emigrant
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I am just embarking on installing a new kitchen – the tips and hints on this wonderful site have got me mentally prepared at least!
What is the best way to seal the join where a laminate worktop meets the wall? I want to avoid the ingress of water etc, as the old kitchen revealed dirty and unhygenic streaks down
the wall behind the base units, so obviously over the years pollution has got down there!
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timfoley
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Emigrant,
Welcome to the forum.
If your name is indicative of an imminent departure then good luck in your new life. If however I’ve got the wrong end of the stick then it will at least be a consistency for me.
Anyway back to the question. The best way to seal a worktop to the wall is using silicone sealant but this does depend on your wall finish. Splashbacks are the most effective method
of providing protection to kitchen wall elevations and I am a big fan of their simplicity both to install and to maintain.
Again, silicone sealant is the method by which it seals best to the worktop and this will provide protection against water ingress.
Splashbacks are available in a variety of materials including coloured glass, stainless steel, granite, acrylic and laminate.
If tiles are your preference then again silicone sealant provides the best barrier.
One thing to watch for when buying sealant is that a number of manufacturers market their product as kitchen and bath sealant but many of these are acrylic sealant and are not as
effective against water ingress as silicone so make sure to read the description before buying. A good indication is cost and silicone sealant is more expensive (approx £5-6 per
standard sized mastic gun tube).
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scos
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Hi!
Great site, well done.
I’m new to home DIY although I have a lot of experience with DIY car maintenance.
Last week started fitting my new kitchen, well I say started but in fact spent most of the week preparing the room for the new units to go in (had to knock a wall down, cement and
plaster, electrics etc…)
Anyway, this weekend I am going to be fitting the rest of the units and the worktops – I read your article on fitting worktops which is very good but I have an additional question
with regard to the sealant.
In the article you say to use varnish to seal the cut-outs for the sink & hob but I was under the impression that I should use the silicone sealant for that?
And with regard to the back of the worktop do I just spread sealant all over that edge before installing the worktop or is the sealant only supposed to be used once the worktop is in
place? i.e. I should use varnich on the exposed edges first and then sealant just as a final touch?
Thanks,
Scott.
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timfoley
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Scos,
Glad you find our site of use and good luck with your kitchen.
Silicone sealant is effective when sealing a worktop joint or between wall and worktops. However, it should be applied with a mastic gun in both instances.
Where the worktop meets the wall finish, whether it be tiles or a splashback, a thin bead applied in an even and uninterrupted way can be smoothed immediately after application using
the tip of your finger. Dipping your finger in water prior to doing this will assist in smoothing the finish. There is an art to achieving a good finish this way and practising it
first on scrap pieces should refine the method.
With regard to cut outs, you can apply varnish or caskermite brushed on to protect the exposed chipboard from swelling should any water ingress occur.
Some worktops have varnish applied to the rear edge and if not it would do no harm to apply it yourself. This is only a safety measure against the possibility of water ingress due to
an inadequate seal between worktop and wall.
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scos
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Thanks again Tim.
I bought some varnish and used that to seal the sides of the first worktop that I did yesterday. You were right, the rear edge was already sealed with something similar.
Yes I think i understand the different application for the silicone, I have an applicator gun for it and I have had some practice using decorators caulk so I’m hoping that won’t be
a problem, although there is a bit of a gap between the side walls and worktop in some places as the wall is not very flat!
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