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Countertop glue-up mess

frankwhitely's picture

Countertop glue-up mess (post #184226)

frankwhitely on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 06:31
in

Hey folks,
I had some trouble yesterday gluing up my countertop. I used solvent based contact cement but it didn't stick. I applied two coats to my particleboard and one to my formica sheet. It just wouldn't stick. Now I have dried glue on each, and I don't know how to proceed... Any ideas?

-A +A

There is a time window when (post #184226, reply #1 of 8)

by Hammer1 in reply to frankwhitely [original] on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 09:26

There is a time window when using contact cement. If you let it sit open too long, the cement won't work. We often use a tack test with your finger. Touch the surface to see if any strings pull up after you touch it. You can also tell by the surface, it will go from wet look to dry. You may have about 30 minutes after applying the contact, most times, I'm sticking down in less time than that.

The good news is, you can just reapply the cement without removing what is there, as long as you didn't apply too much the first time. If there are globs or runs, they can be removed with acetone and a scraper. Use lots of ventilation and a respirator.

Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

contact cemment solvent, most (post #184226, reply #2 of 8)

by wane in reply to frankwhitely [original] on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 11:33

contact cemment solvent, most places carry it

I take it you've done this (post #184226, reply #3 of 8)

by calvin in reply to frankwhitely [original] on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 13:05

I take it you've done this b/4?

It should not be wet when you put down the pc. And to not have contact adhesive stick at all sounds odd. Usually it sticks immediately, you roll it out to make sure there's no air gaps.

But for it to not stick, sounds odd. A couple spots along the edgeband maybe-then clamping will usually take care of that.

A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.


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I'm with Calvin on this one. (post #184226, reply #4 of 8)

by DaveRicheson in reply to frankwhitely [original] on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 13:43

I'm with Calvin on this one. I have had a few spots that may not have stuck tight, but never a whole top.

If you have already removed the p-lam do a test witha scrape piece of p-lam. Apply two coats of the suspect contact cement to the test piece per the instructions on the can. Just before you are ready to stick it, reactivate glue on the slab with a heat gun. If the cement is good, your test swatch will stick. If not, you got some bad cc.

Use the heat gun and a puddy knife to peel up the test patch if it worked. You can repeat the steps with the original p-lam, but don't try to heat the whole slab before you apply it. Just do enough to stick down and end akeep it lined up. Then use the heat gun to work your way down the the top, pressing the laminate down with your J roller behind the heated areas.

I have repaired a lot of tops by using a heat gun and judicuse application of fresh cc.

BTW what brand was the contact cement?

The only other time I did a (post #184226, reply #6 of 8)

by frankwhitely in reply to DaveRicheson [original] on Sat, 02/06/2010 - 13:48

The only other time I did a glue up like this, the CC took a long time to dry, about 45 mins. But once it went together it was perfect. I expected the same here. This time I used Lepage brand cc bought at HD. I suspect the HD stuff was bad. The top stuck very poorly, so badly that after pressing the top down all over, it was still able to be pulled off no problem. Today I bought some pro grade stuff at a wood supply store. I hope that will solve the problem. As for the old glue, I removed most of it with lacquer thinner, and I'll sand the rest smooth.

Did you stir well, scraping (post #184226, reply #7 of 8)

by calvin in reply to frankwhitely [original] on Sat, 02/06/2010 - 14:16

Did you stir well, scraping up the light colored gunk off the bottom of the can?

If not, best do that with the new stuff you just bought.

I'm no chemist, but the gunk might be the sticky and the lighter colored stuff-the smelly dope like solvent conveyor.

A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.


http://www.quittintime.com/

 

I'm betting you glued up the (post #184226, reply #5 of 8)

by IdahoDon in reply to frankwhitely [original] on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 16:36

I'm betting you glued up the pieces in a dusty place and it's the dust that has kept the glue from sticking. No?

Contact adhesive sticks so well I can't imagine anything else causing such problems.

If it was dust add another coat on each surface and keep it clean.

 

Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.

Thanks for the advice guys... (post #184226, reply #8 of 8)

by frankwhitely in reply to frankwhitely [original] on Sun, 02/07/2010 - 20:15

Thanks for the advice guys... I used the new contact cement and did everything by the book; stirred well, applied properly, set the pieces in time. I'm sure the culprit was expired cc from HD. The stuff I got from the wood supply store was a totally different consistency, and spread out well. I had stripped the old glue with lacquer thinner and a cabinet scraper, and the new glue set up well over the old substrate. I used a new piece of laminate (luckily I had another piece). The countertop ended up being perfect in the end (never mind the three extra days). I hate learning the hard way!