How to solve this mess behind the sink tap?

[Le Gavroche]

Kitchen has been fitted for 3 years now, and my wife is extremely particular about things being done properly, and so this issue is really annoying her (and me), and I'm not sure how to solve it.

Water splash from using the sink is rotting the paint and plasterboard behind the tap. Ideally, the upstand/splashback should have been raised to right under the window sill, but this was never considered by us and never suggested by the kitchen fitter at the time. They just said these were standard hight upstands and that was that.

I redecorated 18 months ago with fresh paint and mastic, and it is just a mess again now.

Kitchen fitter is now retired/closed. I called various suppliers of the worktop and they said it was pointless trying to get another piece of the worktop and adding it as an extra splashback, as the current batch would be different shade, pattern, and so on.

Any ideas?

[Arkose]

a small row of tiling ? mosaic type thing ?

[Quhet]

May not be the preferred approach but what about a strip of clear plastic between the splashback and the windowsill in the short term?

[Xera]

Quhet said:

May not be the preferred approach but what about a strip of clear plastic between the splashback and the windowsill in the short term?

This is sort of what I did. Exactly the same problem as you. Got a nice piece of acrylic and stuck it in. It hides the existing mess and stops more water getting in.

Will just be redone if/when the kitchen is but for now no one can tell.

[JimM169]

I'd go with white mosaic/brick shape tiles the length of the window sill (or maybe a cutdown piece of soffit board but the finish at the ends maybe an issue?)

Edited by JimM169 on Friday 14th February 12:41

Edited by JimM169 on Friday 14th February 12:41

[Le Gavroche]

Xera said:

Quhet said:

May not be the preferred approach but what about a strip of clear plastic between the splashback and the windowsill in the short term?

This is sort of what I did. Exactly the same problem as you. Got a nice piece of acrylic and stuck it in. It hides the existing mess and stops more water getting in.

Will just be redone if/when the kitchen is but for now no one can tell.

I did think about putting a piece of glass or acrylic in there but wasn't sure how it would look.

How did you affix it?

[ATG]

Rather than trying to find a taller upstand that is an exact match for the existing one, maybe go for one that is a deliberately different stone that contrasts nicely with the original.

[bltamil1]

Back painted glass would be my fix for that I think. Get the rear painted the same colour as the wall, and then fix with adhesive. Mastic the joint with the worktop upstand and the underside of the cill.

[scot_aln]

What kind of paint was used in the redecoration? Can you get a matched colour (or have one mixed) in a bathroom format paint so it's got some water resistance? Then the silicone\mastic a nice quality colour matched one and applied so you create a slight angle to water runs down rather than just sits on the ledge. Had similar issue last home.

[Mr Whippy]

ATG said:

Rather than trying to find a taller upstand that is an exact match for the existing one, maybe go for one that is a deliberately different stone that contrasts nicely with the original.

That was going to be my suggestion also.

[OutInTheShed]

You could scrape off the loose paint, seal the plaster with a few coats of something like water based polyurethane, then paint with an eggshell paint for wood.

[lrdisco]

This is what the kitchen fitter should have done. School boy error.

[Deep Thought]

lrdisco said:

This is what the kitchen fitter should have done. School boy error.

Indeed

Our worktops are black granite and we got them to put it on up under the window sill, and we then got them to make the window sill in granite too.

[Deep Thought]

Personally, i'd get an acrylic splashback made to your specific size and colour requirements and then glue it in there.

Theres companies on ebay will do it for you to your measurements - and no doubt online sites too.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=acrylic+spl...

[J6542]

The rest of your windows in the house will have an apron under the cill, usually about 70mm wide. Just cut a bit for under that cill down to the upstand. Paint it the same colour as the cill. and seal it with silicone along the upstand.

[Downward]

Arkose said:

a small row of tiling ? mosaic type thing ?

This. Just looked at our kitchen and we had the windowsill and the gap between upstand done in those glass mosaic tiles.

Clear silicone on top of the upstand.
6 and a half years ago we had it done

Edited by Downward on Friday 14th February 15:02

[Megaflow]

Arkose said:

a small row of tiling ? mosaic type thing ?

Exactly the same place my mind went to.

[Antony Moxey]

A piece of glass? We had a glazing company in to size and fit us a coloured piece for the hob splashback and a plain piece for the kitchen window cill. Works fine with no chance of movement, falling or anything going behind (water, crumbs, dust, splashes etc.). Might be worth getting hold of your local glazing firm?

[Le Gavroche]

bltamil1 said:

Back painted glass would be my fix for that I think. Get the rear painted the same colour as the wall, and then fix with adhesive. Mastic the joint with the worktop upstand and the underside of the cill.

Good idea.

I have plenty of the wall paint spare.

[Le Gavroche]

lrdisco said:

This is what the kitchen fitter should have done. School boy error.

Yes, thats exactly what they should have done... but they didn't