I agree, 1/4 inch even is big; 1/2 inch seems HUGE. Can you shift the range a little? Also, some of those T strips are wider than others. I had to return one set I ordered bcs it was too wide to fit. So do some looking around. They're easily found online, or at Bed Bath & Beyond, and they're inexpensive, and they work really well. (One nice thing; they can be removed to clean on and beside) This one is 2-1/2 inches wide; that ought to work. same brand, I think; different catalog I'm having trouble right now finding the SKINNY strips I needed to use.

There are different widths of T squares; you can get them in stainless. I have white (bcs I have white stove & counter). I bought a set at Bed Bath & Beyond, and they were too wide (narrow clearances); I ended up ordering them from Home Trends catalog or Improvements catalog or some company like that. I like them, bcs I can remove them to clean any drips that have run off the edge. They look neat and tidy (and bonus for me, they cover the ding my DH put in my 3-month-old stove).

No can do on the "doing it correctly from the beginning" thing, unless there's a time machine that will transport me back 36 years. I think the compounding solution is a little beyond my expertise, but thanks nonetheless. I think the quarter round suggestion is more my speed. I may even cut it down to as small a piece that will work, attach it with some adhesive, then caulk and paint. Thanks.

Why not? What kind of caulk are you all using that doesn't peel up with a minimal effort? I want that! Dork, if you don't want to glue your range in (and of course you don't! You just want to keep crud out of the crack), use whatever it is I keep using on my icky old kitchen sink--kitchen 'n' bath caulk. It comes right up whether you want it to or not. But normally nothing goes in the crack. If you DO go rogue and caulk it, TEST the caulk on a counter sample to be sure it won't leave a stain and that it can in fact peel off when it's time to refresh. As far as counter to cabinetry panels by the fridge, I personally (and probably incorrectly) would caulk it because I do NOT want spills dripping back there. Yeah, I'm a rebel. But we're not talking heavy duty stick-it-down caulk. Just the wimpy cheap stuff.