WARNING Counter top delamination

[charliem]

[font face="arial"][font size="3"]WARNING !  After six months I have begun to see delamination of the counter top edging in areas near the two sinks. Splash water from the sinks appears to be getting under the vertical laminate edging where it meets the horizontal counter top surface laminate. The immediate fix is to seal the edge with clear silicone, smoothing with a finger, but I don't know how permanent this is. I clamped the the horizontal laminate where possible. I also noticed some delamination behind the bath sink where the horizontal surface meets the short vertical splash board under the cabinets. Same fix. There appears to be some swelling, but this may just be material separation and not water absorption in wood. Pressure seems to close the gap. BE WARNED.
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[funpilot]

I am having some very interesting discussions with this countertop manufacturer:  http://www.polystonecreations.com/p/productshowcase.htm  
They primarily supply the aviation industry but are working with me to possibly enter the RV industry.  Their products weigh around one pound per square foot.  They are exploring using one of their laminate products which would be seamless, over a substrate TBD.  But if it is completely enclosed, not sure we would ever care.  Look at the Flexstone color samples.  If there is interest here, I will link them up to companies like LL to see if they would look at it.  

[tinkeringtechie]

Bummer, I'm betting the wood substrate is somewhat responsible. I hope your solution fixes it.

[funpilot]

Once I get pricing, I will share it with LL and this board.

[elwood]

I shared in a different post that I observed this with a 21RBS still new on the dealer lot.  It was happening in the galley and the bath, and the sales rep said LL knew there was a bad batch of glue.  Not sure I buy it.

[shark24]

I shared in a different post that I observed this with a 21RBS still new on the dealer lot.  It was happening in the galley and the bath, and the sales rep said LL knew there was a bad batch of glue.  Not sure I buy it.

I questioned this same thing happening at a local dealer!
Nice trailer but wish they would use a material as hardy as the rest of the trailer. Don't won't to have to repair or replace them sooner or later. Would like to see them put a stainless sink in also.  Those were really the things that concerned me the most when I looked at the 21bhs.

[oleo]

I applied a small bead of GE Supreme clear silicone to the connection of the countertop/backsplash area because I saw the splash water pooling at times.  Applied it at the start of this season.  Seems to be working well at keeping water away from the seam.

[charliem]

[quote timestamp="1401973120" author="@charliem" source="/post/1350/thread"][font face="arial"][font size="3"]WARNING !  After six months I have begun to see delamination of the counter top edging in areas near the two sinks.
[/font][/font][/quote][font size="3"]Here's a repair procedure  for the counter edge delamination problem.

[/font][ol type="decimal"][li][font size="3"]Pry the edge trim away slightly and spray a little water into the gap. Gorilla Glue requires water to cure.[/font][/li][li][font size="3"]Apply Gorilla Glue and work in with a flat toothpick.  [/font][/li][li][font size="3"]Clamp if possible or apply tape to hold in place. Use polyethylene sheet under clamps to prevent glue from sticking where you don't want it.[/font][/li][li][font size="3"]After the glue dries remove excess with a razor blade. Color with black or brown marker if desired.[/font][/li][li][font size="3"]Apply several generous coats of Hard as Nails to seal the deal (sorry). [/font][/li][li][font size="3"]The Gorilla Glue expands to fill the gap and eliminate any mechanical movement. Then the Hard as Nails (Acrylic) seals against water. This is necessary because it's not possible to get the glue all the way into the joint. The repairs don't look great in these close up pix, but in real life they're really unnoticeable and much better than the alternative. [/font][/li][/ol][p]
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[lanell]

 First unit we looked at had a bumpy countertop and table top , it was a 14 dbs. Checked ours when it was delivered to the dealer and it appears to be caulked much better in the seams and be a smoother surface . Still seems like a flimsy product for this price range trailer , the dealer even said they broke a table top that was hard to seperate from the support pipe.

[geo92128]

When we ordered our 21 BHS in January the dealer Sunny Island RV in Rockford told us we may get a different counter top material. They said LL was in the process of changing counter top material and supplier. We waited a few weeks and asked again about the new material. We were told for $600 extra (their cost) LL would supply a solid surface material (not granite) SI RV indicated that LL still did not have a new supplier and that was the reason for the stiff upcharge. We declined the offer but now not sure if we made a mistake! It does appear LL is trying to make changes as problems arise but... time will tell.

[gmalala]

[quote source="/post/8506/thread" timestamp="1427414996" author="@monted"]When we ordered our 21 BHS in January the dealer Sunny Island RV in Rockford told us we may get a different counter top material. They said LL was in the process of changing counter top material and supplier. We waited a few weeks and asked again about the new material. We were told for $600 extra (their cost) LL would supply a solid surface material (not granite) SI RV indicated that LL still did not have a new supplier and that was the reason for the stiff upcharge. We declined the offer but now not sure if we made a mistake! It does appear LL is trying to make changes as problems arise but... time will tell.[/quote]Whether you made a mistake or not may depend on where you live.  We are in Northwest Nevada and had repeated delamination and warping problems with our previous LL travel trailer.  The manufacturer told us it was chiefly a problem in hotter areas like Nevada and Arizona.  I'm not sure if our dry climate contributes to the problem too.  In any event, we ordered the Corian countertop now offered by LL for our 21 BHS.  In addition to the countertop, the table top, end tables and an upgraded sink and faucet are included.  If I remember correctly, the additional cost was $500.  I have a photo the factory sent to us if anyone is interested.

[whoofit]

the dealer even said they broke a table top that was hard to seperate from the support pipe.

[p]Sounds all too familiar to me. My sofa table did that on second deployment. No matter now. I have cut that jack knife sofa into ~3rds and pedestal into pieces and am building a dinette there. Probably go with a maple butcher block table.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Those foam sandwich surfaces are just not worth the trouble
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[lanell]

 We ordered ours with the two person dinette which we really like , the top drops down on the seats and it makes a couch . Looking for a bolster cushion to use as a back for the couch and bed . Don't think the table top will last long tho .

[whoofit]

In New England it's pretty much take what you can find on the lot for LL's in general. The LL truck campers are better sellers than the TT's around here so I'm told. There was one TT in New England and that was so far up it might as well have been Canada.... Even they have dropped LL. We bought their last one.

[geo92128]

Well I mentioned in another post on new owners we picked up our 21BHS last Thursday; got home after a two day trip and the laminate on the counter top just inside the door entry is almost totally off already! I used gorilla glue activated with water per Charlie to reglue as I did not want to reglue the entire counter top. So far so good? If it continues to happen I may take it to a small cabinet shop nearby and get a new top with better sink installed. It is so small I cannot believe it would be that expensive!? This is a very obvious flaw LL needs to correct!