It must depend what you cook. I don't do fried, spitty type dishes and the grout around the largish tiles in my now 10 year old kitchen is as good as new. I rubbed car wax into the freshly laid grout lines, same as I did in the bathroom. It also depends on how much light bounces around your kitchen, glass being so reflective shows up smears with light on it. Just above the kettle in the first photo is a good example. Each to their own, I'm a non-glass girl whenever I can get away with it.

Hi Jacey Eve, How is your splashback coming along? We are the manufacturers of the Pressed Tin Panels product (yes we sell it too - but believe we know what we are talking about- most of us who work here have a pressed metal splashback at home too!) I believe the great responses have covered what we would recommend for the panels as a splashback and that is the powder coating. It makes them a non-porous and easy to clean surface as well as a long lasting, good looking surface. With basic care it will remain that way for many,many years to come. We believe it is very competitively priced and an easy DIY product to install. If we can provide you (or anyone else reading this) a sample, prices, details of stockists, an install guide or a quote just let me know mardi@pressedtinpanels.com Visit our website for more info and ideas: www.pressedtinpanels.com Regards Mardi

My vote is for matte as well. Especially in the bathroom. If the tiles are near the shower, the glossy ones seem to lose their shine to the soap scum and need constant cleaning like glass screens, whereas it doesn't seem to happen on the matte tiles which are quite easy to clean. The stove and the sink are really the only places needing a spashback in the kitchen and my vote would be for matte finish there, even if you use the same tiles in gloss every where else.

Hi, I am at same stage of renovating kitchen, regional Western Australia, harder to get different but I have found these at my local tile shop, that had to be ordered in, not up yet but our house is 1960 build and I had the red brick exposed with glass over the top, while very unique and lots of positive comments it was in a chimney location and debris fell behind and I have had it replaced once to clean it up and it happened again so I am afraid it is going, I am covering with same stone as bench top in fire place but I am using some marble tiles on other area. I wanted the stone behind stove top for cleaning purposes but I love the tiles I have selected I hope they look as good once up, I agree about not wanting house stuck too much in 50/60, my bricks were red and I found it quite dark when cooking as well, I am looking forward to clean white behind stove, I actually found the harshness of the old brick a bit depressing.. I don't think industrial look is for me .. I love your lights I think I actually had them on my list... the whole look looks fabulous, I hope you are surviving, I have had enough of cooking in the laundry but I must say I could write a book on the creative gourmet using $29 electric frying pan from target, I have fallen in love with it. :)