[Andy Graves]

How big of a gap do you find acceptable between the back of the cove splash and the wall? I have a customer complaining that the gap is too big and I told her that a 1/16″ plus, was acceptable. Not much I can do with it at this point. The countertop is already installed.

Andy

[Matt Dufinetz]

Tops must be undersized sufficiently to avoid binding or stress caused by thermally induced movement. For normal conditions, where the temperature is not expected to increase 50°F above the ambient, the top should be undersized about 1/8″ per 10 ft. of length. Tops between end walls, must be undersized even more 3/16″ to 1/4″ per 10 ft. of length

[Andy Graves]

On a ten foot top, can I put the 1/4″ gap on only one side instead making an equal gap on each side. That way the splash can cover the gap and the other end can be tight to an end panel or wall.

Andy

[Matt Dufinetz]

Yes, you can for Formica Solid Surface.

[Amir Azami]

I usually split the gap on square splash jobs and on coved I have been scribing the tops to the wall tight. Hav’t had a failure yet …

[David Suraci]

We go wall to wall but we cut the rock on one side..

[Norm Walters]

Amir, the only reason that I can find that you haven’t had a failure yet is because the rooms that you installed them in maintained a fairly constant temperature. I live in Florida and with hurricanes or even tropical storms the power may go out for days. With no air conditioning the room is now at least 20 degrees warmer which WILL expand a solid surface top. There is a reason that every solid surface manufacturer recommends leaving a gap.

[KCWOOD]

Andy,

When i started in SS, I ran into some wall studs that were in and out even on the set on splash. I never bothered to worry about the top of the backsplash, because any gap was the wall and not my problem.

After 2-3 “after install” complaints, or comments about a crack/gap… I knew that this is important to the homeowner. I use Polysil on my backsplashes and now I always caulk above the backsplash too, if needed. I found that 2-3 minutes here is time invested. It seems that after a while, the homeowner never will notice if a gap reappears. I’m sure you could do this with a cove backsplash as well. After the homeowner gets all the “stuff” on the counter, they probably will never notice the area where the wall meets the top.

Kelsey

[Andy Graves]

We always caulk where the splash meets the wall, but some still complain. I guess it is just a matter of not being ablt to satisfy everyone.

Andy

[KCWOOD]

“but some still complain”? Do you use Polysil or just caulk. The Polysil blends so well you cannot see it. I hear… How did you get that to fit so good? I just think, humm.. they can’t see the 3/8′ of silicone between the studs….

[Norm Walters]

Kelsey, good to see you on hear, I use polysil also, I think we are about the only ones, not sure why, it is kind of pricey though. Then again I’m pretty sure you and I are the only ones that do a 2″ stacked edge. Better top, more money, go remodels!!!

[KCWOOD]

Thanks Norm… isn’t this a fantastic site!!

I was just down in Orlando and saw many commercial uses of SS. Each one I saw had silicone, whether clear or colored. My experience is the clear or colored will discolor over time, leaving a unclean look. I have seen Polysil after 2+ years in a commericial high use restroom, and you still could not tell it was there. The particulate in it is never going to fade.

Is it pricey? What is another $15 on a large job? I wouldn’t use anything else.

KC

[John Cristina]

Andy,

Are ou able to make the scribe strip for the cove on the CNC? Since we template with a laser for now we can get every inperfection of the walls in our templates. So we can cut the scribe strip to match this perfectly. If you can not cut before hand and glue it up, are you able to reintroduce the top (leave sink off) to cut scribe into strip already attached to the splash?

John

[Andy Graves]

Kelsey,

We use a colored silicone that we color match ourselves with colorant and a good quality clear silicone. Matches so good sometimes you can’t tell it’s there. Most people don’t do this because it is a pain in the ass, but my Dad started doing it befor they had color matched, so we are used to it.

John,

We do not cut the strip on the CNC. However we contour the cove splash to match the wall. If there is a bow in the wall, we put a bow in the splash. After it is installed, you can’t see the bow and the splash thickness remains constant throughout the entire length of the splash. This system would probably not work so good if you premade the splash. Not sure if you do or not.

Andy

[KCWOOD]

I didn’t know one could mix their own silicone. That is awesome.

Most off the shelf colored silicone.. kinda, sorta, but not exactly matches. I use the Polysil because it contains the exact material your top is made from. I know it cost more but convienience is worth something.

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