www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk

Looking for something I can use as a splashback behind worktops and sink (not the cooker - going to use SS for that...).

The walls are going to be replastered, so should be smooth and true, and basically I'm looking for something quicker and easier to apply than tiling ('cos I'm slow and cr** at that).

Ideally also not too expensive, as the kitchen will probably get removed in a few years so I'm trying to keep costs down. I'd like to be able to have it behind all the worktops - total length just under 5m, longest run approx 2.7m, but if I can only afford to have it at the back and side of the sink then so be it.

I have seen this: http://www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk/ACRYL ... HBACKS.htm

What differences are there between one acrylic sheet and another, e.g. Perspex, Lucite etc - are they all the same? If not are there specifications to look for to determine quality? Density, hardness etc?

Does anybody here have any experience of Parapan?

Would polycarbonate (e.g. Lexan) be a better material?

Not well clued up on the other two materials that you mention- Parapan or Lexan.

Perspex and Lusite are essentially the same thing, but they differ slightly chemically and some of their properties are slightly different. In the UK Perspex was the trade name of ICI acrylics, in the USA the tradename was Lucite. In the early 1990's they decided to change the name of Perspex "sanitary ware" ( perspex which is designed for baths and shower trays) and they decided to call it Lucite.

In this country Lucite is made for manufacturing baths and shower trays/spa's etc.

It is chemically slightly different to perspex and has a chemical in it which assists it when being moulded into shape for baths etc. This means that if you heat and bend lucite it does not require annealing afterwards, But perspex does, especially on the thicker grades.

For a kitchen splashback you could use perspex or Lucite, although perspex is slightly easier to cut - Lucite tends to chip slightly when cutting!

Both Lucite and Perspex are made in sheets of roughly three metres and so you should be able to do your longest wall in one length.

If you take a look here you can see that 60 minute makeover have recently used Perspex Sparkle for a kitchen splashback-

http://www.lucitesolutions.com/news.cfm ... h&rid=1417


It's vital that the pieces are measured and cut to the exact size, especially where the sockets are etc.

If I have missed anything please ask.

You should be able to get some samples / prices from here-

http://www.perspexdistribution.com/

Thanks - I will get some samples as I'm concerned about how scratch resistant acrylic is.

But doesn't this look cool:




Parapan is another branded acrylic: http://www.parapan.co.uk/


Lexan is a brand of polycarbonate - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexan

http://www.sabic-ip.com/gep/Plastics/en ... lexan.html

- much tougher stuff. Having shot at a piece myself I can attest that it is indeed bulletproof....


However, after earlier today having an "I wonder if xxxx are still going?" some of these products look appealing:

http://www.formica.co.uk/