Hi all, The people who owned my house before me had a kitchen fitted but for whatever reason the worksurface counter and the tiles don't meet, there is a small gap of between 10mm and 5mm between the tiles and the top of the counter. I've tried to just put sealant along the back but because of the varying heights and all that it just doesn't look like a good finish so I was tempted to buy these PVC angles (https://www.screwfix.com/p/alfer-white-pvc-equal-sided-angle-20-x-20-x-2000mm/3801p), cut them to size and attach them to the tiles and the worktop. What would people here recommend as the best way to stick them down?
Depending on worktop finish/colour, you may well get a better finish by using colour matched ‘worktop upstands’ ; (or at least a colour that blends in with worktop and tiles) Way more expensive of course but designed for the job and plenty of choice available. Stick in place with silicon or grab adhesive If your going with plastic angle, buy from a UPVC plastic shop/window supplier as sold in 5m lengths so no joins and not much more £ for an extra 3m. Again, ‘glue’ in place with clear silicon, push in place and clear away overspill Upstands will look way better though
go to your local plastic center a buy a plastic quad and double sided tape you can get it in 5m lengths as golden boy said
Thanks all for the advice so far. Must admit I’ve never heard of an upstand, so had a look online and I think they’re a bit pricey, I’m only expecting the kitchen to last a few more years hence why I’m only going for a more budget option. Can anyone recommend any plastic shops? Im based in the Uxbridge area in North West London, so somewhere along the A40 or in Buckinghamshire/Slough area would do.
It will look awful if you use those in my opinion. Fill the big gaps with tissue paper or expanding foam and do the job neatly with silicone. Profiling tools have made this job much easier nowadays. A tube of silicone and a pack of profiles will still be cheaper than the angle beading and something sticky to fix it with.
I’ve already used silicone in parts, the problem is that the tiles aren’t all even, in that some of the tiles have been cut shorter and have a bigger gap.
You have to profile to the biggest gap. As Willy said, fill the gap, then squirt your sealant. Another option would be to use a tile trim. If you took a plastic rounded trim, shortened the width of the flat section, you could then slide it under the bottom of the tiles until the curved section hit the front of the tiles. Would give a neat profile, which you could finish with a tiny wipe of matching silicone.
Right angle pvc trim will look bluddy awful and that’s why I suggested worktop upstands but ....... ££££££ Another option - when uv found a plastics / upvc supplier is to look at pvc architrave / cloak profile Available in a range of widths and again, available in 5m lengths and literally pennies Couple of nationwide chains are Gap Plastics and Eurocell, both near me but that don’t help you But I’m sure that you can goggle the same as me ! Will be several independents in your area as well I’m sure ..... all at the click of a finger If your gonna use a profile as opposed to silicon, I would really consider this option Could also look at using timber architrave and paint / stain (all depends what will look best with worktops and tiles
If you do use silicone make sure it's an acetic one if you can not typical sealer. It's more robust and also a much better adhesive. It can be obtained in various colours. You can buy some rather expensive items for finishing off silicone. It doesn't stick to them but do need to keep wiping it off them. Still a good idea to spray as follows at some point. https://www.toolstation.com/cramer-fugi-profiling-tool-set/p46602 If you lay the silicone and then spray it with any window cleaner it can even be smoothed over with a finger without it sticking - just keep putting it on. You shouldn't have much of a problem providing both surfaces are flat except where the grout lines are on the tiles. I'd do those places last. Several colours are available maybe buff https://www.toolstation.com/everbuild-silicone-825-380ml/p93228 Also Mapei off Screwfix Biggest problem is getting rid of the very thin film that tends to remain on adjacent surfaces. Have to keep scraping it off. Also too big a gap so the silicone just keeps running in - ?? maybe filler first leaving some depression. John -
I'd wonder about using timber. Rounded 90 degree quadrant. Paint thoroughly in a suitable colour. satin or matt probably best, let it dry well and then a coat of matt exterior varnish. Then cut and fit sealing the ends with exterior wood glue and or paint. Stick in place with preferably with acetic silicone rubber - stinks as it goes off. Done that way the timber will look like a pukka trim. John -
Thanks to you all for the advice. In the end I looked at going to a plastic shop however the ones near me ended up only being in 5 metre lengths which were too big to fit in the car. I ended up buying a couple of 2.5m sections from Wickes instead which cost a bit more and meant I couldn’t get a solid bit, but it looks much better than how an angle would have looked. Appreciate the advice, I didn’t even know these things existed before so appreciate it.
A ha yes, that’s what I suggested, UPVC architrave - wickes call it ‘Cloak’ I believe Shame as you could have bought 5m for I bet cheaper than a single 2.5 at Wickes and all you do is curl it into a loose hoop (as big as car will allow) and tape it in place. Let loose as soon as you get home so it will flatten out (never store it curled) Anyway, at least uv got it sorted now so cool bananas mate