Quartz Stone Laminate Worktop

What it is

A 100mm-high strip in Quartz Stone, the same decor as your worktop. It sits along the back edge of the worktop, against the wall.

Why you need one

Walls are rarely straight, so there's nearly always a gap between worktop and wall. An upstand covers it, stops water and crumbs getting down the back, and gives a neat finished line. It's the simplest, cheapest way to finish a worktop.

Sizes

Most kitchens need one length per wall run.

Fitting

Cut it to length with a fine-tooth saw and bond it to the wall with grab adhesive. Run a bead of clear or matching silicone along the bottom edge, and finish any exposed ends with an end cap.

Upstand or splashback?

Choose an upstand if you're tiling above the worktop, or want the cheapest neat finish. Choose a splashback behind the hob or sink, or if you want no tiles at all. Lots of kitchens use both. What's a splashback?

What it is

A full-height panel in Quartz Stone, the same decor as your worktop, fixed to the wall behind the hob or sink.

Why choose one

One continuous wipe-clean surface with no grout lines, so there's nothing to stain or scrub between tiles. It protects the wall from splashes and cooking grease, and makes the worktop and wall look like one piece.

Sizes

Behind a hob

Check the minimum clearance to a laminate panel in your hob's installation manual. Gas hobs usually need more space, or a heat-resistant panel behind the burners.

Fitting

Cut it to size and bond it to a flat, sound wall with panel adhesive. Seal the bottom edge to the worktop with silicone.

Upstand or splashback?

Choose an upstand if you're tiling above the worktop, or want the cheapest neat finish. Choose a splashback behind the hob or sink, or if you want no tiles at all. Lots of kitchens use both. What's an upstand?

What it is

A strip in Quartz Stone that covers the cut end of the worktop. It comes pre-glued, or is fixed with contact adhesive.

When you need it

Whenever a cut end is on show: at the end of a run, on a breakfast bar, or anywhere you've cut a length down.

Sizes

Fitting

1. Glue Spread contact adhesive on the end and the strip, or warm a pre-glued strip.
2. Press Press it on firmly from the middle outwards, with a block of wood.
3. Trim and file Trim the overhang with a sharp blade, then file the edges down at a slight angle.

What it is

An aluminium strip that joins two worktop lengths without a router or jig. The web slips between the two ends and the cap covers the joint.

Straight or corner

Straight: joins two lengths in a line. Corner: makes an L-shaped join where two runs meet.

Sizes

Match the strip to your worktop's thickness: a 38mm strip for a 38mm worktop.

The alternative

A mason's mitre gives a seamless corner, but it needs a worktop jig and a router. See both options in our fitting guide.

What it is

An aluminium cap that finishes the exposed end of a postformed worktop, following its rounded front edge.

Left or right?

Stand facing the worktop. If the exposed end is on your left, you need a left end cap; if it's on your right, a right end cap.

Sizes

Match the cap to your worktop's thickness.

Fitting

Hold the cap against the end, drill small pilot holes and screw it on. A thin bead of silicone behind it keeps water out of the end.

What's in it

Three connector bolts and a tube of joint sealant: everything to hold one worktop joint together.

What it's for

The bolts sit in pockets cut underneath both worktops and pull the joint tight. The sealant goes on the joint faces first, so water can't get into the core.

How many?

One kit per worktop joint.