A kitchen backsplash is the area between the counter tops and the cabinets and/or hob of the oven. This area is then tiled out with various tiled materials like glass or ceramics but it’s the arrangement that is important. It’s usually this part of the wall that becomes splashed by cooking in pots and pans but the idea here is to make an aesthetic image that combines practicality of easy to clean together with nice to look at kitchen interiors. Although the kitchen backsplash has the potential to be the most stunning feature in the kitchen there are however a few points to keep in mind and bring to surface.

When it comes to popularity it’s hard to say which material is more popular than the other because everyone’s kitchen design and layout differs so it’s hard to nail it down to one particular thing. Glass has become popular because it’s easy to clean but so has granite due to its indestructible nature. If you had a bomb go off in your kitchen your granite backsplash is probably the only thing that would remain standing.

If you are an owner of a food outlet, restaurant or commercial kitchen it is your duty to perform regular kitchen extract ductwork to protect against the buildup of dust, the shedding of particles into food that can form moulds, surface condensation, pest infestation and specifically contamination.

The HSE advise that the layout of your kitchen should allow for adequate maintenance, cleaning, kitchen extract ductwork and disinfecting to avoid and minimize airborne contamination with enough work surface space to carry out tasks in a hygienic manor.

You must have wash basins with hot and cold running water for cleansing hands. You must also provide materials for hygienic washing and drying. Preferably the sinks will be fitted with automatic, lever, elbow or knee operation to avoid contamination.

The Central Jersey Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (www.cjnari.com) presented its prestigious “Contractor of the Year” (CotY) awards to local remodeling contractors at its Evening of Excellence Awards Dinner at Maggiano’s Little Italy in Bridgewater, NJ on Friday, January 21.

Entries were scored by an independent panel of judges on six different criteria:

To what degree were the expressed needs of the client met?
To what degree does the project enhance the existing structure’s functionality?
To what degree does the project enhance the existing structure aesthetically?
Is there evidence of superior craftsmanship?
Were innovative uses of material and/or methods of construction used in the project?
Did the contractor overcome difficult obstacles?

“The judges selected winners from a number of entries in eleven different categories,” said Patrick Chrustinsky, President of Perfect Connections, Inc. of Somerville, NJ and this year’s President of CJNARI.  “The work of the judges was often difficult because the quality of the entries was outstanding.  We would like to congratulate the winners in the following categories: