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I have a 8 foot long by 3 foot wide cypress buffet at the camp with a formica coveered plywood top. It is outdoors but out of the weather. On one end the glue holding the formica on has failed and when you tap the top you can hear a hollow sound. The area is about 2 feet square.

Is there some trick the Faithful know to repair this, like running a hot clothes iron over the hollow area? Or should I just plan on tearing the old formica off and laying some new on?

UV

Vic, if its close enough to the edge you can work a putty knife underneath the formica and lift it as far back as you can then "Reglue" it with epoxy.

I think that contact cement is the most common adhesive used to attach formica. I helped my son put new formica on his counter top. The first try failed and we realized that the plywood absorbed the contact cement in the places that failed.

The second time around we kept applying the contact cement to the plywood until we got uniform thickness. Been on there 7 years now and still going strong

hb

Vic- If the "hollow"section is not on an edge where you can get at it, you might consider very carefully drilling some holes from the underside and pouring the adhesive (epoxy, contact, whatever) hoping it will go into the void enough to control it from getting worse. I suspect that what Harry said happened and the Contact Cement was absorbed in that spot into the porous plywood.

Vic,
How old is the top..?? Back in the late 90's there was a massive nationwide problem with contact adhesives failing from the Wilsonart Company.. We had huge problems with stuff coming off in sheets and the replacement glue would not stick to the old, it actually melted it ....
Right after... there was a push to eliminate all solvent based glues from the commercial and industrial sector..drove the price of 5 gal bucket from $60 to $250.... Only quarts of a version of the old stuff were available to the homeowners but it was and still is horrible stuff...
In the shop we have been forced to use the water based product and when used exactly .. and I mean exactly as they instruct you to... the right substrate.. correct amount of glue.. etc...it holds up well

I've never used it outdoors and would probably not...I would use as Harry said epoxy..
For any laminate repair you need to get to good substrate first..If you don't get the old glue off, the epoxy will only stick to the old glue and will eventually also fail..

Ray

Ray, it probably dates from the 90s. Its been in flood water a few times during hurricanes, but the water never got up to the top, but the dampness probably didn't do the glue any good, and it is outside so dampness is all the time.

I may be able to get an edge up and somehow swab or air spray some glue under the bad area. I've done formica work in the past and its pretty easy if you know the tricks, like the "S" rope.

Thanks guys, its on my (Bride's) list.

UV

Vic,

If you really need time to kill.... one trick we have used successfully...drill from bottom a few places in area of de-lamination...obviously stop before bit pokes through substrate(safest.. wood block on bit) take another bit same size and flat bottom it on grinder... finish drilling through substrate carefully.. again use a block on bit .. Push a small dowel through one hole to push up laminate with one hand and inject epoxy with syringe with other hand to the next closest hole.. do this in several areas.. place weight on top overnight.... excess glue will drip out holes...

Doing laminate work now for 25years ...so I gotta ask "the S-rope"?? Would that be the same thing we use cross laid dowels for.??

Ray

Ray, now that would work, your drilling trick. I have a bunch of old syringes I rounded up when I was sick that would do just right. I'm a pack rat even in the worst of times.

Yep, the S rope is the po' boy's dowels. Once your contact cement is dry, lay some braided poly rope on one surface is a "S" pattern, then lay the laminate on top of that and slowly pull the rope out as you press eht two surfaces together.

This buffet weighs about 3 or 400# but I have a chain hoist I can rig to pick it up with a strap when it floods, so I can turn it over pretty easily to do the drilling and let the epoxy run in the holes, then flip it back over so the excess will run out. Guess the trick is not to have too many clear drinks before drilling?

Thanks,

UV

Vic, I don't know if the medical grade syringes would work unless the needle was pretty big..I was talking about the plastic ones made for epoxy..

If your blocks are made correct you should be able to drill the holes Sh--faced...

Have Fun....

Ray

Ray,
You would know better than I, but could Vic use a clothes iron to "re-activate" the existing glue?
Al

Al.. I wouldn't think so.. it was not a heat activated glue to begin with.. especially @ 12 plus years old in an outside condition ..

Ray

An iron or heat gun is a good tool for softening the bond and stripping old laminate off, but usless for re-bonding old glue. Once the "stick" is gone, it's pretty much gone for good...