Water Damage to Kitchen Worktop

[Simon Mogridge]

A leaking kettle has damage the newly installed laminated chipboard worktop in my kitchen. A raised area/blister approx 8 x 3cm and 1mm high has appeared at the butt joint. As you might guess, the joint lies over the edges of two carcases and the application of a clamp is impossible. Can anyone please tell me how i can remove the blister and re-seal the joint with out major damage. The replacement of the worktop is a non-starter, i just could not face it after taking such a long time to complete the kitchen! I would be very grateful for your help. Regards, Simon

[Ian Stirling]

You have a problem.

If you can get to the back of the worktop, then carefully removing all of the chipboard in the area of the blister, without going through the surface. Now, fill. Every time you put kitchen units or worktops in, I'd strongly recommend coating the edges with several coats of an exterior oil-based waterproofer.

This will mean that it won't suck water up like a sponge.

Do you have a spare bit of the worktop? You might try various fixes on it. I'd try setting an iron on 130-150C, and pressing it on for half an hour.

[Set Square]

Sadly, there's not a lot you can do. Once chipboard gets wet and swells up, there's no going back.

When joining raw edges of worktop, it is usual to coat both with a thin layer of clear silicon sealant - most of which gets squeezed out and wiped off when you do the clamps up - but it helps to stop any damp getting in.

[Yebligs]

Being into the 5th week of my kitchen install and in the midst of doing the worktops, you have my greatest sympathy Simon! You must be gutted. This is the one area that I'm least confident of success, particularly as I have to do a join under the sink! (see other post)

Best insurance seems to be in the sealing. I notice Set Square says 'most of which (silicon) gets squeezed out', so I wonder if waterproof PVA wouldn't do a better, and deeper, seal?

Did you seal the end when you installed and what with?

Steve

[Grunff]

No, silicone is the thing to use here. The point is that as it gets squeezed out, it fills any gaps between the two cut ends. The fact that most of it gets squeezed out is a /good/ thing.

[rrh]

Use both: seal the edges (I use two or three coats of solvent-based polyurethane varnish) then clear silicone when fitting.

[Grunff]

I used to hate using silicone, always made a mess - until I discovered a solvent that removes it (when fresh, not set). Once you have this, cleanup becomes so much easier. I can honestly say it changed my life.

[Tony Bryer]

A tip I got off a website was when you do this to sprinkle sawdust on the join (after assembly of course): it takes off all the excess silicone nice and cleanly.

[a]

Just cut a worktop myself (how hard are these things! - I blunted 2 laminate jigsaw blades cutting 1 length and a sink cutout!), the leaflet inside the plastic cover said "it is good practice to put 2 coats of varnish 50mm around all cut edges". The pipe cutouts in the white carcasses I just smeared with white silicone (white to try and hide some of the chips the jigsaw made :o)

[Jerry Built]

That is the best way to do it. You can also use gloss paint.

J.B.

[Yebligs]

That's handy. Having just cut my worktops, I seem to have a bit of a surplus of that here at the moment! Cough, sneeze, snuffle :-)

[John Rumm]

Not tried this - so have a go on some scrap worktop first to see how well it will work!

If you have a router and a set of inlay cutter bushes, say:-

may be possible to machine out a section of the laminate, rebate the swolen chipboard to a depth where it is sound, fill, and then relaminate with a section cut from a bit of scrap. Not a simple task but might work.

[MBQ]

So what's the solvent?!

MBQ

[Grunff]

Isopropanol.

[Simon Mogridge]

Thanks for all your advice. I did use the glue/sealent which came with the worktop and i was sure the seal was good! Oh well....I will try the iron set low first and then Johns fix with a router. God help me. Cheers, Simon

[Pete C]

Hi,

Epoxy would do a good job of sealing the chipboard.

cheers, Pete.

[Miss Stephanie Conduit]

replying to Tony Bryer, Miss Stephanie Conduit wrote: Furniture polish breaks down the silicone and then it?s a quick wipe up job. Just spray on the area and leave for 5-10 mins and get a cloth and any excess should come away really easily. ? Great for annoying sticky labels on things too! ? Sorry to interupt

[alan_m]

Very difficult to interrupt a conversation that ended 14 years ago. Please check the dates of the article you are referencing.

[Brian Gaff]

Its no good for some reason certain web interfaces ignore the year when sorting messages. I'd like to see the authors of said portals first against the wall when the revolution comes to coin a phrase. Brian