Underside of laminate worktop, how to stop tiny swelling

[JoeA]

I've realised too late that the plastic stick on piece that I stuck under my laminate worktop above the dishwasher to protect it from condensation - I should have also done this next to the sink.

Now after a couple of drips have not been wiped away quick enough, a tiny section of the underside of the worktop is starting to expand after water ingress. See photo.

What can I put on this bit straight away to protect it from further damage? And afterwards can I stick a protective piece over it and the rest of that section below the sink? Will future drips hit the expanded bit before the protective piece, meaning it needs another type of protection?

Many thanks

 

[foxhole]

Colour matched silicon. May still expand though . Foil tape is easy to apply, ideal over appliances .

 

[Deleted member 174758]

"Paint" it with wood hardener. This will both seal it and incorporate any moisture still in the chipboard into a polyurethane binder.

 

[JoeA]

Wood hardener for rotten wood? That sounds like it will do what I want. Then hopefully I can put the tape/plastic condensation barrier over it and the rest. Many thanks!

"Paint" it with wood hardener. This will both seal it and incorporate any moisture still in the chipboard into a polyurethane binder.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

It's a polyurethane compound, so moisture in the worktop material will draw it in and also acts as an activator.Wear gloves and put newspaper on the floor! This stuff turns skin black on contact (takes 2 to 4 days to scrub off) and use a cheap brush as the brush will never be the same again

 

[Mottie]

I'm in the same boat due to not reading the installation instructions for my dishwasher.

Now that I've fitted the dishwasher I've sat down and read the instructions and realised I've missed a few bits out! There was some transparent film in the fitting kit that I ignored but apparently that's to protect the underside of the cabinet housing from water/stream damage as the door automatically opens a few inches when it's finished to allow steam to escape and aid drying. Oh, yeah, I've also found where those two screws I have left over go too......Doh! Oh well, that a job for another day.

The underneath edge of my worktop has already started swelling so it's hand washing from now on until I take the thing out, assess the damage and fit it back in - properly this time! Hey ho.

 

[JoeA]

I turned off the auto open function of my dishwasher for this very reason - even with the protective strip I can't help thinking it's not great for laminate to have that much steam passing over it!

I'm in the same boat due to not reading the installation instructions for my dishwasher.



The underneath edge of my worktop has already started swelling so it's hand washing from now on until I take the thing out, assess the damage and fit it back in - properly this time! Hey ho.

 

[Mottie]

I turned off the auto open function of my dishwasher for this very reason - even with the protective strip I can't help thinking it's not great for laminate to have that much steam passing over it!

Great idea! Didn't know I could do that. I'll have to have a look at the manual when I get home.

 

[flameport]

For future installations, use this: https://www.toolstation.com/aluminium-foil-tape/p97723 on the underside of the worktop.

 

[JoeA]

"Paint" it with wood hardener. This will both seal it and incorporate any moisture still in the chipboard into a polyurethane binder.

Ok so slight problem, I've panted the wood hardener on the problem area and a fair bit around it too. 24h later it's still really sticky to the touch - what's gone wrong?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Possibly temperature. Wood hardener is a polyurethane compound in the same way that Gorilla glue and expanding foam is, so it won't work at low temperatures and it won't work in extremely dry environments. Is it too cold? Alternatively, try spritzing a little water onto the hardener. If it activates then you know your worktop is bone dry

 

[JoeA]

Possibly temperature. Wood hardener is a polyurethane compound in the same way that Gorilla glue and expanding foam is, so it won't work at low temperatures and it won't work in extremely dry environments. Is it too cold? Alternatively, try spritzing a little water onto the hardener. If it activates then you know your worktop is bone dry

Many thanks, I'm pretty sure it's not temperature, never gets below 16 degrees in the house normally. So perhaps it's too dry, I'll try a bit of water and see what happens. Cheers.