# Oh no!!! Help (worktop damage)



## clodhopper2006 (Aug 13, 2006)

Had a little accident this week with a can of peas whereby it fell out of a locker and seriously dented the worktop below cutting the 'skin' of the work top.
Any ideas how I might repair it so that it looks reasonably ok. Don't suppose you can get matching filler can you?  I suspect if I have to replace the work top it's going to cost me a painful sum. 
Luckily it was t' mrs what done it or Id be in deep doodahs.

Cheers folks

Bob


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## dbh1961 (Apr 13, 2007)

Depending on the position, you might be able to cover that bt, by sticking a chopping board over it. We did that once with a caravan, and it looked like it had always been there.

Or you could try O'Learys, for a sheet of just the laminate, and stick that over the whole worktop (easier than changing the worktop)

You can get "Colourfill" in many shades, but I doubt if it would ever look right on a split. It's more for little gaps in joins etc. usually at the very edges of worktops.


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## mangothemadmonk (Aug 6, 2006)

I wouldn't worry about it. You ain't the 1st and wont be the last. I have damaged mine twice. Once the wife fell.... don't ask!! And the other time a book fell out of the above locker and landed on its spine and cracked it.

The first crack was a doozy and I filled it with a plastic filler, rubbed it down and sprayed over with a blend of 4 aerosols as our table is a mix of blues and black speckle. It looks "ok".

The only thing you can do with a cracked top is either replace the whole table 8O top or the skin. Both will cost. I would go with the fill first and see if you can live with it.

have a search on the forums there is a few items on cracked table tops.

Hope you get sorted.

Johnny f


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

*Re: Oh no!!! Help*



clodhopper2006 said:


> Had a little accident this week with a can of peas whereby it fell out of a locker and seriously dented the worktop below cutting the 'skin' of the work top.
> Any ideas how I might repair it so that it looks reasonably ok.
> Bob


Hi Bob

I'd be inclined to agree with Mango, but if you really can't live with it and are prepared for a bit of very painstaking work, it can be done at virtually no cost.

Firstly come terms with the philosophy of, "_If you can't hide it, don't try to_." and be prepared to make the repair into a feature if you have no option. This depends a lot on exactly where the dent is of course.

Now use a Stanley knife, or a similar but slightly finer one, and score a square or rectangle through the laminate around the dent. Once through the laminate, pick it all out from within the square - you need not be too careful about digging a small hole.

Now very carefully trim the edges of the hole as perfectly as you can, using a metal stright edge. Clamp the straight edge if possible as this will make it a lot easier. THIS part of the process is the most important for a good result.

Cut a bit of laminate to fit the hole - needless to say the more perfect the fit the better it will look. If you can't find any to match, go for the nearest or a contrast that you think looks OK. Ensure that it will sit a little lower than the surface of the worktop. (Yes, I do mean lower.) Offer it up several times until you are sure it is as good a fit as you can get it.

If "_the job's a good 'un_" it will fit so well that you can hardly get it out again after offering it up. Duct tape is useful here, rather than trying to dig it out with your blade - and risk chipping your beautifully prepared patch.

Now mix some Araldite - preferably not the rapid stuff, and spread plenty in the hole, "worrying" it down into all the crevices to ensure a good coating. Err on the generous side.

Insert your patch and use the straight edge to press it down so it is perfectly level with the rest of the work surface. DO NOT at this stage try to wipe off the excess Araldite that squeezes out. It will look a mess, but ignore it.

Check and re-check the levelness (?) then go and have a cup of tea - taking with you the remainder of the Araldite on whatever you used to mix it. (I always use the packet  ) Check this constantly to see how far it has cured, and when it gets to the semi-hard, and definitely well past the sticky stage, go back to the van with the biggest, straightest bladed and sharpest kitchen knife you have.

The bigger the knife the easier it is to carefully shear off the squeezed-out Araldite, and with care you should get an almost perfect finish without scratching either the original surface or your new patch.

Let Mrs Bob do the final polish with a drop of mildly abrasive kitchen cleaner, then tell her what a brilliant job she has made of the repair. No hassle from the Boss thereafter. Job done and a lot of money saved.

It's tricky, but it works - though I'd still go for Mango's solution if the dent has not cracked the laminate and made it rough.  

Hope this helps


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

Brilliant reply Zeb....I've learnt a lot!

Slightly off topic....Just shows one of the dangers of carrying heavy items up high. Also, by carrying heavy objects in overhead lockers can upset the stability of your 'van. try and keep all cans, bottles etc down low. I learnt this as a tugger, and it DOES make a difference.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Spacerunner said:


> Brilliant reply Zeb....I've learnt a lot!
> 
> Slightly off topic....Just shows one of the dangers of carrying heavy items up high. Also, by carrying heavy objects in overhead lockers can upset the stability of your 'van. try and keep all cans, bottles etc down low. I learnt this as a tugger, and it DOES make a difference.


Thanks for the kind words Spacey. 

Also to be considered, if you carry cans and stuff in the top lockers above an end kitchen, they become missiles aimed at your head should you be unlucky enough to have a prang. 8O

Cheers


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## 88735 (May 9, 2005)

Thanks for that Zebedee

I going to have a go at the cracked work top i tried to repair last year, I used filler and a wax kit but i have never been 100% happy with it.


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## 88781 (May 9, 2005)

Zeb your more than welcoe to repair the dent in our motorhome work top anytime! :wink:


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## pneumatician (May 1, 2005)

*Worktop repair*

Did the same myself with as I recall a biscuit tin. Made a hole. Fortunately the hole was roughly where I positioned the spirit level for leveling up. So I made a Brass Bezel inserted this into the now accuratly formed hole and inserted a bubble level. Looked as though it had always been there. 
Caution is of course then required unless you want a worktop looking like an aircraft instrument cluster. ( sounds good to me )
All of my cupboargs are now fitted with fiddle rails.

There is another stream somewhere on the same topic.

Steve


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

*Re: Worktop repair*



pneumatician said:


> Did the same myself with as I recall a biscuit tin. Made a hole. Fortunately the hole was roughly where I positioned the spirit level for leveling up. So I made a Brass Bezel inserted this into the now accuratly formed hole and inserted a bubble level. Looked as though it had always been there.
> Caution is of course then required unless you want a worktop looking like an aircraft instrument cluster. ( sounds good to me )
> All of my cupboargs are now fitted with fiddle rails.
> 
> ...


Brilliant Steve.

Exactly what I meant by, _"If you can't hide it, don't try."_

*Mandy and Dave* I thought motorhomers prided themselves on being self-sufficient? :?: :? :roll:

I'm far too expensive anyway since I retired. I can choose when or whether to take on a job, and congenital laziness is getting worse by the day!. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Cheers


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## Broom (Oct 8, 2007)

Hi Bob

No idea of how to undertake the repair but did the can of peas come out of the locker when travelling, seen somewhere else where a tin opened the locker door and fell out when travelling, could this be a problem with the lockers

Best regards
Broom


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## 88781 (May 9, 2005)

Hi Broom, stuff usually tumbles out of the cupboard and lands on the worktop after you have parked up and open the cpboard door!


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## pneumatician (May 1, 2005)

*Worktop Damage preventative*

As mentioned in my previous mail I made what I think Sailors call fiddles. Basically a wooden frame divided into Tin/Bottle size rectangles. Mine are made from 8mm sq Spruce (wing spars) cost a couple of quid.
Next idea for overhead cupboards is to cut lengths of telescopic net curtain rail to fit the length of the cupboard. ( Inner & Outer slightly shorter cause you want to extend it ) A Disk approx 25mm dia is fixed to each end ( I used a wood screw C'sunk thro the disk ( Servo Disk) and into the rail Blue tack on eack disk then extent iside the cupboard at required position and leave to stick. I promise it works and they are a bugger to remove but it can be done.

Presto things no longer fall on your head when you open the Cupboards. 
We also tend to decant products into containers of the same size for easier storage. Tea , Coffee, etc favourite container currently is Ovaltine.

My Motto never buy what you can make yourself. Not always cheaper but more satisfying and fun.

Steve


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Further to my original epistle, there is an even better way of fixing a dent, but only if you are nifty on a woodturning lathe.

*1).* Take a suitably sized Saw Tooth or Forstner bit and, using a very slow speed and quite heavy downward pressure bore a shallow hole where the dent is. Saw tooth bits tend to work better on laminates as they cut through the circle before beginning to rip out the centre. (_Study the pictures in the link below and you will see why - and take care to keep the drill bit perfectly vertical or it might skid!!!)_

*2).* Turn a bit of laminate to fit the hole.

*3).* Install it with Araldite as before.

I didn't mention this earlier as not too many people have a lathe, but it does make a very professional job if you are spot on with your fitting.

And before you ask . . . . see  >>here<<


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## tinkering (Dec 8, 2007)

*falling peas*

a mine off information dave and pete

Les.


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## Saphire (May 1, 2005)

I had the same thing happen to me when we first got our new van, I was gutted. But I did manage to do a repair that is completely invisible.

If you go down to my post on this page you will see how I did a repair with photos..

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopict-27378-worksurface.html+repair


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## clodhopper2006 (Aug 13, 2006)

Many thanks for all your suggestions. I'm going to take the minimalist approach first and gradually escalate until I reach the point where my tolerance and desire to make good cancel each other out.

Somebody asked if we were moving at the time. No we were unpacking having just arived home.

Cheers,

Bob


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## JockandRita (Jun 1, 2005)

MandyandDave said:


> Hi Broom, stuff usually tumbles out of the cupboard and lands on the worktop after you have parked up and open the cpboard door!


Hi all,

We have bought lots of those little rectangular plastic baskets that you see in the pound shops, small, medium and large. The small ones fit perfectly in the little envelope lockers. 
The large and medium ones fit all other lockers. Great for storing tins and bottles, and when you arrive on site, nothing hits you on the noggin, nor the expensive work/table tops when you open the locker to grab the tea or coffee. 

Even the lockers not in use, (yes, you did read correctly :lol, are fitted with baskets. Well, you never know when you might need them. 
:wink: 
Jock.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

JockandRita said:


> Hi all,
> 
> We have bought lots of those little rectangular plastic baskets that you see in the pound shops, small, medium and large. The small ones fit perfectly in the little envelope lockers.
> The large and medium ones fit all other lockers. Great for storing tins and bottles, and when you arrive on site, nothing hits you on the noggin, nor the expensive work/table tops when you open the locker to grab the tea or coffee.
> ...


Don't they get full of junk though Jock - and every item was considered essential when you put it in. :roll:

I've just finished clearing some of it out of ours - and I agree, they are a damn good idea. Cheaper than getting your worktop repaired too! 

Cheers


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## JockandRita (Jun 1, 2005)

Zebedee said:


> Don't they get full of junk though Jock - and every item was considered essential when you put it in. :roll:
> 
> I've just finished clearing some of it out of ours - and I agree, they are a damn good idea. Cheaper than getting your worktop repaired too!
> 
> Cheers


Hi Zeb,

I'll let you know when all the empty baskets are full, and there's no room left at all. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Jock.


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## 116339 (Sep 4, 2008)

As mentioned in another thread http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopicp-483676.html#483676 - This is an excellent solution to damaged worktops, hope it helps, took me some searching til I found someone who can do this type of repair.


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## Motorhomersimpson (May 9, 2005)

Hi,

when we bought our camper there was a hair line crack in the worktop, it never really bothered us until one day my wife placed hot fat in foil on top of it. 

This resulted in a large blister and the laminate peeled away, leaving what you see in the first picture.

After a quick trip to B&Q I picked up some metal sheet for only £10. A quick cut, file the edges, I had the shape I required, I simply used silicone to attach the plate to the top, I did score the top before fitting to help the bond and the repair was done.

Just to give people other alternatives, worked for us 

MHS...Rob


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