How to fit a kitchen worktop

Inspired by the Wickes how-to series. This guide draws on the popular "How to Fit a Kitchen Worktop" tutorial from the Wickes YouTube channel — one of the most widely watched kitchen fitting guides on UK YouTube. It walks through the full process clearly, from cutting and joining to sealing and finishing. Well worth a watch before you pick up a jigsaw.

1. Measure twice — seriously, twice

Start by measuring the full run of units the worktop needs to cover. Note any out-of-square corners, gaps around appliances, and whether the wall is straight. Most aren't.

Allow a 3–5 mm overhang at the front edge and mark the wall line carefully. A piece of worktop cut short cannot be stretched. This is the step that catches people out.

2. Cut the worktop to length

Laminate worktops cut cleanly from the underside with a circular saw or jigsaw. Mark and score the top face first to reduce chipping, then flip it over and cut from below.

Use a straight edge clamped as a guide fence. Freehand cuts in worktops tend to show. A slow, steady pace with a fine-tooth blade is what you're after.

3. Make the sink and hob cut-outs

Use the template that comes with the sink or hob — most manufacturers provide one. Position it carefully, trace round it, and drill a starter hole inside the waste area before running a jigsaw round the line.

Support the cut section from underneath as you near the end. Otherwise the offcut drops and tears the laminate on the front edge. Ask someone to hold it up, or use a couple of screws to temporarily support it.

4. Join worktop lengths at corners

For an L-shaped run you have two choices: a scribe join using a matching joining strip, or a full mitre. The joining strip is the easier option for DIY. A routed mitre looks cleaner but needs a router jig and a bit of patience.

Whichever method you use, clamp the joint tight, apply the joining bolts from underneath, and keep the top face flush. A slight mismatch at the corner will catch every time someone wipes down the surface.

5. Seal all cut edges immediately

Laminate worktops are chipboard underneath. Moisture gets in through cut edges and causes the board to swell and bubble. Apply matching worktop sealant to every cut face — sink holes, back edges, ends — before the worktop goes down.

Use the iron-on matching edging strip on any exposed ends. A standard clothes iron on a low setting and a bit of beeswax pressed along the edge in a slow pass does the job nicely.

6. Fix the worktop to the units

Lay the worktop in position and check it sits flat on every unit. Shim any units that are low before fixing. Use the corner joining bolts to pull joints tight from below.

Screw up through the corner brackets inside the units into the underside of the worktop. Use the right length of screw — too long and it will poke through the top, which is a bad day. 16 mm screws are usually the right choice for standard worktops.

7. Seal the upstand and wall joint

Once the worktop is fixed, run a bead of silicone sealant along the back edge where the worktop meets the wall or upstand. Smooth it with a wetted finger or a finishing tool.

This joint is where water from the sink splashes back and creeps in. A neat bead of sanitary silicone here prevents that and ties the whole kitchen together visually. Mask both sides before you apply for a clean result.

When to call a handyman

Call Richard if the worktop needs a routed mitre joint, if you have a Belfast or undermount sink requiring precise cut-outs, or if there are awkward angles, pilasters, or appliances to work around. Fitting a kitchen worktop looks straightforward — and it is, mostly — but one wrong cut can cost the price of the whole worktop.