Hi,

The walls in my kitchen are far from square and after fitting my worktop
there are gaps between the worktop and the wall of differing sizes at
various intervals along the 3m length. I didn't have the patience or skill
to plane the worktop to fit the wall.

I don't know the correct way to seal a worktop to the wall but I was going
to seal it to the wall with transparent silicone before tiling. After tiling
should I then run a bead of silicone along the tile/worktop edge or will the
grout be sufficient considering I have already sealed the worktop behind the
tiles.

But now that I have large gaps how do I seal the worktop to the wall or
should I forget this and just tile, bringing the tiles out from the wall
with large lumps of grout to cover the gaps.

Or should I fill the gaps with something and then seal with silicone and
then tile. If so what can I fill the gaps with so the silicone does not just
disappear down the back?

BTW, the exposed chipboard on the worktop edges have been sealed with PVA.

I don't want a rotten worktop in 2 years!

Thanks,

John

John Greenwood wrote:

I don't know the correct way to seal a worktop to the wall but I was going
to seal it to the wall with transparent silicone before tiling. After tiling
should I then run a bead of silicone along the tile/worktop edge or will the
grout be sufficient considering I have already sealed the worktop behind the
tiles.

Depends a bit on just how big the gaps are!

Normally you could tile and then run a bead of silicone sealant along
the tile / worktop joint. If your gaps are so big as to be bigger than
the thickness of a the tiles (i.e. you wouls still have a vertical gap
at this point) then you have a bit more of a problem.

Perhaps one of the worktop sealing strips would do the trick. Fix in
place as directed and then ensure that is well sealed in with silicone
top and bottom.


--
Cheers,

John.

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John Greenwood wrote:

Hi,

The walls in my kitchen are far from square and after fitting my worktop
there are gaps between the worktop and the wall of differing sizes at
various intervals along the 3m length. I didn't have the patience or skill
to plane the worktop to fit the wall.

I don't know the correct way to seal a worktop to the wall but I was going
to seal it to the wall with transparent silicone before tiling. After tiling
should I then run a bead of silicone along the tile/worktop edge or will the
grout be sufficient considering I have already sealed the worktop behind the
tiles.

But now that I have large gaps how do I seal the worktop to the wall or
should I forget this and just tile, bringing the tiles out from the wall
with large lumps of grout to cover the gaps.

Or should I fill the gaps with something and then seal with silicone and
then tile. If so what can I fill the gaps with so the silicone does not just
disappear down the back?

BTW, the exposed chipboard on the worktop edges have been sealed with PVA.

I don't want a rotten worktop in 2 years!



Don't panic. We all have the same problems.

If you are tiling, then you have the perfect finish to solve gap problems.
If you are tliling up to cupboards, its even greater happiness, because
you can just skling some MDF between the cupboards and the worktop, and
tile over the now perfectly flat surface.

Experience of trying to get a suite of vertical tiles flat on an uneven
wal suggests this is a better option.

Somehw you have to bodge out the gaps to get a smooth tiling sufarce.
You camn skim plaster, or use board with various spacings of battens, or
indeed shape the rear of the board itself to fit the wall.

In my case, the presence of a nice gap behind the MDF akllowed me to run
cables where there were none previously, and hide a nasty piece of
trunking...
In fact it looks to neat, I haven't tiled it yet.

If you have almost no movement between worktop and tiles, no need for
silicone either - Just use grout. I am tending to use silicone first to
seal, then tile over, and make grout the final fine finish.






Thanks,

John

"John Greenwood" wrote in message
.. .
Hi,

The walls in my kitchen are far from square and after fitting my worktop
there are gaps between the worktop and the wall of differing sizes at
various intervals along the 3m length. I didn't have the patience or skill
to plane the worktop to fit the wall.

A relatively simple task of scribing, place the wortop in position so that
it's front edge is equal distance from the carcasses ..... calculate what
overhang you require and subtract that from the current distance, then
either using a block of wood cut to size and a pencil, or a pair of compass
set to the right distance, you scribe along the back edge


I don't know the correct way to seal a worktop to the wall but I was going
to seal it to the wall with transparent silicone before tiling. After
tiling
should I then run a bead of silicone along the tile/worktop edge or will
the
grout be sufficient considering I have already sealed the worktop behind
the
tiles.

the second sealant will stop the tiles and worktop seperating and looking
ugly with later movement


But now that I have large gaps how do I seal the worktop to the wall or
should I forget this and just tile, bringing the tiles out from the wall
with large lumps of grout to cover the gaps.

You haven't said how large .. you might, now, have to either resort to dry
lining that section if the gap is too big, or building it out with plaster.
Don't try and build it out with adhesive, it won't work.


Or should I fill the gaps with something and then seal with silicone and
then tile. If so what can I fill the gaps with so the silicone does not
just
disappear down the back?

sounds like a BIG gap ...... maybe you should have taken it slower and asked
these questions BEFORE fitting the worktop


BTW, the exposed chipboard on the worktop edges have been sealed with PVA.

that's good


I don't want a rotten worktop in 2 years!

Thanks,

John

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
If you are tiling, then you have the perfect finish to solve gap problems.
If you are tliling up to cupboards, its even greater happiness, because
you can just skling some MDF between the cupboards and the worktop, and
tile over the now perfectly flat surface.

I hope you sealed the MDF before tiling NP ;-P

Simon wrote:

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...

If you are tiling, then you have the perfect finish to solve gap problems.
If you are tliling up to cupboards, its even greater happiness, because
you can just skling some MDF between the cupboards and the worktop, and
tile over the now perfectly flat surface.


I hope you sealed the MDF before tiling NP ;-P



Nah. I don't spray my tiles with steam and high pressure hoses.

I have extractor fans and insulated walls and central heating.

But now that I have large gaps how do I seal the worktop to the wall or
should I forget this and just tile, bringing the tiles out from the wall
with large lumps of grout to cover the gaps.

The best way is to plaster the wall to fit the worktop. It doesn't matter if
you are no good at plastering - you'll be tiling over it. Get some plaster,
how much depends on the size of the gaps, and having distressed the wall to
provide a key, put it on level with the back of the worktop, tapering the
plaster up the wall. One coat should do it, and when it's gone off a bit
(say 1 hour) level it at much as possible.

Rob Graham

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
Nah. I don't spray my tiles with steam and high pressure hoses.

I have extractor fans and insulated walls and central heating.

That wasn't it ..... MDF is like a sponge and will suck the moisture out of
the adhesive before a full cure is reached and won't adhere too well.

robgraham wrote:

But now that I have large gaps how do I seal the worktop to the wall or
should I forget this and just tile, bringing the tiles out from the wall
with large lumps of grout to cover the gaps.


The best way is to plaster the wall to fit the worktop. It doesn't matter if
you are no good at plastering - you'll be tiling over it. Get some plaster,
how much depends on the size of the gaps, and having distressed the wall to
provide a key, put it on level with the back of the worktop, tapering the
plaster up the wall. One coat should do it, and when it's gone off a bit
(say 1 hour) level it at much as possible.

Rob Graham




If you MUST do this then het some pattens and batten out teh wall to
level with vertical strips packed oiut with scrap to make a guide for
plastering.

IME trying to get plastering level is hard for professionlas, let alone
us D-I-Yers.

Simon wrote:

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...

Nah. I don't spray my tiles with steam and high pressure hoses.

I have extractor fans and insulated walls and central heating.


That wasn't it ..... MDF is like a sponge and will suck the moisture out of
the adhesive before a full cure is reached and won't adhere too well.


? Always worked for me?

Coat of PVA should fix anyway.

"robgraham" wrote in message
...
But now that I have large gaps how do I seal the worktop to the wall or
should I forget this and just tile, bringing the tiles out from the wall
with large lumps of grout to cover the gaps.

The best way is to plaster the wall to fit the worktop. It doesn't matter
if
you are no good at plastering - you'll be tiling over it. Get some
plaster,
how much depends on the size of the gaps, and having distressed the wall
to
provide a key, put it on level with the back of the worktop, tapering the
plaster up the wall. One coat should do it, and when it's gone off a bit
(say 1 hour) level it at much as possible.

Rob Graham


slap a piece of plasterboard up, much easier ... stick a dollop of bonding
every 8 inches or so and squeaze it in place and let it set, then tile over
and if it's on a run of wall where the tiling is to finish, you'll just have
to put up with a larger step from wall to the tiling, a nice bevelled grout
edge should finish it off.

IME trying to get plastering level is hard for professionlas, let alone
us D-I-Yers.

Yes, I agree basically. However, here the OP has got an existing wall that
just needs modification and then he's going to tile over it anyway. I would
have thought the guide consisting of the back of the worktop would have been
adequate.

Rob

Simon wrote in message ...

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
Nah. I don't spray my tiles with steam and high pressure hoses.

I have extractor fans and insulated walls and central heating.

That wasn't it ..... MDF is like a sponge and will suck the moisture out of
the adhesive before a full cure is reached and won't adhere too well.

IIRC the face of mdf is not at all porous. The edges are though.

robgraham wrote in message ...
But now that I have large gaps how do I seal the worktop to the wall or
should I forget this and just tile, bringing the tiles out from the wall
with large lumps of grout to cover the gaps.

The best way is to plaster the wall to fit the worktop.
Quite often there are just a couple of high spots on the wall that throw the
worktop out. Chopping those out can reduce the gaps to tile thickness.

robgraham wrote in message ...
IME trying to get plastering level is hard for professionlas, let alone
us D-I-Yers.

Yes, I agree basically. However, here the OP has got an existing wall that
just needs modification and then he's going to tile over it anyway. I would
have thought the guide consisting of the back of the worktop would have
been
adequate.
You only need a piece of wood to get the surface level. The difficult bit is
getting it flat and smooth for decorating, which is not required for tiling.

robgraham wrote:

IME trying to get plastering level is hard for professionlas, let alone
us D-I-Yers.


Yes, I agree basically. However, here the OP has got an existing wall that
just needs modification and then he's going to tile over it anyway. I would
have thought the guide consisting of the back of the worktop would have been
adequate.


I am good at many things D-I-Y. Plastering is not one of them



Rob

"stuart noble" wrote in message
...


IIRC the face of mdf is not at all porous. The edges are though.


That's quite a definitive statement. Not at all porous would mean that it
didn't soak water at all, glass is not porous. MDF is most definitely
porous, though maybe not as much on the face as it is on the edge as the
face is tighter packed. Try leaving a puddle of water on the face of a piece
of MDF ............ and watch it bloom.

Better still, simulate the effect of wet tile adhesive under NON porous
ceramic tiles by putting a wet rag on the MDF and covering it with plastic
and leaving it for a day

stuart noble wrote:
Quite often there are just a couple of high spots on the wall that
throw the worktop out. Chopping those out can reduce the gaps to tile
thickness.

Seconded. Just chop away at the plaster high spots, a non-critical if
somewhat rough and ready approach. Way easier and quicker than cutting the
worktop.
This may have the effect of recessing the worktop into the plaster which
will aid sealing the tiles.

--
Toby.

'One day son, all this will be finished'

Simon wrote in message ...
That's quite a definitive statement. Not at all porous would mean that it
didn't soak water at all, glass is not porous. MDF is most definitely
porous, though maybe not as much on the face as it is on the edge as the
face is tighter packed. Try leaving a puddle of water on the face of a
piece
of MDF ............ and watch it bloom.
Neither pva nor mdf will withstand "prolonged exposure" to water. Sure, I
wouldn't line a pond with it, but it's a good enough base for tile adhesive,
and superior to plaster and most ply.

"stuart noble" wrote in message
...

Neither pva nor mdf will withstand "prolonged exposure" to water. Sure, I
wouldn't line a pond with it, but it's a good enough base for tile
adhesive,
and superior to plaster and most ply.


so it's porous then?

Simon wrote in message ...

"stuart noble" wrote in message
...

Neither pva nor mdf will withstand "prolonged exposure" to water. Sure, I
wouldn't line a pond with it, but it's a good enough base for tile
adhesive,
and superior to plaster and most ply.


so it's porous then?
Relatively but, as you said, glass is probably the only thing that isn't.

stuart noble wrote:

Simon wrote in message ...

"stuart noble" wrote in message
...


Neither pva nor mdf will withstand "prolonged exposure" to water. Sure, I
wouldn't line a pond with it, but it's a good enough base for tile

adhesive,

and superior to plaster and most ply.


so it's porous then?

Relatively but, as you said, glass is probably the only thing that isn't.




Concrete isn't if designed with the odd additive. Lots of swimming pools
made of it, and boats too.

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...

Concrete isn't if designed with the odd additive. Lots of swimming pools
made of it, and boats too.

Concrete IS porous. Practically all plastics aren't and practically all
metals aren't, and I could be bothered, I could probably find a few more
things. Concrete would need a plastic additive or a plastic sealer to be non
porous.

Simon wrote:

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...


Concrete isn't if designed with the odd additive. Lots of swimming pools
made of it, and boats too.


Concrete IS porous. Practically all plastics aren't and practically all
metals aren't, and I could be bothered, I could probably find a few more
things. Concrete would need a plastic additive or a plastic sealer to be non
porous.



Er. Thats what I said, dummy.

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...

Er. Thats what I said, dummy.

well if you are going to resort to name calling ... :-P

you said concrete ISN'T porous, it IS, it's the plastic that isn't, DUMMY

Simon wrote:

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...

Er. Thats what I said, dummy.


well if you are going to resort to name calling ... :-P

you said concrete ISN'T porous, it IS, it's the plastic that isn't, DUMMY




So you conventionally refer to e.g.
cake-with-rains-dates-and-walnuts-in, rather than 'cake' do you?

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
So you conventionally refer to e.g.
cake-with-rains-dates-and-walnuts-in, rather than 'cake' do you?


nope. I call you, i mean, it, a Fruitcake :-P