Kitchen Upstands are a necessity and are the most durable of all splashback materials that can be defined as both decorative and protective.

Undersills - Upstands Under Windowsills

Undersills are upstands that are designed to fit between the worktop surface to meet to the underside of a windowsill. The heights vary from home to home and maybe taller or shorter than adjacent upstands. Undersills are perfect for filling the often difficult to tile or paint gap. They are a great splashback that is more than likely behind a kitchen sink and contain water resulting from splashes and cleaning around taps. The undersill can be joined to the windowsill in several ways; flush, butt or mitre joined, or the windowsill can overhang the undersill.

Combining With Tiled Walls

Kitchen worktop Upstands combine perfectly with tiled walls and other finishes such as hob splashbacks

An upstand can continue along and underneath a glass splashback or stop at each side as it does for hob splashbacks. For walls that are already tiled, the upstand can be cut to any size that fills the small gap caused by the difference in thickness of old worktops compared to the new and slimmer 2cm and 3cm worktop standards. Another option is to remove a complete row of tiles and the upstand cut to fit the resulting gap for a snug fit. All options should be considered with care to get the benefits of an essential worktop finish that an upstand provides.

Worktop Upstands are the most popular of all additions to any modern kitchen worktop, and the most unoticed protective aspect that provides a great benefit in so many ways.

Standard Thicknesses & Preferences

20mm stone material is ideal as this is the standard thickness of upstands, it also saves on additional fabrication costs.

Although our machines are able to cut / grind down thicker materials, this takes time and raises fabrication costs. Choosing a 20mm thickness worktop surface is ideal as this is the standard thickness for upstands. If a 30mm worktop is chosen, a quartz upstand can be slimmed down to a minimum of 10mm, so they do not look so heavy.

If you have a preference for a 30mm thickness worktop, the kitchen splashbacks and upstands can be kept at 30mm thickness. Ideally, and for the sake of space and aesthetics, the thickness of any splashback should not exceed 20mm thickness. Depending on cuts, we may be able to order material in both 20mm and 30mm thickness to achieve the desired result.

Height & Length Maximum Dimensions

Approx. 3 metres is the maximum length for any worktop upstand, with a height that suits your requirements

Although upstand heights are standardised at 100mm, more often, they tend to be around 75mm in height due to material left over from cutting worktop lengths. For cost effectiveness, the height of any upstand should be determined using this method. Ultimately, upstands can be any height you wish, be sure to consider electrical outlets and that there is sufficient clearance for plugging in appliances. Kitchen upstands are classified as full splashbacks if they require socket cut outs.

Depending on how the worktops are cut, and with maximum slab lengths of up to 3.3 metres (depending on manufacturer), fairly long upstands are possible. Where worktop runs are longer than 3 - 3.3 metres, joins are required, and as many joins as necessary can be made. Joins should be inconspicuous, and where possible made in corners and in locations of adjoining undersills and splashbacks.

Fixing Upstands to Walls

Upstands should be fixed to the wall resting on the back of the worktop with a water-resistant silicone, completely hiding the gap between the worktop and the wall. Any resulting gap between the upstand and an uneven wall is not the worktop fitters responsibility and can be filled with decorators caulk or similar. The join between upstands and worktop, if installed correctly, should be barely visible except for a thin bead of clear or colour matched silicone or resin.

Splashbacks of any height can be utilised as a low maintenance option for keeping walls clean from cooking splashes and food preparation.

Hob / Oven Backsplashes

Although standardised to some extent, hobs and freestanding ovens do come in various sizes, utilising a piece of stone material approximately 750mm in height by up to 1200mm in width (1 quarter of a slab). Through experience, the chances are, you will have remnant material after cutting worktop lengths that would be perfect for a hob splashback. Some oven and hob splashbacks in their many shapes and sizes, can fill an entire alcove / wall, in which case an additional slab maybe required.

There is a minimum requirement of approx 50mm gap between hob and splashback, less than this, your splashback will be at risk of heat damage and may affect any warranty you have on your worktop surface. If you have opted for a 30mm thickness worktop material, please understand that their could be huge cost implications if you require a 2cm thickness hob / oven splashback. The cost to grind the 30mm material to a 20mm thickness can double the cost of the splashback. If you are happy with a 30mm depth splashback please also consider any accompanying upstands should be 30mm thickness also.

Full Backsplashes

A full-height stone backsplash matching the worktop surface must also consider electrical outlets, thickness of the surface chosen, and the impact on the worktop budget. The low level protective worktop upstands, are neat, tidy and cost effective design alternatives to full splashbacks. It must be understood, that almost always, additional material is required to cut full splashbacks.

This additional material, unless we have sufficiently large off-cuts in stock, would be a full slab. A hob splashback section at 750mm height and under units around 500mm will eat into a slab of material relatively quickly. Kitchen splashbacks should be fixed to the wall with a water-resistant silicone, completely hiding the gap between the worktop and the wall. The only gaps that should be visible after installation are cut outs for electrical sockets.

Stone Kitchen Shelf

Bespoke cut to size stone kitchen shelving in combination with splashbacks can look incredible with the benefit of additional kitchen space. It is best to have stone floating shelves to match kitchen countertops Providing there is sufficient material after cutting your worktops and splashbacks. As a large stone slab averages 3.2 metres, extra long floating stone kitchen shelves are possible, so that the shelf can span the length of the worktops. Best situated between wall hung units, a narrow depth stone shelf fixings are hidden by the splashbacks creating the appearance of a floating shelf.

Using warm soapy water and a soft cloth is all that is needed to wipe residue away from splashes from pots, pans and utensils. Spills that are contained by the upstands can simply be wiped away with warm soapy water and an absorbent cloth or with paper towels.