wall tiles joining work surface

[sonsmum]

In your kitchens, what do you have as the interchange between tiles on the wall and the work surface?
Do you have sealant there? Or a trim? What provides the 'finished look' ?
We didn't have anything and now the bottom line of grout for the tiles has cracked away leaving a small but unfinished looking gap between wall and work surface.
Wondering what we should have asked for when the kitchen was completed!

Our kitchen is being fitted in a couple of weeks and our worktop will have a 5cm upstand and then the tiles above that.

You need an upstand. It’s not a big job for a joiner to fit it. You get it to match your worktop, so buy it from the same company.

In the meantime be careful that water doesn’t get down that little gap and onto the back of the worktop. This will make the material inside ( chipboard or particle board ) swell up and damage the surface.

This more likely to be an issue near the sink, especially behind the tap.

Upstand. No need for tules then other than splashback behind hob

*tiles

We have quartz worktop and zellige tiles, sealant at the join, no upstand. Looks great and very happy with it.

It's all a matter of personal taste, upstands are a nice look (we had them in our old kitchen), tiles are an opportunity to add colour and texture. Go for whatever appeals to you.

OP, it sound like you already have tiles that go all the way down to the worktop. Upstands may look more modern and streamlined but I think retrofitting an upstand ON TOP of existing tiles will look too clunky .

We've had fully tiled splashbacks in two kitchens and in both cases used silicone sealant to finish the gap between the wall tiles and the worktop. I think the key thing is to choose the right sealant colour rather than relying on a bog standard bright white. In the current kitchen it's matching the colour of the grout ('cement grey'). I'm attaching the pic (the tiles are 'rustic', with uneven edges, hence the uneven grout lines )

Thanks for the replies, especially 'NoIdeasForWittyNickname'. I think a line of colour coordinated sealant will be the way to go for us. We've got a granite work surface with tiles down to it. The sink has sufficient granite around it to not worry about water issues, but it is the area behind the hob that is annoying me. This flaw issue on the other walls are hidden by appliances! I think some sort of sealant in a light biscuit colour is what we need. Will investigate that now, thanks.

Saw this article this morning and thought of you, @sonsmum!

https://www.houzz.co.uk/magazine/where-to-start-and-stop-your-kitchen-splashback-stsetivw-vs~158215148

For coloured sealant look at Frugabella https://products.kerakoll.com/en-GB/p/silicone-color - we got both our grout and sealant from there in the same colour.

Definitely use sealant and make it easy for yourself by buying a sealant profile tool that means you get a professional finish. Loads of videos on YouTube showing you how to use it. I personally think this chap, Charlie, is one of the best.

My kitchen was fitted 9 years ago, last year I stripped all the sealant out, cleaned it and resealed it. My kitchen still looks brand new. The sealant profile kit is incredibly simple to use. Gives an even finish. I have used mine loads.

www.amazon.co.uk/Cramer-Grouting-Silicone-Profiling-Applicator/dp/B07H8K5W8D?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Start in a place that is hidden like behind your toaster while you get the hang of it. Remove it and start again if you think it looks terrible. Don't do a massive run, just a small area. Then when it looks good, extend the area. If there is anywhere in your house you could practise, use it there.

Get some cheap plastic drop cloths usually a few quid from B&Q or Screwfix and cover all of your worktop leaving a gap for the sealant. Tape it down to hold it in place. If you don't already know how, learn how to use a silicone gun, ie press the trigger to release the pressure so it doesn't keep pushing silicone out even when you are not squeezing the handle. And good luck.

@Zinnia, that looks cool, squirrelling the link for future ref!

We used Maipei, both grout and coordinating silicone. We bought it from Screwfix as this was the easiest option during the lockdown, but I think other suppliers may offer a wider choice of colours.

www.screwfix.com/c/sealants-adhesives/shower-sealants/cat850050?brand=mapei

Thanks @onthebenchofdoom That video link is indeed helpful. I will give that a go. Thanks for taking the time to reply.
That article was also very interesting, @zinnia. Who knew there was so much choice and considerations to make! Putting me off changing the kitchen anytime soon! (I like it as it is though, even more if I can crack this sealant technique!)

@sonsmum we used Mapei and I like it but it dries relatively fast I think mainly because it is used by the pros.

The way we approach anything DIY is can I practise this thing somewhere non critical and then you get time to perfect it before applying those skills to where they are needed. Charlie also does another sealant video on how to do corners, he has just used some off cuts to mock up a corner scenario. This is the sort of thing we do too.

Before I tiled my kitchen this time round (3rd kitchen I have tiled) I used an extra chipboard loft board, cut it into smaller pieces and stuck the kitchen tiles down with a glue gun to work out our grout line pattern as we used metro tiles and didn't know if we wanted stacked or brick pattern. Propped the boards up in the kitchen to make a decision.

We always buy a couple of sample tiles or sheet to see how easy/hard something is to cut, same with flooring, buy a pack, lay it out, how does it look? You can buy a 1m length of carpet usually 2 or 3m wide, buy that, lay it in the room where it will go, how does it look? Better to be down £50 than hundreds. I did an interior design course for fun many years ago. Plus Dh and I renovated an entire house and put our skills to the test years ago.

@OnTheBenchOfDoom, I'm a fan of Charlie's, his videos are great, full of tips aimed at DIY-ers

@NoIdeasForWittyNickname I like the fact that Charlie also shows you what not to do and why and any mistakes he has made too. We have renovated 2 houses pretty much ourselves with stuff learned from YouTube including installing bathrooms, flooring, tiling, building sheds and summer houses complete with rainwater collection gutters, replacing fence panels. We like to do stuff ourselves but know when to call in the experts too. We also like Ultimate Handyman and PlumberParts on YouTube.

There are lots of professionals on YouTube imparting knowledge for free.

@OnTheBenchOfDoom, agreed!

I've also recently stumbled across the YouTube channel of a handyman Dereton33. Haven't watched all the videos yet but thinks it's got potential, especially when it comes to plumbing tasks.
youtube.com/c/dereton33

Sorry for drailing the thread OP

@NoIdeasForWittyNickname I also watch him!

But I think this is information for anyone tackling any sort of DIY, YouTube is a great place for getting advice. I like being able to see stuff being done rather than reading about it. I am also a fan of any sort of home improvement. Can I suggest East Coast DIY a woman who renovated her house whilst her husband was deployed. American but I completely admire her.

@OnTheBenchOfDoom, yes, if they say picture's worth a thousand words, what's a video worth then?

Thank you for the recommendation. I'm usually a bit apprehensive about American YouTubers as they often use gizmos and materials not available here. But there are talented gems to be found everywhere, I'll certainly check that one out!