At Unika we get a lot of feedback on kitchen fitting adhesives and the nightmares that fitters come across on jobs. Here’s our list of the seven biggest pains for fitters!
1: The worktop joint isn’t tight
Kitchen fitters and customers alike don’t want to see a joint that isn’t tight and is susceptible to water ingress, which leads to a blown joint. The wrong kitchen fitting adhesive, or a misaligned joint, could lead to water getting in, and once water gets into a joint, it will swell the chipboard. When it expands, it will push the worktop up and create a raised lump or area. There’s no solution – once it’s happened, the worktop will need replacing. Kitchen fitters have an awkward chat with the customer on their hands, as it might not initially sound too costly, but remember when they’re removed, the hob and sink also need to be taken out and refitted. It’s likely some tiles and backsplash will need removing too, and these will need refitting, or even replacing if they break (and let’s face it – they always do!) Then of course it all needs resealing, hopefully this time with a better kitchen fitting adhesive and sealant. It’s a domino effect – even paintwork can get chipped and need retouching.
2: Dirty joints
No one wants to see a worktop joint that’s only a few weeks old gathering dirt and grime, creating a black stripe along the worktop. It looks ugly, but it’s also full of germs. It’s especially prominent on lighter worktops as it stands out and looks unsightly. When you purchase a laminate worktop these days, there are a lot that now come with built-in Microban and microbial properties. That’s great for the worktop, but why waste that with a kitchen fitting adhesive that’s collecting grime and harbouring germs?
3: Mouldy silicone
At the back of a worktop, between the worktop itself and the tiles, upstand or backsplash, there is usually a bead of silicone. Sometimes it’s clear, sometimes it’s white, sometimes it’s coloured. Well, it’s often supposed to be, but often it’s black, mouldy and wobbly where it’s coming free. You see this in areas with lots of water like bathrooms, but it’s especially ugly in a kitchen. A tough, colour-matched product like Unika TopSeal will create a great looking seal that’s easy to clean and tough to touch. It doesn’t attract dirt and germs like silicone does.
4: A trim in a joint
Uh oh – you can tell when this is a DIY job. The trim will harbour germs and dirt all around it. It is raised higher than the kitchen worktop, so when you wipe crumbs and dirt across the top and across this trim it will all get caught along the side of it. The joint is actually fitting together on one side the post-formed bull nose of the worktop, and on the other side the cut flat edge. Even with the best trim design and the best kitchen fitting adhesive, fitting these two different edges together with a trim in the middle will always lead to gaps where water can get underneath and food can get stuck. Customers are often aiming for that seam-free look, this is definitely not the way!
5: Wrong tools for the job
Using a joint just with a jigsaw or circular saw will create a straight joint and not a mitre. Either side of the joint will not be completely even, so when fitted dry it won’t be flush. Kitchen fitting adhesive won’t disguise this, and it will likely be chipped along the top of the laminate edge. This will look very unprofessional and messy. A mitre with the right jig will create the smallest inset and back edge, creating a perfect joint.
6: Off-colour joint
There’s nothing worse than having a white worktop with a cream line of kitchen fitting adhesive revealing the joint. It just looks messy. The worktop is one of the most important elements in a kitchen, it’s where you prepare, cook and clean. It needs to be robust and built to last. There will be food, oil, water, all at hot and cold temperatures, and it needs to withstand all of this abuse and still come out looking great. This will never be the case if your joint is the wrong colour!
7: Silicone against a painted wall ruining the finish
Sealant that runs, for example, along the top of an upstand, cannot be painted. Sometimes the silicone may have even been put on in a large bead, but even for a small bead the nature of the product means that when you wipe it off, it creates a thin film that is difficult to remove. It can’t be painted over, so you end up with a line of visible silicone that’s not the same colour as the paint. This can stand out more than the upstand or backsplash. Not a professional finish at all!
So there we have it, the top pains that our kitchen fitter friends have identified.