I am building a formica laminate counterop in a kitchen that I have to match to an existing one. Most of the new formica countertops have the backsplash built-on already but the old one has a 4″ backsplash that was made for the counter and added to the back.
My question concerns attaching the 4″ back splash. Is it mounted to the countertop and then the whole counter top (formica already on) is fastened to the base cabinets, or is the surface countertop installed (formica already on) and the the back splash (forimica already on) then glued to the wall behind the countertop?
Looking at the existing top on an end I can see that the entire countertop surface was laminated and the back splash was added on top of the laminated countertop (but no laminate on the bottom of the backsplash) – but i cannot tell if it was then stuck to the wall or mounted to the top.
There appears to be some benefits to sticking it to the wall, as it would then hide any gaps between the top and the wall (top is true – wall rarely is). If this is the way then how do you glue it to the wall?
The old top also has a caulk line (silicone I suspect) where the backsplash meets the countetop and also where the backsplash meets the wall.
Appreciate any suggestions!
Replies
Counter top first, then splash. Use silicone II under the splash to seal. You can use construction adhesive or silicone to stick the splash to the wall.
Either way of mounting the splash to the top is acceptable, but IMO the slpash should always be mounted to the top. The intersecing joint is caulked with either a clear silicone or colored caulk that matches the top. The slash is attache to the top with screws, nails or staples from either the back of the splash or through the bottom of the top.
Depending on the flatness of the wall behind the splash I will build the splash form 1 to 11/4 inches thick by applying layers of1/4x1/2" strips of wood to the back of the splab. I can then scribe and fit the splash to a wavey wall.
The tops that you referred to with the integral splash are called post formed tops.
One of my first subcontract jobs was installing post form tops in title 3 HUD apartments. They had end splashes that were glued to the walls at the end of an 8' kitchen. Hundreds of tops and end splashes later I swore off of ever installing another post form top<G>. Of course I have since then, but I would rather build a custom top
Dave.
when fabbing a laminate top with a backsplash, i usually fab the top and then the backsplash and fasten together with 2 inch screws and silicon in between
the silicon is placed on the c'top(after predrilling screw holes) then fastenning the back splash. if the silicon has a nice small sqeeze out during tightening of the screws then the amount is just right. excess silicon is trimmed off after its set up
regular scribing and fitting follows
if the walls are really suspect, i'll scribe the blank before laminating
caulking is not a piece of trim
I used to fasten the backsplash to the top prior to installation. Now I use SmartClips and am able to set the splash after the counter is fastened in placeI highly recommend them for installing backsplashes. They're available thru http://www.McFeelys.com. You really need the whole setup ( spacer bar, router bit, driver/depth setter , and clips) but it really does makes installation a lot easier.