself. Benchtop installation, electrical work (adding or moving power points), and full kitchen renovations are separate costs.