Our wooden worktops are an ideal surface for almost any kitchen environment, but one common installation question concerns the relationship between the worktop and the wall: whether it is better to tile down to the surface and seal the gap between the worktop and wall; whether a smaller item such as a kitchen upstand should be used instead; or whether it is possible to simply attach the worktop directly to the wall.

Solid wood kitchen work surfaces should never be attached directly to a wall because of the natural expansion and contraction that occurs due to changes in climate. If connected directly to a wall, wooden worktops are at risk of warping or splitting.

Because of this, we recommend that all wooden worktops are afforded a small expansion gap of around 5mm between them and any adjacent walls. This expansion gap can be covered by tiling down to the surface, but in order to blend the worktops into your beautiful kitchen, we recommend the use of matching solid wood worktop upstands.

These wooden borders are designed to be mounted on the wall behind the worktops, which helps blend the surfaces into your kitchen whilst covering the necessary expansion gap.

Choosing Upstands for Solid Wood Kitchen Work Surfaces

All the upstands in our collection are provided with a square finish as standard, though a profile edge can be applied as an additional stylistic detail to enhance your kitchen theme – whether the design is modern or traditional.

Our solid wood upstands are pre-sanded and measure 3000mm x 80mm x 18mm, with prices starting at £25 – depending on the type of timber. We can supply upstands to match any of the worktops in our range – whether you choose a standard wooden worktop or full stave worktop from our wide selection.

Shop Wooden Upstands

Installing Wooden Upstands

Worktop upstand installation is a relatively straightforward task.

First, cut your upstand to size using a saw
Attach it to the wall using a water-resistant silicone.

Do be aware that the upstand should be attached to the wall and not the worktop: if attached directly to the worktop, the upstand may split or warp if the worktop expands or contracts as the environmental temperature varies.

Installing Wooden Upstands

If you need an edge profile applied or would like your worktop upstands to be cut to size, why not take advantage of our worktop customisation services? We offer five different types of edge profiling, including smooth pencil edges and detailed ‘ogee’ profiles.

Worktop Customisation Services

You may also find the following guide useful:

How to Treat Real Wood Worktop Surfaces: A Nutshell Guide