Have to replace the shelf in the kitchen sink base cabinet. Had a series of leaks from a location I heve never found. Current shelf is chip board – what else? It has swollen up & started to crumble.
What to use to replace it? Want to only do this job once in my lifetime. Do I really want to put in PT plywood?
Don
Don Reinhard
The Glass Masterworks
“If it scratches, I etch it!”
The Glass Masterworks
“If it scratches, I etch it!”
Replies
Probably leaking around the sink or the sprayer. Replace it with ply sealed with 3-4 coats of WB poly, edges too. I NEVER use MDF on any cabs I build thay may come in contact with water.
Off yer azz and on yer feet,
Outta th' shade and into the heat.
Tom: Never have found source. Many theories, all of them failed.I hate fiberboard & water.What is WB poly? Easier to ask than scratch my head.Do you use PT Ply?Thanks for quick reply.DonDon Reinhard
The Glass Masterworks
"If it scratches, I etch it!"
I've done this a few times. I just used 1/4" ply (luan) sealed with oil-based polyurethane. WB poly (which is water-based or water-borne polyurethane) will work just fine also, but I find that the WB products require more coats to seal the finish.
The hard part is fitting the plywood in and around supply lines and drains. Usually it requires 2 pieces. If the old cabinet floor is still reasonably sound, I glue and tack nail the new piece(s) in place. If it isn't, then I'll be adding some framing for support.
If there are leaks that continue over a long period of time, even pressure-treated plywood is not going to endure. Since there shouldn't be any leaks anyway, I don't think it matters what kind of material is used.,
-Don (another one)
you know what I've been using lately? AZEK
actually, its kinda neat -- cuts and mills like wood abut never rots -- glues to itself (or PVC pipe) with great integrity. actually, I tried using it as the back of a vanity recently and sized the stub out holes perfectly and glued the pipe as it came through the azek. no more problem with wobbly, loose pipes that feel as if they'll break when you shut off the supply.
Azek is a pretty cool idea.
> ...and glued the pipe as it came through the Azek. <
Hope you never need to pull that vanity - could get exciting!
Jim
Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
I wouldn't worry about pulling that vanity -- for the sake of brevity I didn't elaborate, but I allowed for that.
That's good!
From your post I gathered you had a Azek back on the vanity which was glued to the supply pipes upstream from the shut-offs.
Jim
Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
AZEK? Is it poly? Does it come in sheets? Cost?
Thanks.Off yer azz and on yer feet,
Outta th' shade and into the heat.
its not poly, its pvc just like the pipe -- but they've made it more stable for woodworking and unaffected by UV. it's expensive, but you can get it from an exterior trim guy or retailers. just google azek distributors.
I keep lots of my 'drops' -- its handy for so many things.
"its not poly, its pvc just like the pipe"What does PVC stand for?
somebody jump in here... I think it's poly vinyl chloride, but what do I know.
"I think it's poly vinyl chloride, but what do I know"That is correct, PVC is "poly".But so is polyethalene, polystrene, poly iso, etc.So saying "poly" is not very specfic.
Chemical term "Poly" = many, Greek origins?; suffice it to say, it has to do with characteristics of various organic molecules.
In our discussions here we use poly as an abbreviation - has to be taken in context.
"It's gonna rain in about 2 minutes - get some poly over that hole in the roof". Polyethylene; sheeting - 6 mil preferred.
"We put on 5 coats of poly and sanded between all of them." Polyurethane.
PVC - whole lot easier to say than poly vinyl chloride.
CPVC - Chlorinated poly vinyl chloride - see above.
Don't blame me, I am the son of two chemists.
Jim
Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
thats right , but don't forget Yo Adrian and Yo Poly!
Have you considered deep sixing the shelf and building shelving on to the doors? They don't catch any drips and all those little goodied often lost in the dark under the sink are right at hand. It takes nice sturdy doors but leaves you with a bare cabinet base that is easy to keep wiped out if a drip is seen.
PT plywood would be pretty ugly - but whatever you use, I'd seal it with spar varnish, or something equally waterproof. After installing our new kitchen cabinets, I sealed the shelf under the sink and the interior surfaces of the silverware and utensil drawers. Thought it would be a good idea to prevent what you're having to deal with right now. Good luck.
Are you talking about a shelf under the sink, or the counter around the sink?
If under the sink I'd probably look for a chunk of Formica countertop or Melamine shelving. Carefully seal any raw edges.
It's not normal to have the sort of leaks you describe -- it would be worthwhile to try harder to find the leaks.
happy?
I agree with the suggestion of just leaving it out. I've done it a couple of times in a maintenance situation. Under a sink, you will always have some sort of leakage. Not just plumbing but sink overflows, knocked over bottles and so on...
Removing the shelf will give you a couple of extra inches of storage space. In my instance, there was just concrete grout so I doused it with Thompson's Water seal, caulked the edge seams and painted the whole works with gray floor enamel.
~Peter
Gid bless the victims of the Seattle-Tacoma earthquake.
I always wanted to this sort of thing when I get around to building the sink cab in my place.
I'm not sure where I found the pict - might have been BT years ago.