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Thread: How water resistant is cabinet grade laminate?

  1. 03-18-2021, 3:06 PM #1
    Brian Elfert
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    How water resistant is cabinet grade laminate?

    I have a bunch of cabinet grade laminate I got from a cabinet shop. How water resistant is laminate?

    I want to build a plywood box covered with laminate. It will be protected against water except if we get a real bad driving rain.
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  3. 03-18-2021, 3:20 PM #2
    Mel Fulks
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    It’s pretty waterproof . Face is waterproof. I would not use contact glue ,that’s the part ....that falls apart ! Use “plastic resin glue”.
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  4. 03-18-2021, 3:34 PM #3
    Richard Coers
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    The laminate is almost water proof, but the seam where it meets the edge banding is far from water resistant.
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  5. 03-18-2021, 5:48 PM #4
    Brian Elfert
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    It sounds like I should just use FRP. I didn't realize contact cement is not water resistant. I was hoping to use up some of the 80+ pieces of 4'x10' laminate I have. I only need one sheet of material.
    Last edited by Brian Elfert; 03-18-2021 at 6:37 PM. Reason: Spelled word wrong
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  6. 03-18-2021, 6:03 PM #5
    Mel Fulks
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    I will not say it’s not water resistant ! Take a piece that has fallen off the wall and put it in a bucket of water ! The glue will NOT wash off !
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  7. 03-18-2021, 6:40 PM #6
    johnny means
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    Laminate is impervious to water. Contact cement is water proof. Water isn't what causes it to fail. It usually fails due to drying out and becoming brittle, or the none waterproof substrate fails. I've laminated outdoor tables that lasted years before the plywood fell apart. You can make your structure very close to waterproof by using a waterproof glue right on the edge of the substrate. It does take a little more work and planning. You have to tape of the area to be "hard glued" and be sure to stick the laminate precisely.
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  8. 03-18-2021, 6:45 PM #7
    Brian Elfert
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    I will say I had laminate countertops when I bought my house. The sink was close to falling through the countertop as the particle board had gotten wet from water leaking around the sink. The laminate itself seemed to still be adhered to the particle board.
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  9. 03-18-2021, 7:18 PM #8
    Mel Fulks
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    Contact cement for laminate was rated as lasting 5 to 7 years last time I looked it up. That was a rating by mfg. of the CC. Yes it can last
    longer or fall off a lot sooner. The Empire State Building elevator doors had laminate that quickly fell off. But I think the stock market fell off
    first !
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  10. 03-18-2021, 8:25 PM #9
    Brian Elfert
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    Don't most laminate countertops last a lot longer than five to seven years?
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  11. 03-18-2021, 9:40 PM #10
    Mel Fulks
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    Brian, I’ve only helped with laminate when company had a job running long and they needed emergency help. But ,again that’s how it’s
    rated by its makers. Was not unusual for company to have a few call backs right away. I did mainly mill work stuff. I did ask laminate install
    guys about it and they said it was common to have loose corners etc. right away. Ask people you know who have it. Some of the lam guys said “On my
    own kitchen I used Weldwood glue.” (plastic resin glue).
    Last edited by Mel Fulks; 03-18-2021 at 9:50 PM.
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  12. 03-19-2021, 7:18 AM #11
    Brian Elfert
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    I sure hope contact cement lasts longer than seven years or I will have to replace the cabinets in my converted bus that I hoped to never have to replace.

    It appears I should just use FRP instead of laminate. A single sheet is not that expensive.
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  13. 03-19-2021, 10:02 AM #12
    Kevin Jenness
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    P-lam can be glued with any wood glue. Contact is used for speed and convenience due to no need for clamping. The more pressure used when applying contact the better the bond. My kitchen countertops with solvent based contact are 35 years old and holding up except for surface wear. The weak point is the glueline - the laminate itself is highly water resistant as it is impregnated with phenolic resin.
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  14. 03-19-2021, 2:45 PM #13
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    Peter Kelly
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Elfert View Post
    I have a bunch of cabinet grade laminate I got from a cabinet shop. How water resistant is laminate?

    I want to build a plywood box covered with laminate. It will be protected against water except if we get a real bad driving rain.
    Do you mean cabinet liner or vertical grade? Liner is super delicate until it gets secured to the substrate and can chip when trimming if not using a down-spiral bit. Tends to telegraph the webbing from sprayed cement too, complete PIA to work with IMO.
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  15. 03-20-2021, 10:19 AM #14
    Bruce Wrenn
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    If it was me (and it's not) I would run the whole wall top to bottom with MR wallboard, with the joints taped and finished with fiberglass tape and setting compound.
    Direct application to wall board, as solvents in CC will eat up any paint or primer
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  16. 03-20-2021, 5:54 PM #15
    Ron Selzer
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Elfert View Post
    Don't most laminate countertops last a lot longer than five to seven years?
    Laminate counter top at house i grew up in was installed in 1964, still tight today. Brother owns the house now
    Ron
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