Walnut butcher block. Uneven wall gap. Hate backsplash. Has to be other options? [closed]

Question

House built in 50's. Concrete blocks on a slab. 800 square ft.

I bought two 8' walnut butcherblocks Old counter was original ugly formica 9' 2"
Also bought kraus workstation sink that we will undermount.

Had to add new pieces of wood to make it level. Already cut hole for sink and routed edges etc etc So this is my house. Boyfriend has his own house few miles away.

We are at a standstill because I DO NOT WANT a backsplash. Especially a chunky wood backsplash. I've read that's a bad idea a anyway because BS won't be able to flex and we live in humid alabama.

He says I need one. I just want to use silicone to fill gap between it and wall but the gap on left side is almost half inch. No gap on right. I don't want to cut the counters to match the wall if we push it all way to wall my overhang on front is uneven. I'm not sure if it would be noticeably uneven but it would bother me regardless

So even if I didn't have a uneven wall gap.. what are my options for waterproofing the area where the old backsplash was? When old counters came out it of course peeled off few inches above it cuz I didn't have it cut good enough. Old counters also went directly into to the trim of window to the right so we had to rip that side of trim off.

And you probably cannot see it but there was a piece of wood in the corner that we took out. It wasn't for support it was to cover up the bad job they did with drywall. Other red circle is where the old counter went into the trim.

.....

I had planned on buying a thin sheet of metal and cutting to put up for the wall backsplash. So it won't matter what it looks like. But does that need to come down as far as it can go under the counter ? So the BB will be touching that and not the actual wall?

There has to be a waterproof paint or something I can put where the old backsplash existed (or the entire wall backsplash) so I don't have to add the counter backsplash.

The wall is too uneven for subway tile or anything like that. Plus the window to left of sink area has a weird trim thing going on that continues under the cabinets.

What can I put in place of a counter backsplash.

Answer 1

1. Finish the wall before adding the countertop. This means filling, taping, sanding, priming and painting (at least two coats) with the best quality paint you can buy (price is actually a good indicator here). Use high gloss paint or semi-gloss if you can't tolerate the high gloss; nothing less glossy.
2. Place the countertop and secure it to the cabinet
3. Caulk the perimeter of the counter top where it meets the wall (this is normally done regardless of countertop and backslash)

If you find you don't like the deep filled caulked area (highly likely), you will want to put some sort of trim to cover it. Maybe something like a caulk tape strip to cover it. Personally, I'd fix the wall or the counter.

Answer 2

1/2” gap is really bad. Looks like crap. Why buy nice walnut and do that?You can buy 3/4” thick walnut and use that for the backsplash. You could shim out the cabinets from the wall so the back of the countertop could be trimmed to match and go tight against the back wall and have an even overhang in the front.