Reattach loose edge veneer?

1782 Views 14 Replies 7 Participants Last post by DaninVan, Oct 28, 2017

wkearney99

Discussion Starter · Oct 27, 2017

2

I've got some panels down in the cabin of a boat that have some edge veneer that's detaching. It's an interior space, not exposed to the elements. It does see winter/summer temp extremes, so after 12 years I'm not surprised to have it happen. None of the faces of anything else have loosened. The veneer hasn't stretched, it's just loose. It's not on the ends, nor are there any cracks in any of it.

It's two inner frames on some acrylic paneled cabinet doors and around the inside of one opening. The vertical sections are in doors that can be easily removed to help avoid potential dripping issues.

I'm curious as to what folks recommend as an adhesive to reattach it. And, perhaps more importantly, what not to use (or do). Likewise, what methods to employ or avoid.

I'm thinking some CA gel carefully applied would work, being careful to avoid squeeze-out. I have enough clamps and room to work to allow for putting some pressure on the surfaces, if it'd help.

See less See more

1 - 15 of 15 Posts

Stick486

· #2 · Oct 27, 2017

CA gel is what NOT to use... it won't deal w/ the temp/humidity changes well...
weldbond/weldwood would work very well or you could replace it w/ thermally set banding...

.

wkearney99

Discussion Starter · #3 · Oct 27, 2017

Excellent points about CA, and the attached PDF was insightful. It's astounding how well material science has progressed in recent years. Not all glue is the right glue, just like paints, finishes, lubricants and various other chemical products.

It's likely whatever adhesive was used to attach these in the first place probably failed due to temp/humidity changes AND potentially poor application. I lean toward poor application given this has happened in odd places, not in areas with high use, vibration, light or other factors that might cause failures.

We are likely going to be selling this boat sometime in the near future. I'm still approaching any repair with the same care I'd use if I were keeping it. I'm not one to half-ass something just to have it turn around and bite someone else later.

The band that's present now is in good shape, no cracking or anything wrong with it. That and it'd be nigh-on impossible to match it up with all of the rest of the other panels that use the same veneer. Were it in worse shape, yes, I'd go that route.

See less See more

Reactions: 5

Stick486

· #4 · Oct 27, 2017

wkearney99 said:
We are likely going to be selling this boat sometime in the near future. I'm still approaching any repair with the same care I'd use if I were keeping it. I'm not one to half-ass something just to have it turn around and bite someone else later.

what you said... KUDOS...

Reactions: 4

Stick486

· #5 · Oct 27, 2017

@wkearney99...
do you have a name other than N/A...

Semipro

· #6 · Oct 27, 2017

Water proof white glue use tape hold in place ( have damp cloth to clean up the drips) i believe this would works as well anything else.

Reactions: 2

wkearney99

Discussion Starter · #7 · Oct 27, 2017

The areas in question are not exposed to the outdoors. These are cabinets in the salon belowdecks. If there was enough moisture down there to be a problem for the glues I'd think there'd be a TON of other problems. The space is air conditioned (and dehumidified when not in active use). True, it's not as temp/humidity stable as furniture in your house might be, but it's not a fully outdoor situation at all. I'd guess the conditions are more like a beach house than anything else; one that gets laid up 5 months of the year in dry winter storage (unheated).

Stick486

· #8 · Oct 27, 2017

wkearney99 said:
The areas in question are not exposed to the outdoors.

short of surf and rain - they are.....

Stick486

· #9 · Oct 27, 2017

Semipro said:
Water proof white glue use tape hold in place ( have damp cloth to clean up the drips) i believe this would works as well anything else.

that'd be the weldbond....

Reactions: 1

wkearney99

Discussion Starter · #10 · Oct 27, 2017

Stick486 said:
short of surf and rain - they are.....

Were this location abovedecks, yeah, I'd be right there with you. There's a ton of marine adhesives/caulks/etc that are well designed to handle the brutal UV and moisture exposure issues out there. But this is a conditioned space. It's not just a "shed on the water". I certainly wouldn't argue not to use waterproof, just questioning the perhaps overly broad assumption about just how exposed this is or not. My goal is a proper repair that'll help it last. If that's 'waterproof', then great!

Cherryville Chuck

· #11 · Oct 27, 2017

Franklin's melamine glue. It's the only glue I use anytime I glue anything to the edge of a panel. Use masking tape to hold it in place while drying.

I first saw it at a woodworking show and talked the Franklin rep about it and he said it would even glue melamine to melamine if the pieces were small as the water has to be able to dry out of it. Most wood glues get sucked into the grain too much on edges and the joint gets starved for glue and you get a weak joint. The melamine glue doesn't get sucked in so much. It's holding is first rate on just about any application. Wear gloves or don't get it on your hands. Nothing dissolves it.

Reactions: 1

TenGees

· #12 · Oct 28, 2017

For stubborn banding there's edge clamps...

See less See more

DaninVan

· #13 · Oct 28, 2017

The problem, I think, W.K., is that if you remove the banding completely to clean the two mating surfaces, if you use anything like a contact adhesive (which would be my choice ...rubber cement ain't going' nowhere!) getting the banding back on in perfect alignment in one go will be a b*tch. That leaves one of the liquid glues with a few minutes of open time. Putting that on without first removing the original heat activated glue residue sounds a bit risky?
Heat activated you ask? Does anyone use anything other than heat activated banding in commercial production?

MEBCWD

· #14 · Oct 28, 2017

Originally it was probably bonded with contact cement and they probably did not use enough. I've seen this happen in commercial displays all the time where they are trying to save on material costs. We had several from one company starting to come apart and I contacted the manufacturer. They said they had one of those efficiency teams come in and revamp their manufacturing processes and that was one of the things they changed was the amount of contact they were using because it was a high dollar item. They remade the cabinets for that shipment and had the freight company pick up the other ones. They went back to their old building procedures because they were having to rebuild everything they sold. I hate efficiency teams, they make it real hard to produce a quality product, they know noting about manufacturing but they sure know how to crunch the number so they look like they know what they are doing. I know there are good efficiency companies that actually know what they are doing and make sure that quality is not sacrificed in the process of pinching pennies but I have always been there when the others were hired.

I would use contact to re-glue these pieces, just make sure everything is lined up before you put parts together.

See less See more

Reactions: 2

DaninVan

· #15 · Oct 28, 2017

Amen, Mike!
Most shops have banding machines, and I'm just guessing but I think efficiency would favour the hot melt systems.

1 - 15 of 15 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.