hymer1942 Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Good afternoon, I have made a small hole, half inch square in the table of my hymer, [ slate grey and black ] has anyone had this happen, I am after a clue what to use to fill the hole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGD Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Nicely arranged bunch of daffs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Nice pint of Guinness. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyH Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 If it's like my worktop in my caravan and is formica type and filled with sort of cardboard honeycomb, then the suggestions to me included finding a suitable matching tile (or two to make a symmetrical pattern) and carefully cutting out the reqiuired size of the top surface and insetting the tile(s) The daffs will die and the guinness will get drunk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordonaldson Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Easy one here, honest, if done without rushing. The hardest bit is going to be finding the match of formica for your table top. Honeycomb infill, for wall yes. Possible Chipboard, yes. You've just got to fill the hole to almost the suface in a few goes with filler. Then with your finely cut/filed/tuned to perfection square of formica, glue it in place so its flush. Cut off oozed out glue after its hardened. The trick is the square should be a perfect fit to make it invisible. The other repair which may be the more ideal is to nenew the formica surface. Hardest bit here is removing it. try heat. Ho, ho, good luck, Gordon.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 hymer1942 It's probable that the honeycomb interior that RoyH describes is quite common for motorhome/caravan tables/worktops, presumably to save weight. I've seen several instances where an apparently-solid table/worktop's upper surface had been pierced by something relatively light, but sharp-ish, being dropped accidentally on it. If your table is indeed hollow, then filling the hole effectively from the top may be tricky and it might be preferable initially to address the damage to the top surface through a larger hole cut in the table's underside. At least with this technique it should be possible to fix a supporting 'patch' directly beneath the original hole. Sod's law says that the facing-material used for the table's underside will differ from the top, but it would be worth checking that this is the case. A genuine invisible repair to damaged plastic laminate is near-as-dammit impossible, though you may be able to get close. I'd be tempted to begin by modifying the current hole to make it circular as that symmetrical shape is easier on the eye than a rectangular one. As Gordon says, finding a colour-match for the in-fill piece is likely to be difficult. Your best bet might be a large builders' merchant that supplies kitchen worktops. If you can identify an exact/close colour match from amongst the worktops being offered, you should be able to obtain a small sample of laminate from the maker of the worktop or from the builders' merchant. I doubt if it would be practicable to remove a laminate top-surface from a factory-made table - solid or hollow - though it might be feasible to stick another layer of laminate on to the present damaged one. Although 'Formica' sheet laminate used to be readily available, I haven't seen it offered for DIY-applications in recent years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chas Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Hi Hymer 1942- I remember reading on this forum or another where an owner had a similar problem, and it was repaired in such a way it was nigh on invisible. Unfortunatly I cannot remember the name of the repairer, but they must be out there . Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Have found this website.. http://www.plastic-surgeon.co.uk/YourHome/WorktopRepair/tabid/108/Default.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordonaldson Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Aaah just remembered sourse of laminate/formica. Kitchen DIY work tops come with these strips of laminate added under the protective celophane, are the thickness of the work top and are glued to the ends to make a finish. Think I seen them sold seperately the last time I was at, yes you guessed it, B&Q. You may be able to get a near match if lucky. And yes as Derek says make your hole round. If your not into DIY get it done by someone who is, or as Brambles advises above. Gordon... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 If the table is honeycomb stuff some paper in the ole to pack it out a bit and make a firm(ish) base then using polyester filler as used on car repairs to which can be added some Dylon powder to get to the right colour. If the table colour is mottled or marbled this can work to your advantage as it will be harder to spot a bodge - sorry - repair - than on a plain one colour surface - just do not mix in the Dylon too much! Fill t'ole carefully getting it as smooth as you can with a wet putty knife. You might need to rub down and varnish to get it smooth and if you do be sure to mask around the filled ole first to minimise collateral damage. I used this method on a Nuevo worktop and even though I say so myself the bodge did look pretty good and was a let less aggro than replacing it - so much so that when I traded it and pointed out the blemish to the salesman he was not bothered. I can't guarantee that it will work for you but if it don't work to your satisfaction you can always cut it out and start again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hymer1942 Posted March 25, 2009 Author Share Posted March 25, 2009 Thanks all for info. Checked out the company suggested by brsmbles, they sound ok, until they want full credit card details before they even come to look. So will go withh Trackers suggestion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I was not suggesting you use the company mentioned, I just found it and it shows there are people around who can do repairs to laminate. You may well find a local person in yellow pages who can do the repair at a reasonable cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnP Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 The adhesive used to fix the laminate to the honeycomb interior is most likely thermosetting and not thermoplastic, so no amout of heat will melt this glue. Do not attempt to lever the laminate from the base material or you will destroy it completely in the process. I advise taking the top to a local kitchen worktop manufacturer and get them to apply (glue) a laminate over the damaged one. They should be able to supply something which is a near match. To source a manufacturer contact your local kitchen supplier (not one of the DIY chains) You could of course get a piece of laminate from them and apply it yourself using contact/impact adhesive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libby Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Why not cover the table with a new top. Yesterday when visiting localy I noticed an imitation granite covering, it appeared to be about 3-4 mm thick and made of two sections, a plastic granite looking surface and what was obviously a softer buffer material under that, which presumably joined to your existing table top. There was also an edging section to produce a neat table top layout. It appeared very good, if you want details its only down the road, I will go a find some info. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterjl Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Hi I had a similar incident a few years back. I cut a square hole and cut out the interior material down to bottom laminate. Cut a block of wood to fit, cut to depth, varnished and polished to give a pleasant surface then glued to the bottom laminate (care as some fillings melt with glue hence fixed to the bottom). Looked fine, was still in service when part exed it three years latter. You could do something similar with a tile as someone suggested - make a feature of it! Not perfect but it did the job. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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