# Forum Home Renovation Kitchens  Water in laminate bench join - fix for swelling

## joynz

Hi.  
Have a kitchen bench with a join in the laminate under the sink bench.  
The house has been rented out and sometime in the last year water has got into the join and swelled one side raising the laminate on one side by 4-5 mm and also widening the join.   
Any suggestions for a temporary fix to both make the join waterproof and even up the ridge that the swelling has created?  The join is about 4mm.  
Thank you A

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## arms

> Hi.  
> Have a kitchen bench with a join in the laminate under the sink bench.  
> The house has been rented out and sometime in the last year water has got into the join and swelled one side raising the laminate on one side by 4-5 mm and also widening the join.   
> Any suggestions for a temporary fix to both make the join waterproof and even up the ridge that the swelling has created?  The join is about 4mm.  
> Thank you A

  trying to interpret your explanation .photo.

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## joynz

Sorry, will take a photo tonight.

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## CuttingEdgeKitchens

First off a laminate join should never be anywhere near a sink! Who ever designed the kitchen should be shot! 
Once the chipboard below the laminate has swallow its to late. There really isn't anything you can do that will look good. 
In the short term you can fill it with silicon that will stop it getting worse.

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## Random Username

This is very bodgy, but it may work for you: 
Get a small drill bit (1-2mm).  Drill a number of closely spaced holes into the side of the exposed edge, about 15-20mm deep.  The overall goal is to remove a strip of swollen substrate underneath the laminate without damaging the top of the adjoining laminate.  Once enough material has been removed to make it possible to press the laminate down to 'reasonably level', mask the two edges of laminate with duct tape/pacing tape and pack the hole with epoxy.  Use a heavy weight to hold the laminate down (mind the glue squeeze out...hence the masking!) while the epoxy sets. 
A Dremel with some small drills/rasps may also work, or a multitool with a narrow cutting bit. 
Depending on just where the damage is, removing the sink may make the entire process easier as you can work in from the side of the benchtop that's usually concealed by the sink.

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## arms

> This is very bodgy, but it may work for you: 
> Get a small drill bit (1-2mm).  Drill a number of closely spaced holes into the side of the exposed edge, about 15-20mm deep.  The overall goal is to remove a strip of swollen substrate underneath the laminate without damaging the top of the adjoining laminate.  Once enough material has been removed to make it possible to press the laminate down to 'reasonably level', mask the two edges of laminate with duct tape/pacing tape and pack the hole with epoxy.  Use a heavy weight to hold the laminate down (mind the glue squeeze out...hence the masking!) while the epoxy sets. 
> A Dremel with some small drills/rasps may also work, or a multitool with a narrow cutting bit. 
> Depending on just where the damage is, removing the sink may make the entire process easier as you can work in from the side of the benchtop that's usually concealed by the sink.

  bodgy ? sounds more dodgy than bodgy ,top has gone too far for resurrection to any sense of good workmanship .

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## Random Username

Who's talking 'good workmanship'?  That's my patented 'this will get me past the end of lease inspection' type of repair.   
If done well (which would take more access than whatever gap is there) you could effect a permanent repair using epoxy.  Clean out the damaged stuff, fill with a thickened epoxy mix, clamp till set.  As a guestimate, it'd be $40 worth of marine epoxy, but that's not as expensive as replacing the benchtop.

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## arms

> Who's talking 'good workmanship'?  That's my patented 'this will get me past the end of lease inspection' type of repair.   
> If done well (which would take more access than whatever gap is there) you could effect a permanent repair using epoxy.  Clean out the damaged stuff, fill with a thickened epoxy mix, clamp till set.  As a guestimate, it'd be $40 worth of marine epoxy, but that's not as expensive as replacing the benchtop.

  sounds like you may have done this before ,still dodgy ,but what the yeck if you can get away with your method of dodgyness then good for you

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## Cecile

> sounds like you may have done this before ,still dodgy ,but what the yeck if you can get away with your method of dodgyness then good for you

  Temporary fixes don't necessarily need to be best practice!

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## OBBob

Can you actually make it sound pretty good ... it's a *custom epoxy impregnated lamination joint*. Sounds like you could use it on the space shuttle!

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## Random Username

Well, I'm actually facing a similar situation in my kitchen; the shelf that supports the microwave has a tiny amount of swelling on the face edge from steam...the correct procedure would include a number of hours of taking carcasses apart, but I'm thinking of working the 2mm PVC edgeband off so I can remove some chipboard from inside, followed by the epoxy + clamp.

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## phild01

Sometimes the laminate curls and won't clamp flat, the epoxy clamp method will likely stabilise the issue but I doubt it will be seamless.  The laminate join I have has the same issue and not from water ingress.  The laminate joint edge is kind of bubbled rather than a lift.  Has been this way for some 20 years with no further lifting. 
Can't fix it so left it be.

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## arms

> Temporary fixes don't necessarily need to be best practice!

  there is no such thing as a temporary fix ,
you either fix it for good or its only a temporary thing

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