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[mason290]

HELP :cry: My newly installed kitchen worktop with it's nearly invisible joint is ruined! Water has got into the joint & the laminate has bubbled. What can I do to repair the damage & prevent any more?

[allan the locksmith]

The top is now ruined so its best to replace it. The joint should have had a jointing compound appied before tightening the clamps up.If a compound is used this doesn't happen. Can't you go back to who ever installed it ?

[mason290]

[quote="mason290"]HELP :cry: My newly installed kitchen worktop with it's nearly invisible joint is ruined! Water has got into the joint & the laminate has bubbled. What can I do to repair the damage & prevent any more?
Can I use jointing compound on the top of the laminate to prevent further damage?

[chippybird]

Might be knackered but hold them horses and see if it retracts.... ive seen them bubble up due to pressure sometimes ( i fit these and am not talking about my work by the way!) how long since the join was done? Was it bolted and if so did the bolt get slackened off ??

[mason290]

Thanks for the replies. The joint was only about a week old when I got the fitter back to look at it. He applied some glue to the surface but it hasn't really done much.
(At first the joint looked excellent, hardly visible, but I suppose the jointing compound was not applied across the whole cut surface leaving some permeable to water?)
Are we talking about "Colorfill" here? I am hoping if I apply some with a bit of solvent to soak into the joint it will stop any further damage. What do you think?

[chris_on_tour2002]

it has been known for an iron on a medium heat through a tea towel or handkerchief to work on flattening the joint again, though this really only works in a few situations and depends on the level of damage. i fear though that this is an installation error.

when the worktops were cut to be jointed together the raw exposed chipboard edges of the worktops should have been waterproofed with either neat pva glue or a clear, good quality varnish and left to dry. then either a thin bead of silicone or the colorfil compound applied before joining the tops and bolting them together.

this will provide a good level of protection during everyday use. so, (unless the water ingress was significantly greater than could reasonably be considered everyday use) if your fitter didnt carry out the above before joining the tops then i feel that you can hold them responsible and the tops should be refitted at their expense. all raw edges should be treated in this way once cut, including cut outs for the sink and hob.