Some homeowners like to add splashbacks or tiles to the walls behind their kitchen benchtops; others prefer to leave this space clear. If you're looking for an alternative or a halfway house solution, then adding an upstand to the tops is an option.
Upstands are strips of benchtop material that sit against the edge of a benchtop where it meets the wall. In some cases, these are standalone accessories that you fit separately. However, sometimes, benchtops come with this kind of lipped edge built into their design.
What are the advantages of installing upstands?
1. Get an Easier Clean
Benchtops are easy to clean. However, the edges where they meet the walls aren't always as easy to maintain.
For example, you might use an adhesive or bonding material to attach a benchtop to the wall. You can usually simply wipe this clean to start with.
However, as the bonding material ages, it might become harder to keep clean. If it breaks down or gets damaged, then it will start to retain grime. Food and grease splatters might discolour it. Excess scrubbing could remove some of its surface layer, which ultimately makes the problem worse.
If you install an upstand in the same material as the benchtop, then you get a much easier clean. You simply wipe the upstand down when you clean your benches.
2. Cover Up Problem Areas
If you live in an older home, then you may have some wonky areas that aren't quite straight. Getting your kitchen cabinets and benchtops to line up evenly against their walls is sometimes a headache.
If the wall behind a benchtop is a little uneven, then you can use an upstand to cover up this defect. Also, if your kitchen installer recommends that you leave a small gap between a wood benchtop and its wall to allow for the material's natural movement, then you can use an upstand to hide this gap.
3. Get a Streamlined Look
Upstands don't just have practical benefits; they also tick some cosmetic boxes. If you don't like the way that a bigger splashback looks and don't want to tile the walls, then an upstand might be a better fit for your design ideas. Upstands carry the flow of benchtops up the wall. They can create a striking and unusual feature.
To find out more about the benefits of adding upstands to your kitchen benchtops, talk to your kitchen designer or installer. They should be able to show you examples of how these accessories look and work.
Share15 January 2020
I am the proud mother of nine grown up children! There wasn't much money around when they were little, so I was always sewing, knitting, growing vegetables and generally being self-sufficient. Now that they have their own households, you would think that I could rest a little, but I am busier than ever. I am blessed that my children and their partners are talented and have good jobs. However, they are very busy, so most of their home decorating is left up to me. From making curtains to painting bathrooms, I always have at least one project on the go. To tell the truth, I really enjoy it and it makes me feel that all my skills gained over the years are useful. I thought that people might like to read this blog which shares a lot of tips and ideas. I really hope you enjoy scanning through these pages.
