The laminate on the wall in the head that separates the head from the main cabin dining area is delaminating. A 10 year old post from the archives suggests that the only good solution is to make certain the substrate is good, and contact cement formica in place of the laminate. I was wondering about tile. In addition to weight considerations, is there a problem with flex?
Head Wall
- Thread starter wufibugs
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It will likely crack under flexing. Why not use laminate and contact cement? Even better, use some wood backed teak veneer and adhere it with either a vacuum bag system or some Heat Bond glue. Check out my website for how I did it.
IMHO i find ceramic tile is not the best nor the simplest thing to use in boats of this size (25' to 60' on the bulkheads) because of the flex....c tile will come loose in time and you will have to replace and repair as well as finding it hard to clean....it does this in homes all the time and one can never find the match they need to do a good repair......also when you have to clean it after long time use there is usually lots of mold and meldew in the grout.....years ago there was a plastic tile the looked like ceramic tile that you could use and it had no grout joints and glued on with a waterproof adheasive, dont know if it is still around or not....but for me the less joints you have the better .....so formica would be my first choice for a rebuild , that or fiberglass and gelcoat.....JMHO......
regards
woody
I agree with Tim but want to add another caveat.
I'm familiar with your model boat (friends have an 84) and know how nice it is. Whatever you decide to do please, please consider the finished appearance. I would think you want your boat to look bristol when you're done rather than tract house (may have said that a little strongly, not trying to be rude). An example, we've all seen pictures of tiled galley counters - - ever seen one that looks good, like it even belongs on a boat (there I go again, no doubt offended someone else)? Ever seen a sailboat manufacturer use ceramic tile?
I'm familiar with your model boat (friends have an 84) and know how nice it is. Whatever you decide to do please, please consider the finished appearance. I would think you want your boat to look bristol when you're done rather than tract house (may have said that a little strongly, not trying to be rude). An example, we've all seen pictures of tiled galley counters - - ever seen one that looks good, like it even belongs on a boat (there I go again, no doubt offended someone else)? Ever seen a sailboat manufacturer use ceramic tile?
I come here for the straght skinny, so never offended by good advice. Valid points all. I will probably go with a formica as it is probably the easiest to maintain and I should be able to find something rich looking.
The material that is peeling off is melamine. I think you will need to remove it to get down to bare wood.
If I were going to do this, I would probably remove everything and do it in a shop.
There is also your sink drain behind the cabinet. It would be a good time to replace it too. It is made of nylon and has probably seen it's better days too. The spot that they placed our drain was nearly impossible to remove without removing the cabinet. If this drain ever breaks while out sailing, could be a MAJOR problem.
If I were going to do this, I would probably remove everything and do it in a shop.
There is also your sink drain behind the cabinet. It would be a good time to replace it too. It is made of nylon and has probably seen it's better days too. The spot that they placed our drain was nearly impossible to remove without removing the cabinet. If this drain ever breaks while out sailing, could be a MAJOR problem.
He speaks the truth. In my opinion, Formica is a very difficult material to work with on assemblies in place. Best to disassemble to the point of flat panels, apply the Formica (oversized), trim and then reassemble. As far a I know, that's how every professional laminate installer does it. With a little experienced guidance the average guy can do it but remember the goal is a professional finished product. If you have no experience with this material, seek out someone who does for advice, you'll be glad you did.
I invite you to view my profile album and look at the replaced countertops in the galley, head and chart table as well as the dinette table. All are formica applied as described above.
this is by far the best way to do it ....but it can be done on site by first dry fitting every thing to the intended surfaces.......but you will find that even then you may chip some of the PL when cutting it .....you some times have to sand the final edge to the final shape to keep from doing that.....you also have to use slips (little flat sticks between the freshly glued PL and the freshly glued substright(surface to be applied to) and working from one end to the othere removing the stickers as you progress...and if its on a vertical surface you will need about 20 hands to do it
so the shop method is best by far.......regards
woody
I might add that you may be better off just replacing all of the plywood rather than trying to remove the melamine.
Some owners have just cleaned up the melamine and painted over the existing surface. I cannot imagine that this looks very good, but to each his own.
Some owners have just cleaned up the melamine and painted over the existing surface. I cannot imagine that this looks very good, but to each his own.
I am going to rebuild the head as you suggest, which will make it much easier to apply the formica. So I know what to expect, how is the wall between the head and the cabin dinette built? I assume it is not a stud wall. I also assume that the wall in the cabin is not the same piece of wood as the one in the head, each side just having a different finished material. While I have the cabinet apart, I was thinking of replacing all the plumbing hoses to and from the holding tank. The odor in the vee berth tells me there is probably a small leak somewhere in there. The plastic sink/counter has a burn mark, so it has to go anyway.
Great idea to replace the hoses. I would also suggest that you replumb the holding tank like WM suggests as the preferred method (everything goes into the holding tank before you can discharge overboard).
The task of getting to the deck fitting is a real SOB without taking the cabinets apart. I think you will see that there are some cleats screwed to bulkheads that hold the entire thing together.
You may want to consider putting in a 90 deg. thru hull for the sink drain too. I would use bronze or ss for this thru hull fitting if I were you.
Good luck!
The task of getting to the deck fitting is a real SOB without taking the cabinets apart. I think you will see that there are some cleats screwed to bulkheads that hold the entire thing together.
You may want to consider putting in a 90 deg. thru hull for the sink drain too. I would use bronze or ss for this thru hull fitting if I were you.
Good luck!
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