Fixing a warped countertop
October 27, 2016 5:18 AM Subscribe
Our sink/countertop combo has developed a raised surface where we do all our cooking prep, and I would like to know if this is fixable. (Details inside)
I'm sure Googling would help more if I knew exactly what sort of material our counter uses, but since I've had to crop out the mess in the above photo: The sink and counter are a unit, with no visible breaks between them. The metal (steel?) is thin, and is supported underneath by two boards. (Another angle) If you can see the shadows above the boards, that's the raised section of the counter which can be indented downwards with my hands. It pops back up and sounds like a giant Snapple bottle cap. I am unsure if the counter was originally glued to the wooden boards.
Options for fixing based on Google:
1. Glue it down
a. What sort of glue would I use?
b. How long would I need to apply pressure to get it to stick and stay stuck?
2. Lay a towel down and literally iron it to get it warm/hot, then apply pressure until it cools
3. Your suggestions
Further questions:
-What is this type of counter called? AFAIK it's fairly common in Tokyo rental apartments
-Cause and prevention: If I had to guess, and if it originally had glue, I would suspect warping of the boards due to awful and humid Tokyo summers. I can stick a desiccant box down there since they work well for the inside of my closet, but I am unsure it would make much of a difference. If I can get it fixed, how can we avoid this in the future?
I'm sure Googling would help more if I knew exactly what sort of material our counter uses, but since I've had to crop out the mess in the above photo: The sink and counter are a unit, with no visible breaks between them. The metal (steel?) is thin, and is supported underneath by two boards. (Another angle) If you can see the shadows above the boards, that's the raised section of the counter which can be indented downwards with my hands. It pops back up and sounds like a giant Snapple bottle cap. I am unsure if the counter was originally glued to the wooden boards.
Options for fixing based on Google:
1. Glue it down
a. What sort of glue would I use?
b. How long would I need to apply pressure to get it to stick and stay stuck?
2. Lay a towel down and literally iron it to get it warm/hot, then apply pressure until it cools
3. Your suggestions
Further questions:
-What is this type of counter called? AFAIK it's fairly common in Tokyo rental apartments
-Cause and prevention: If I had to guess, and if it originally had glue, I would suspect warping of the boards due to awful and humid Tokyo summers. I can stick a desiccant box down there since they work well for the inside of my closet, but I am unsure it would make much of a difference. If I can get it fixed, how can we avoid this in the future?
Response by poster: Same material as the sink, but yes, the sink itself is smooth while the prep area has texture.
posted by lesser weasel at 6:56 AM on October 27, 2016
posted by lesser weasel at 6:56 AM on October 27, 2016
Best answer: It likely was glued from the looks of things. Can you get into that black gap with a scraper tool/old kitchen knife and see if there's dried glue residue or some other powder? If there's dust/cracked glue/schmutz in there that will affect your ability to repair.
Likewise, I'd also want to check the area carefully for wet spots, damp marks on any exposed wood or evidence of leaks. Water can leach everywhere and it's really bad news for composite woods like the chipboard in your photos.
What sort of glue would I use?
Were you in North America, the answer would be construction adhesive applied with a caulk gun onto clean and dry surfaces. Even if it were not glued originally, that would fix it pretty permanently. PL Premium is the brand I've had most luck with. It's a polyurethane glue that comes as a thick bead. It's more or less invulnerable to humidity. I've used it in very similar applications to this. The issue with PL is that once it's glued, it's pretty much forever.
posted by bonehead at 9:16 AM on October 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Likewise, I'd also want to check the area carefully for wet spots, damp marks on any exposed wood or evidence of leaks. Water can leach everywhere and it's really bad news for composite woods like the chipboard in your photos.
What sort of glue would I use?
Were you in North America, the answer would be construction adhesive applied with a caulk gun onto clean and dry surfaces. Even if it were not glued originally, that would fix it pretty permanently. PL Premium is the brand I've had most luck with. It's a polyurethane glue that comes as a thick bead. It's more or less invulnerable to humidity. I've used it in very similar applications to this. The issue with PL is that once it's glued, it's pretty much forever.
posted by bonehead at 9:16 AM on October 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Do you ever stand hot pots there? My guess would be the glue has loosened and metal has warped due to a heat/humidity combo and/or the wrong glue was used in the first place.
If there's glue residue in there I'd probably attempt a clean out and reglue but unfortunately the chance if it reoccurring is high.
posted by intergalacticvelvet at 2:22 PM on October 27, 2016
If there's glue residue in there I'd probably attempt a clean out and reglue but unfortunately the chance if it reoccurring is high.
posted by intergalacticvelvet at 2:22 PM on October 27, 2016
Contact cement is what is normally used to glue down counter tops. You spread it on both surfaces wait about 15 minutes and it bonds on contact.
posted by any major dude at 6:56 PM on October 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by any major dude at 6:56 PM on October 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Yorrick at 6:48 AM on October 27, 2016