Kitchen countertop caulk?

6 years ago

Hi all, I am assuming the installer did not caulk the countertops where they met?

were they supposed to? what can I use?

also the backsplash by the sink which is under the window keeps raising up and there is this awful gap. what can I do? Help!!

Featured Answer

PRO

Granite City Services

6 years ago

I am a fabricator. It should've been caulked by the installer(s). I'd also check to see if the installers caulked the joint between the underside of the countertops and the cabinets. Note on caulking; many shops lay a bead down and then swipe it with a wet finger or rag. This leaves a trail of caulk that is smeared over both surfaces at the joint.

A much better technique is to tape off both sides of the joint leaving 1/16" or less of material exposed. Then a very small bead is laid and the bead is "struck", i.e. pushed into the gap with a shim or other flat tool. Then the tape is removed and the caulk is in the joint not smeared all over the place. Many shops don't do this because the taping is very time consuming to do it well. Taping off a 75 sq. ft. kitchen would add the better part of an hour to the install. It really annoys me when I visit a home and see caulk smeared all over.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

kudzu9
6 years ago
You would use silicone caulk in a color that was as close to the overall tone of the countertops as possible, but the installer should have done this as part of the job. Call him back and have him fix it.

As far as your comment that the backsplash "keeps raising up," please clarify: is it literally moving for some reason, or what?
renovateslihb thanked kudzu9
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Did you purchase these counters? If so then call the installer back. If not then call a professional to address all the issues and you'll have to pay for his services. I'm assuming that the sink issue is not something you can address or you would have by this time.
Related Professionals
Terre Haute Bathroom Remodelers · Baton Rouge General Contractors · Clearlake General Contractors · Bangor Interior Designers & Decorators · Edmonton Interior Designers & Decorators · Florence Architects & Building Designers · Rapid City Architects & Building Designers · McComb Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Pittsfield Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Buffalo Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Poplar Bluff Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Yuma Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · San Jose Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Ocala Kitchen Remodelers · Martinsburg Kitchen Remodelers
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
6 years ago
Your splashes are installed properly. It is much better to have the caulk gap you have than to have splashes sitting directly on the tops. It's a change of plane and needs color matched silicone. I'd call the installer back.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
6 years ago
Axiom translucent white would be perfect. www.daniclamp.com
renovateslihb
Original Author
6 years ago
Yes the area which is under the window keeps moving up, the gap keeps expanding. I don’t know if it is because the wall it sits on opposite is exposed to the outside. water keeps going under it
PRO
Granite City Services
6 years ago
"water keeps going under it " - that's a bad thing. I have call backs where the joint between the splash and the countertop opened up after install, usually several weeks or months later. This occurs because the splash is typically adhered to the wall and settling can occur which lowers the cabinet. It's only a small amount and it only happens on new construction. The settling would never be noticed of it wasn't for the emerging gap between the splash and countertop. For your project you want that gap filled as water getting behind the cabinets is very undesirable.