Counter Laminate Bond Separating 2011 17B

[scf-FGRV]

On my 2011 17B the laminate in some areas on the countertops is losing its bond to the wood underneath.
Side note: I’ve had the trailer for 12 years and it has not been abused… always carefully washed, cleaned and stored under cover for winter here on Vancouver Island so it has never been subjected to extremely cold temperatures. And it has always had a little RV circulation heater running throughout the storage season as well.
The delamination is happening on the small fold-down counter on the left side of the sink, on the laminate surrounding the sink and also on the top of the storage cupboard which is beside and to the right of the entry doorway. In all these areas vertical movement of the laminate can be seen when pressing down on the surface. There are no cracks or flaws in the surface of the laminate anywhere and to look at the top everything looks good.
To complicate matters the plastic(?) edging around all these countertop areas are in very good condition and are flush with the surface of the laminate. I didn’t want to pry off and possibly damage the edging so have attempted to rebond the laminate other ways by heating up the laminate without removing the edging. So, as suggested in some utube videos, I tried reheating the loose areas with an iron and then also with a heat gun to warm up the contact cement underneath, then put pressure on the warmed area by roller-ing and clamping to try to get the contact cement to rebond. The clamps were left on for a couple days afterwards as well but no success! None of the above made any difference in re-bonding and the laminate is still loose.
I know that in the end I may have to remove the counter edging and try to gently attempt pry up the laminate and insert a little fresh contact cement to get the laminate reglued but before I go down that road I wanted to throw it out there and see if anyone else has had this type of problem on their Escape trailer and perhaps had resolved their issue a different simpler way…
Thanks in advance,
Steve

 

[Ron in BC]

I don't think that there is a different simpler way. Heat can loosen contact cement but as you've found cured contact cement doesn't re-bond just by adding heat.

I don't think that there's any other solution aside from gently prying up edge access points and inserting some contact cement. I've never pried the edge material off but I think that it's possible to do. If worst comes to worse it's likely that replacement strips are available. Maybe you could check that before doing anything.

Ron

 

[scf-FGRV]

Ron,
Thanks for the reply… You’ve pretty well hit on what I have been thinking… and yes… that’s a great idea to check availability of edge material BEFORE getting into the job!
Steve

 

[Centex]

FYI, the vinyl / plastic edge "T" molding is a common product, just one of many sources ...

Plastic Tee Molding: Smooth Flexible T-Moulding By Size

Our smooth flexible plastic t-molding comes in a large variety of sizes and colors. Select a size below to browse our stock tee moldings.

www.t-molding.com

Lowes, Home Depot, or similar often have it in limited / popular widths and colors.

Google Search results for plastic t molding

 

[jjdeluca]

I used this T-moulding from Amazon when making my own counter extensions:

Amazon.com

 

[iamunique127]

If you break the counter top material when trying to pry it up you may end up replacing it altogether. Plastic laminate is readily available as well.

 

[Iowa Dave]

If you find where the edging is butted together on the end of the strip you can pry it up out of its slot with a narrow blade screwdriver or narrow putty knife. It’s a T shape vinyl that is pressed into a slot that is routed into the wood. Easy does it. Once out, you may find that the slot is not exactly in the center of the wood. That’s because the short “leg” on the T is not centered either. Still no problem. And if you need to install new edging you may find it’s just a shade “proud” on the upper edge. Use a heat gun on low or a hair dryer on low to make it a little softer and then a new single edge razor blade in a holder to plane it off flush with the top laminate. I built a second table top for our 19 once and bought the slot cutting router bit to install a new brown edge. My other edges were white so I got enough new edging to change them out. Worked out well.

On the laminate for the new table we used regular gooey contact adhesive. It worked very well and never came loose. This was in contrast to the easier to use spray adhesive. Either way you gotta roll the **** out of the top as it sets up to push out the air and get a good set. It’s kind of a process but if you take your time and think the steps though you’ll eventually step back and say “Hey, this is better than factory” which is very satisfying and the DIY ers mantra.

The only thing that hurt me was spending the money for a high quality slot cutting bit for my Bosch Colt router.

Good luck, you can do this.
Iowa Dave

 

[Viajante]

I had to remove and redo the laminate on the table, a small counter near the sink and on one side of the frame for the screen door. Escape must have bad day.

The edging, T-Molding, came off easily as it was just pressed into a 1/8” groove cut into the edge of the wood. You can reuse or replace. When I modified my table I purchased the edging from Escape to get a color match.

Maybe I was fortunate that the delamination was severe enough that I easily peeled off the entire pieces. I applied Weldwood contact cement to both surfaces and the results have held up for over ten years.

Follow the directions on the can. You need to let the product set up for a bit before pressing the pieces together. The same is true if you use 3M super 77 spray. Be careful to have everything aligned when you make the bond.

Fwiw, when I was in a dry environment the delamination was worse. When back in a moister environment it seemed to stabilize, or get worse at a slower rate. The trailer was about 5 years old at the time.

 

[Iowa Dave]

More good info. Thanks
Iowa Dave

 

[HABBERDABBER]

Do you have woodworking tools and skills? This thread has got me inspired and longing to make a wood counter extension table, using up some scrap cut-offs from my other projects.
I think I'll make it fancy, with some exotic wood strips mixed in with maple and cherry that I have.
Winters are long here, and busy hands are happy hands.
Pics to be posted here when I'm done. It will be awhile, as I do need to complete current projects.

 

[scf-FGRV]

All above replies have great information and will be helpful in doing the repairs so thanks to all for the replies,
Steve

 

[Ron in BC]

Good grief, I should have followed my own advice, especially if it's available on Amazon. But that's just me, always finding a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

When I made my flip up counters I used edging veneer and painted it chocolate brown. Matches pretty well though.

Ron

 

[vermilye]

When the folding table in my 2011 17B started to lift I used heat to completely remove it, then contact cement to reattach it. Used real contact cement, not the water based...

 

[Centex]

Used real contact cement, not the water based...

 

[Emjay-ESC]

On my 2011 17B the laminate in some areas on the countertops is losing its bond to the wood underneath.
Side note: I’ve had the trailer for 12 years and it has not been abused… always carefully washed, cleaned and stored under cover for winter here on Vancouver Island so it has never been subjected to extremely cold temperatures. And it has always had a little RV circulation heater running throughout the storage season as well.
The delamination is happening on the small fold-down counter on the left side of the sink, on the laminate surrounding the sink and also on the top of the storage cupboard which is beside and to the right of the entry doorway. In all these areas vertical movement of the laminate can be seen when pressing down on the surface. There are no cracks or flaws in the surface of the laminate anywhere and to look at the top everything looks good.
To complicate matters the plastic(?) edging around all these countertop areas are in very good condition and are flush with the surface of the laminate. I didn’t want to pry off and possibly damage the edging so have attempted to rebond the laminate other ways by heating up the laminate without removing the edging. So, as suggested in some utube videos, I tried reheating the loose areas with an iron and then also with a heat gun to warm up the contact cement underneath, then put pressure on the warmed area by roller-ing and clamping to try to get the contact cement to rebond. The clamps were left on for a couple days afterwards as well but no success! None of the above made any difference in re-bonding and the laminate is still loose.
I know that in the end I may have to remove the counter edging and try to gently attempt pry up the laminate and insert a little fresh contact cement to get the laminate reglued but before I go down that road I wanted to throw it out there and see if anyone else has had this type of problem on their Escape trailer and perhaps had resolved their issue a different simpler way…
Thanks in advance,
Steve

This is the exact problem I noticed two days ago on my 2010 19. I am avidly following this conversation to see what others have done. Good luck to us both, Vermilye.

Emjay