Countertop Dishwasher Damage

[Hacksaw123]

The steam vent on the top of my dishwasher has allowed the escaping steam to deteriorate the particleboard underside of my laminate counter-top. I was recently made aware that there is an adhesive backed foil strip that should have been installed to prevent this from happening.

The laminate has lost adhesion with the particleboard and has bulged downward about 1/4" and is now making contact with the dishwasher door - which is how I discovered the problem. The affected area is about 2" x 1 1\2".

Now for the repair. I know that I have to completely scrape out the loose sawdust from the broken down particleboard before attempting a repair. My question is, what should I use to repair it? I will need something that will act as a filler to make up for the missing wood (about 3/16" of thickness has been lost). It will also need to be strong enough to keep the melamine adhered to it - it takes a good bit of upward pressure to push it back up.

I am thinking of some kind of epoxy and a few c-clamps backed with a few pieces of wood on the top and bottom to try to keep the shape of the counter but I don't know if it will bond with the particleboard.

Any suggestions? I will probably only get one chance at this.

[Pipestone Kid]

Re: Countertop Dishwasher Damage

Pics--we need pics to give a decent response.

[PLUMBER RICK]

Re: Countertop Dishwasher Damage

Once properly repaired, I would install a strip of sheetmetal, stainless under the front area of the countertop to deflect the water moisture from future deterioration.

Rick.

[killavolt]

Re: Countertop Dishwasher Damage

I wouldn't attempt repairs until the dishwasher is not used for a two week period. That particle board has absorbed a lot of moisture. Two weeks will allow it to dry out pretty well and your repairs will be more effective.

[Hacksaw123]

Re: Countertop Dishwasher Damage







I was hoping that the images would be bigger.

[blue_can]

Re: Countertop Dishwasher Damage

I believe contact cement is generally used to bond the laminate with the particle board. Having used contact cement to bond wood veneer to a substrate one piece of advice if that's what you end up using is that you will get one shot at it - if it bonds with wrinkles etc it won't look good and you cannot take it apart without destroying it. Maybe it a good time to consider replacing your countertop. While more costly something like natural stone slab, tile or concrete countertop will be far more resilient in the long term against this kind of issue.

[Pipestone Kid]

Re: Countertop Dishwasher Damage

It is difficult to determine the total extent of the damage, but the pics show that it is not going to be a simple jot. The laminate has warped and is sometimes very difficult to straighten. After you remove all of the deteriorated particle board you will have to fit a piece of wood into the vacated space. In this case I would use an epoxy to glue the new piece in--too tough of a job to get everything just right for contact cement. Blue-can is right--with contact you only get one shot. Even if everything seems OK, it may not turn out well, but you don't have anything to lose--it is broken now.

[Frankiarmz]

Re: Countertop Dishwasher Damage

I would allow the particle board to dry thoroughly, remove any loose and swollen material. Drill several horizontal 1and1/2 inch holes into the good particle board and either finish with bondo which you could sand to shape, or wood which could be anchored to the particle board and shaped. The laminate could be epoxied to either the bondo or new wood. Piece of cake!

Remember to remove any loose material from the laminate itself! When material loosens and sags from a car's headliner, the pro's do not simply spray adhesive and reattach. They completely remove the material and use an abrasive to remove all loose foam. New foam is adhered to the existing and then the finish material is adhered. Nothing sticks to loose anything.