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Large gap between wall & countertop after removing old backsplash

three_leaf_clover

10 years ago

I am installing a glass tile backsplash in my kitchen. After removing the old backsplash there is a large gap between the countertop and the wall. The new backsplash isn't big enough to cover said gap, what do I do? The pic is a little hard to tell so I put a sanding block next to the tile for a reference. It is about 5/8" in the widest part. Please use laymen's terms, this is my first ever remodel. Thanks everyone!

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Comments (6)

deedles
10 years ago
Guessing the backsplash that was removed was the standard 4" high out of the same material as the counter?

What is the counter made of?
PRO
Allison Gamba Design Consultant
10 years ago
I would find a long skinny border glass tile in one of the colors of your backsplash and put it in there and make believe you did it on purpose, it will add to the design. Or you could cut pieces of the square backsplash and patch it but I think that looks worse because any tiler would have mad cuts at the top not the bottom of the wall
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"Which should I use on the corian/tile backsplash junction: silicone or water-based caulk? " If the area is silicone contaminated you likely have little choice but to use silicone, but even then you need to get the area as clean as possible. Naphtha seems to work better than other solvents. If you get the silicone level low enough new silicone caulk should work fine. Its chief drawbacks are being a PITA to apply and clean up, a limited number of colors, and it is not paintable (not an issue in this application). I have noticed a lot of poorly done tile joints lately. Wall tiles sitting tight on counters leaving no real space for caulk. Bathrooms seem to be even worse. Wall tiles so tight against the floor of the shower you can only make a large cove of caulk instead of a narrower joint that is less prone to damage from cleaning (leading to the inevitable leaks).
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Devans I think it looks really nice too even if the tiles need to be cut down to fill it in I think it gives a nice consistent clean look. Kitchen guys are suppose to start with my kitchen demo in 3 weeks but they have been slow moving in the process thus far so we'll see! Also, just found out that the Quartz I'm looking at is only available in 2cm not 3cm like I wanted :( they are telling me they won't know if I can get the 3 cm for another 2 weeks. Which means backsplash after that! Ugh! It's like a waiting game. If all goes as planned I would hope it's all done in the next 4-6 weeks, but I'm not holding my breath. Lol. Regarding grout I am undecided ...I like white because it's such a nice clean look but I also really like a little darker color to make the tiles pop with a little contrast. I love lisar789's warm grey grout with white tiles her kitchen is beautiful! She did sample boards to see color differences which is a great idea! Here's the link when she was deciding that I found very helpful :) https://www.houzz.com/discussions/help-need-grout-color-advice-asap-dsvw-vd~4006050?n=77 Let me know what you think ? I'd be happy to post pics when done but I bet you'll beat me to it! When are you thinking to have it done?
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I'm going to start from your last question. You'll definitely want to use silicone, color-matched if possible, to do the seam between your finished quartz and the first tile of your backsplash. That will help with water resistance and also give you some flex. You'll probably be fine with silicone underneath to secure the quartz to the brackets, but I wouldn't count on silicone raising the quartz to the appropriate level. You either need to re-position your brackets slightly or shim it to get it to the best height where it will stay. Silicone could flex and strain the seams if your quartz piece isn't securely set at the right height. As for finishing the two seams, a pro would use something that would be near permanent and very difficult to remove in the event of future problems, also something color matched that would be inconspicuous. They'd also have equipment to pull the sides of the seams together tightly, but since you're working with two pieces on the sides that are previously affixed, you won't be able to do that. There is some type of solution I've seen discussed in these forums that can be ordered color matched for this job, but it would take a while to go back through my saved information and find it. Maybe Joseph Corlett or someone else will see your post and comment. If not, let me know, and I'll try to find it for you. You might want to just do the seams with silicone for now so that if anything else goes wrong, you can re-do the job without damaging all the pieces of quartz trying to take it apart again.
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Are you at all handy? Re-tiling a backsplash is something that most people who take the time to learn how to do the work can handle. You can get cheap, cheap plain tiles at one of the big box stores. This project could probably be done for a couple hundred dollars. No to trying to paint the current tiles. Either remove, smooth wall and paint or re-tile yourself.
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PRO
Granite City Services
10 years ago
get some 1/4" plywood subfloor and build out the wall in the areas where the gap is too large.
meek95
10 years ago
My contractor would recommend adding drywall on top of the existing to bring the wall out (we had a similar situation in a powder room but just used a granite backsplash to fill the gap). I like nyse's suggestion to put an accent tile of some sort at the bottom, you could even look for a ceramic trim piece to fill the gap.
chrissyb2411
10 years ago
I think those are the same glass times we used in our bathroom. If so they are very thin, much thinner than average glass tiles. Any chance of finding something similar that is thicker?
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
10 years ago
three leaf clover:

Check your countertops for level. Install plastic non-compressive shims if not. Place a continuous shim the thickness of the grout line on the counter. I've used 2 rips of 3/4" wide plastic laminate with great success. You may want to dab some hot melt to hold it in place. Adhere your tile to the wall, starting by placing the first row on the shim. Tile as high as necessary to get where you need to be. Grout the tile, then pull the shim and push color-match silicone into the gap.

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