@dohraime - I'll have to check this and take some photos. It was while I was removing the wallpaper from the walls and it was very powdery and its a blue colour underneath, and as we were doing it the hard way and using water and scrapers to remove the paper, there was a chalky residue everywhere, so your comment about kalsomine struck my interest. Not sure where you are all located, but I'm in Sydney and it has rained for 4 days straight - no chance to head back to the house yet but will do so this weekend. @fiona_ab - I need to do a Bunnings (hardware store) run this weekend too so I will pick up a kit then. My father in law is a typical Maltese man and likes to say "don't worry, don't worry" - but I'm not taking any chances!! I'm also a shorty so definitely need a platform - but hopefully I can get hubby to do this job!

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

Thanks everyone for your comments and advice. Wuff, the handles were in the kitchen when we bought it. They have the exact handles in 'Early Settler'. We are changing the timber bench because we think it looks country and we want a change. The timber is very strong and durable. Very good quality but we simply don't like the colour. I was looking for someone to stain it darker and I would have kept it but can't find anyone. No water marks or had any issues with it. I we thought we would have to be careful with timber but it is honestly a good product. I would definitely recommend timber benches for anyone wanting that look :) good luck

We did pressed metal splashbacks on a display in a kitchen showroom I used to manage, and as such many of our clients opted for the same look. Powder Coated is definitely the way to go. It stands up really well for durability and is in fact relatively easy to clean compared to many splashbacks. Often people think that glass or stainless steel are the easiest for cleaning, but due to being such a flat reflective surface they show up every splash and if you're going to clean them you really have to clean the full length of splashback. The textured surface of the pressed metal means that it doesn't reflect the same amount of light so you are able to get away with cleaning it less often, and you can also get away with just cleaning the dirty area rather than the full length. The biggest difficulty we found was getting the splashbacks installed as there aren't really any tradesmen who specialize in fitting pressed metal, and those that were willing to cut & fit it were concerned about what would happen if they damaged the paintwork. We had the panels cut to size first before they were powder coated to minimize the risk of chipping the surface.