Do you mean a full stainless backsplash? There was a thread over in Kitchens about that last week that might be helpful.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stainless steel panel behind range?

We have a Wolf rangetop that we've been using for about 6 years now. We chose the 12 inch stainless riser. There was no drilling involved. It attaches to the stove top not to the wall.

The thing to be aware of is that keeping the backsplash clean is *impossible*. Well at least it is for us! We have a 36 inch range with the griddle in the middle. There's an exhaust or something behind the griddle and there's a nice brown, er, patina in the center of our riser.

Maybe if I were a better housekeeper we could have avoided this problem. I like to think it demonstrates that we use the stove:-)

So, I'd say if you want to keep the stainless stainless, then I think it'd be a lot of maintenance. If you're okay with that "hard-used" look, then go for it.

PS: If you get one with shelves, I'd say be sure that they are at least 12 - 15 inches above the cook top.

-- Barbara

Barbara,

I just checked out the Wolf website and I do see their highest riser only goes up 20" and has shelves, I'm a little suprised it doesn't go 30" to blend in seamless with the hood, I don't know if that matters.

You mentioned that it actually attaches to the range itself, I like that as I really didn't want to screw the DCS in the wall.

About the shelves, are they wide enough? and does it still give you the possibility to hang any cooking utensils underneath the shelf? I like that about the DCS.

Thanks,

Mark

I have a SS backspash attached to the range and I find it very ugly. I will order an island trim in the near future. I would much rather have my tiled wall showing. And I found I totally hate cleaning SS. Hate it.

I also chose not to have a SS backsplash with my DCS range. It's really a matter of personal preference and what look you're going for. I have blue pearl granite tiles with dark gray grout and I've never noticed the grout getting dirty.

yea my wife is terrified of the cleaning part, although we won't be grilling or doing much frying.

We've got an 8" SS backsplash on our Bluestar 48" range and it's the smallest offered aside from an island setup. We've got tile behind ours and it's very easy to clean if you use a little Easy-Off no-fume oven cleaner and let it sit (not too much so that it runs off) for about 15-30 minutes.. The grease just rubs off and you're left with clean SS.. Just my $0.02 worth..

Cleaning SS is miserable. I cannot wait until SS goes out of style so we can all get back to what makes sense...enamel. SS refigerators was a major big mistake, the second SS diswashers and ranges. We all gave ourselves more work to be pro look. My dishwashwer is always messy looking on the front. I hate trendy.

Mark --

Sorry, I wasn't clear. Our backsplash is only 10" and has no shelf. There's a sort of 1" or 2" lip at the top but nothing big enough to put anything on.

I looked a bit at the wolf site and they sure hide the info about the risers! Anyway, from their "design guide" it looks like the shelf on the 20 inch riser is 9 1/4" deep. The pictures don't look like they have a rod or anything to hang utensils from.

One thing to think about with the shelf is that it limits the height of the pot you can put on the back burners. If you do a lot of pasta cooking or simmering of stocks that migth be an issue to think about.

I looked again at the "patina" on my riser. It's really only behind the griddle, so if you're not getting a griddle then you should be okay. There's some kind of exhaust behind the griddle but not behind the burners themselves. Behind the burners it still polishes up nicely and looks pretty clean. It's only the center that's the real cleaning issue.

Good luck with your decision making!

Barbara

I'm sorry, but I have to respectfully disagree with tom_p_pa...I find my SS easy to clean and keep clean...and I have two younger teens who are all over the appliances! I use one of two things every couple of weeks, at most...

* Weiman SS Cleaner & Polish (in a silver can)

* Pledge in the brown can

Plus microfiber cloths!

Not only is it a quick spray & swipe to clean things, but both products seem to discourage fingerprints...I'm not sure why, but they both work! My SS refrigerator looks much cleaner all the time than my white enamel one did...I was constantly cleaning it and the handle b/c every little bit of dirt/food/fingerprint stuck and showed! It's so nice not to have to wipe down the refrigerator every day or two!

Note: I found the Weiman SS wipes actually streak SS, so I don't recommend the wipes.

bmoo,

The shelf on the DCS backguard sits at about the 18" mark on the 30" backguard, do you think that is ok?

The DCS backguard looks to be one of the best ones becuase it has 2 removable shelves, as well you could hook utensils where one of the shelves go, I'm not sure if the utensils could actually hook to the shelves themselves.

I'm not sure if you mean a riser or just using SS as a backsplash, but I'll go with the former as that's what we have: a 21" riser with shelf on 36" AG (not DF) Wolf range. Shelf is mainly used for plates under warming lights and a few spices. Keeping it clean is not much of an issue, although there are some heat burns right behind one of the rear burners.

As for the other comments above: With a high riser shelf it would be impossible to bump it with any pans you'd be using in a home kitchen. The 12" space between the top of the riser and the cabinets is usually tiled and looks fine. I don't think you'd want pans hanging over the range from the shelf.. Risers screw to the back of the range and (I assume) have to be the same brand as the stove to fit--I don't know how the DF oven exhausts, but our AG does through the top of the riser, and also is integral to the range top. One issue with a riser is that it limits the diameter of rear burner pans: any pan with a top more than 10" has to be a little off center. The shelf distorts the upward airflow off the burners and grill, so a little more powerful hood than usual maybe helpful. The look is very functional; we like it.

Teachmkt,

I was referring to a SS backsplash, so I'm thinking that would give me a little more room.

bmoo,

Oh saw your comment about the marks the griddle left on your stainless steel back, the Wolf DF304 doesn't have a buil-it griddle but I was looking to purchase an add-on for doing pancakes or whatever. I would really hate to see any marks left on it.

I don't know about Wolf, but on our old DCS range, we had a 12" riser, no shelf and we got awful scorch marks behind both back burners. This had nothing to do with housekeeping and as far as I know, there's no way to get rid of them. Our new range has more space between the back burners and the riser so it's not a problem. I think Bmoo's patina may also actually be a scorch. Those griddles get pretty hot.

Don't let anyone convince you SS cleaning is effortless and easy. Not.

Mark --

I think the stain issue from the griddle would only be for the built-in one. You say you'll purchase an "add-on" so I'm guessing that that means one that sits on top of the burners. Ours is integrated with the rangetop and has an exhaust. I think it's the super-hot air coming out of the griddle exhaust that causes the discoloration.

I mentioned the issue because some folks care. We don't; we sort of figure it's part of what shows that we use our kitchen a lot. But some folks do care that things remain nice looking. It's a matter of taste and of one's willingness to clean I suppose:-)

As to pan heights and such I think teachmkt answered that better than I could given that I don't have the high riser.

I have been going back and forth on if I need the backguard for my GE Cafe that is on order and will be installed as soon as the GE non-venting circulating hood arrives at the store that was a special order for my approval. I have the option of keeping the backguard on the order or taking it off. I like the way it looks on the back of the unit but it sounds like it would be easier to clean without it so I feel now I should take it off.

Thank you everyone who posted and to the poster who started this thread.

mayflower, my ss backplash is VERY easy to clean. Really! I use 409 if it's really greasy. It is much easier to clean than my ss refrigerator because it's just spatter, not fingerprints or other abuse from handling.

Thank you idrive65 for letting us know that your backsplash is easy to clean with 409.

Timely discussion for me... I just purchased a 48" AG Wolf range with 6 burners and griddle, to go into a new kitchen that will start to take shape next week (i.e. demo starts next week--still have a ways to go here). Anyway, just got a call from the appliance sales guy who asked what we were planning on doing behind the range. When I told him "tile backsplash" he suggested we should strongly consider a 5" stainless steel piece (riser? not sure what proper terminology is) to protect the wall. Is this needed? Shouldn't tile generally do the job too? Or will tile get scorched more so than the stainless?

Tile should be fine.

If I opt not to buy the 5" high stainless steel backguard for my new GE Cafe Gas Range and if I am not installing a tile backsplash yet (maybe next year), what should I do to protect my wall? Both burners in the back are just simmer burners. Should I paint the back wall Semi-Gloss or High-Gloss? The wall is now painted Pearl Finish BM Aqua Paint but will have be touched up when the 20 year old whirlpool range is removed with the high back since the painter at the end of year 2006 painted around the gas range.

The 12 inch s.s. backguard on our 1980's VIKING has held up extremely well.

samuel1947, thanks for letting us know how long the stainless steel backguard has held up on your Viking. I guess it depends on the quality of the stainless steel.

When I put in my Wolf range I had the 20" riser installed.
It got in the way of stock pots, and, the shelf was too low to keep things warm under the infrared lamps. I had it removed and had just the shelf mounted about 12" below the heat lamps. I already had a granite tile backsplash. I like it much better this way. As far as drilling, we did it at the granite seams with no problem, and my tiles are 12 X 24, installed real tight with no grout. The bottom of my hood is about 36" above the cook top. That 4" makes a big difference.

house_elf, do you have any pictures of your kitchen where the range, hood and backsplash is? I would love to see tiles without grout to make my life easier with cleaning. Thank you so much.

My GE SS hood arrived for me to look at tomorrow at the store for my approval and that is the only time I can make changes to the order before the range and hood are brought to my home to be installed with the old 20 year old almond range and almond hood removed.

Hence, I must know by the tomorrow if I should take the 5" backguard off the order and just wait to do a tile backsplash when I have time. For now I am stuck with my almond laminate counters that come up the side of the walls 4" everywhere but behind the sink so that is why I added the backguard initially.

Sorry, I was away over the weekend and did not get your post until today. I do not have photos, but I can tell you that the tiles are very large, 12 X 24, and butted against each other. You could visit HD and lay out some tiles to see the effect.

LOVE my 20 inch Wolf riser with shelf. I've had it since 2002 and couldn't live without it. It's very easy to clean and gives the kitchen that professional look.

http://www.subzero-wolf.com/products/marketing-accessories/gas-range-risers

Ease of cleaning is relative. Cleaning grout between tile has to be the worst.

We're going with a 30" BlueStar in our next home and they offer several different backguards. the standard island trim which is as high as the grates, a 6" or a 17" or a 24". We've decided on the stand island . The range will be on an exterior wall and we have planned on a slightly more decorative tile for behind the range. That still gives me the option of placing a large cookie sheet behind the range to protect the tile and grout if DH gets carried away.

I have an early model (before Fisher/Paykel) open burner DCS with a 12 inch back guard. I thought it might be a problem when I first got it but it's been exceptionally easy to keep clean. I don't bother with special cleaners. I just use a damp microfiber cloth. It turned out to be so easy that I went with a full stainless back splash with chrome warming racks instead of the tile I had originally planned on in the area. The first 12" gets most of the spatter. I would never want tile there now. We are in the middle of a full remodel and I am cooking without the back splash or a hood currently but even without the hood the riser is no problem to keep clean. I do fry a lot too.

My range is a workhorse. I don't obsess about it looking showroom fresh. But even with the neglect it comes clean with water and a cloth. The only part that gets cleaner is the oven. I take apart the top every month or so and clean the nooks and crannies again using plain water and a microfiber cloth.