Galley countertops

[CassidyNZ]

Originally Posted by mitiempo

Epoxy will work well. Remove all the contact cement down to bare wood first. Ideally you would epoxy the Formica on before the fiddles were in place, trim, and than add the fiddles.

I have used epoxy for Formica multiple times in the past and it works very well.

Thanks for that. I was reasonably OK with the idea but then never heard it discussed so thought maybe there’s a reason not to do it.

Yes, the fiddles. On my boat the fiddles are American cherry that has aged to a beautiful colour along with the rest of the trim and the screws have been very well plugged and finished so the removal is something that I’m sure can only end badly. I’ve had a go at matching the colour with new timber and most visitors can’t tell new from old but I can

I’m pretty good with templating and the overlays that I just put on and now have to remove were a perfect fit to the point where (on the ones that I got on straight) you’d be hard pressed to tell that the fiddles weren’t put on after the Formica.

But with contact adhesive, getting the overlay on exactly right inside the fiddles is a real challenge and edges on one or two had to be “adjusted” to make them fit. That’s why I headed towards a glue that gives me a decent working window to make the best of my templating skills before it tacks off and becomes permanent. Hence epoxy.

Thanks again for the affirmation.

[PaulBartomioli]

Originally Posted by OceanFox

I have looked at getting the corian pre-cut. I'm just nervous about the accuracy of my template! I want a snug fit, but not so snug that there's no room for error.

Good point. Ask the place you are buying the Corian if they will measure for you. There might be an additional charge, BUT the odds of them fitting properly is worth the cost. AND IF the measurements are wrong, guess who pays for the correct fit? NOT you

[PaulBartomioli]

Originally Posted by OceanFox

I had tile counters in a house, and cleaning the grout was the issue for me. Unless I used whitening products it never looked clean!

Toothpaste and a medium soft bristle toothbrush. Old tile man trick

[ejjawhite]

Unless one has a fairly large boat, why add the weight of tile? There is likely a point where it becomes a negligible difference, but on my 35 footer with 11’ beam I’m already striving to maintain my waterline when loaded for the short cruising I do. I carry 90 gallons of water and 32 gallons of fuel, no holding tank (composing head), a couple anchors, dinghy davits, and find myself already wanting to paint over the glass to reach my boot stripe.

[CarinaPDX]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Boy ~ 1/8" seems awfully thin.... My gut says no way.... but...

But it is two or three times thicker than Formica, and unlike most kitchen installs of Corian it will be entirely supported by plywood, which in turn is never very far from support itself.

Both quartz and granite are too thick for my use. If I understand correctly Avonite is a solid surface made of polyester, not acrylic, and is more solvent-resistant. In fact, solvent damage looks to be more likely in my use than heat damage.

I asked about the hot pan as an extreme case; I doubt that I have ever put a hot pan onto the Formica. I use thick rubber trivets, which keep the countertop cool and prevents the pans from sliding. I was just trying to gauge how sensitive these surfaces are.

I put my Formica down shortly after another boat had a fire using contact cement while a heater was in use. So I thought I would be clever and used a water-based contact cement instead. Bad idea. The Formica is lifted in several places. At least it shouldn't be hard to remove. (I plan on using the Formica as a pattern for the new countertop.)

Greg

[CassidyNZ]

Originally Posted by CarinaPDX

But it is two or three times thicker than Formica, and unlike most kitchen installs of Corian it will be entirely supported by plywood, which in turn is never very far from support itself.

Both quartz and granite are too thick for my use. If I understand correctly Avonite is a solid surface made of polyester, not acrylic, and is more solvent-resistant. In fact, solvent damage looks to be more likely in my use than heat damage.

I asked about the hot pan as an extreme case; I doubt that I have ever put a hot pan onto the Formica. I use thick rubber trivets, which keep the countertop cool and prevents the pans from sliding. I was just trying to gauge how sensitive these surfaces are.

I put my Formica down shortly after another boat had a fire using contact cement while a heater was in use. So I thought I would be clever and used a water-based contact cement instead. Bad idea. The Formica is lifted in several places. At least it shouldn't be hard to remove. (I plan on using the Formica as a pattern for the new countertop.)

Greg

You’re right about the thickness of Formica, it’s thin enough that when I cut mine to suit, I used kitchen scissors. But therein lies the problem with removal. I know that the junk contact adhesive I used is still holding in probably 10% of the area so the Formica is going to self-destruct when I try lifting it. So good luck with yours, maybe your adhesive was worse than mine I’m expecting nothing less than a total rework.

As in posts above, I reckon I’ll lay my next set of tops into epoxy. Anybody got good info about totally removing old contact adhesive?

[hpeer]

You guys gave me an idea.

My Corian must be close to 1/2” thick. I could cut some 1/8” areas with a router and then out a cutting board in the recess. That would give me clean top and a cutting board that is replaceable and get rid of some badly damaged areas.

[4eyes]

I would go with stainless for the countertop, with a butcherblock stove cover to add workspace and use as a cutting board.

[CassidyNZ]

Originally Posted by 4eyes

I would go with stainless for the countertop, with a butcherblock stove cover to add workspace and use as a cutting board.

Yeah, I also thought about (and made) a stove-cover cutting board and the first time we cooked a meal and wanted to chop and add ingredients to an already cooking pot, the idea went into the bin. It only adds workspace when you’re not cooking. While you’re cooking it represents a storage problem.

OK in a tiny galley but not practical on a live-aboard or even casual cruiser.

[Near2KR]

You may want to look at stone sheets.com. 6mm granite veneers over aluminum honeycomb. I loved the granite tops in my house. This is much much lighter but has all the heat resistant benefits etc