Caulk the corner between stone countertop and stone backsplash

caulkingkitchen-counters

Since I purchased this home a few months ago, we've noticed water from the sink can sit in this corner and possibly grow fungus or just leave mineral residue when it dries. We have tried to keep it brushed out as we figure out what to do with it.

Note that the edge against the painted wall (green arrow in photo) does appear to have silicone caulk while the edge I'm asking about (red arrow) has nothing.

I want to apply clear silicone caulk but

  1. I've never had stone countertops before and I'm not sure what kind of stone this is either and
  2. I've had countertops where is corner is missing caulk near the sink, but this corner has zero caulk all the way across two walls

Is it OK to silicone this edge between the counter stone and backsplash stone?

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Best Answer

Some general input here as I install granite counters weekly.

  • No way the granite is bound to each other
  • trim piece probably has silicone (I hope) binding it to the wall
  • you don't have to have silicone on dry areas. If someone spills a cup of soda on that counter, some will seep behind trim but it is pretty minimal (I have tested for fun). The trim piece is cut with laser and the top of counter is sanded flat so these pieces while somewhat pourous are pretty water tight... but all it takes is a small divot and liquid pours in... and obviously this widely varies on type of granite. Yours is darker and has lower veins so I would guess it is pretty water tight.
  • but it would be normal during install to caulk there. I am not sure what the other guys are on here suggesting white or colors. All kitchens and baths get clear silicone - that's it. White, grey, black, whatever... it stains and colors fade in spots over time. Clear will last the longest and almost impossible to stain.
  • make your silicone as thin as possible to cover the crack. If you go up 1/4" and out a 1/4" and have a huge bead of caulk, even if it looks good it won't last as long as every time you wipe the counters you will put pressure on it. If you can barely see the caulk that is optimal.
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