[korina]

I have taken off 1 section of the back laminate counter piece off the wall in my kitchen. Interestingly enough, what I found was a piece of plywood which had been wallpapered. The remaining of that plywood (btn this piece and the upper cabinets) had been primed over the wallpaper. I was just going to paint this but decided to take off the "back splash" because I hate it and I guess got in over my head at the same time. Plus there is a gap about 1 in. btn the counter and the wall. (I only had this house for a little over a 1 year and found a lot of "interesting" things.:( )

How do I even begin to tackle this project? I know I need to fill in the gap but with what?:confused: I don't want to put the ugly 70's yellow laminate back.:eek:

Obviously, I have to scrape off the wallpaper but I know that paint will not look right on the plywood. Therefore, I know I need to put something over this to be capable of painting it. And eventually, I want to put a glass tile back splash so I would like to use material that I will work for either paint or glass tile back splash.

So how do I fix this and more importantly exactly what materials do I need to use to fix this situation. Please Help me as I believe I am over my head.:o

[Renman521]

I had a hard time really understanding the details of the problem (mostly because of terminology). What I was able to gather was the following (please correct me if I am wrong)..

You took of the countertop backsplash "back laminate counter piece" and found plywood with wallpaper adhered to it, then primed and painted. The gap exists between the counter and wall. Is the 1" gap consistent or does is reduce in size at the ends (just try to figure out if the wall is bowed or the cabinets not pushed back far enough)?

In any case it does seem like this has snowballed into something more than you wanted to take on right now. A 1" gap is too big to just fill with caulking or sealant. It will look horrible. I think what you want is to get in and get out as quickly as you can, with min $ spent and have a presentable kitchen until you are really ready to drop the $$$ for a true remodel.

There is no "easy fix" , but my suggestion is put on a new backsplash (doesn't have to be laminate if you are planning on upgrading). Use a nice select wood or MDF (working with at min, the same dims as the old backsplash). This should make up at least 3/4" of the gap. I would then suggest installing a paneling that you can easily remove when you are planning your next stage. Something like a beadboard. You can see a photo of it if you are not sure what the material is like:

High-Res Photographs - Real Wood Paneling from New England Classic

Obviously, I don't know the style of you kitchen, so this may not work for you, but I think you understand where I am going with it. Once the board is up, you can now caulk the joints at the top and bottom of the backsplash (1/16"-1/8") which are more manageable. My suggestion would be to paint the beadboard a complimentary contrasting color so your eye is drawn up the wall and away from the counter/backsplash connection.

Hope this helps...