Laminate peeling at top of shower door

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Laminate peeling at top of shower door

May 19, 2020, 07:56:05 am

Hi all -

When going through my new to me 2000 IB I noticed the laminate peeling on the back side of the pantry / shower door. Looks like its taken on some moisture at some point in the last 20 years .

How should I "fix" this so it doesnt get worse? I was thinking a light sanding then a coat of polyurethane. End goal is to prevent more damage and added benefit of making it look a little nicer.

I have a can of Minwax One Coat Polyurethane
Minwax Satin 356050000 One Coat Polyurethane Quart - - Amazon.com

Y'all think this is an appropriate process / product for this little repair?

Thanks!!!

Jodi

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Re: Laminate peeling at top of shower door

Reply #1 – May 19, 2020, 08:44:19 am

You can try it, but I suspect the cure is a tad late. If it does not work as desired, you might consider covering it with something like stick on shelf liner, wallpaper, etc.

Re: Laminate peeling at top of shower door

Reply #2 – May 19, 2020, 10:08:27 am

"If it does not work as desired, you might consider covering it with something like stick on shelf liner, wallpaper, etc."

Another possibility?

CR-20315 - Bookcase Door Cover Applique - by Home Decor Line

Re: Laminate peeling at top of shower door

Reply #3 – May 19, 2020, 10:56:32 am

The cupboards/cabinets, bathroom door, and walls in an LD are 1/8" vinyl-covered luan; the walls are textured white (or tan in newer models), the cabinets/cupboards are wood-grain patterned vinyl. Colors varied; older LDs were kind of a "brown", slightly later models had what LD called "maple", then came "cherry" and a different color of "maple" for the latest models. AFAIK, it's all the same stuff, i.e., vinyl overlay heat-bonded to thin luan. (Cabinet and cupboard trim is solid wood, but the cabinet facings/doors are not.)

It looks as though the vinyl covering has flaked away, probably from exposure to moisture, as you speculated. You won't be able to replace the vinyl covering, but you should be able to sand off most of the flakes and stain the patchy area to at least blend the color. Minwax (and others) have a color stain/polyurethane combination product; check their website and/or local hardware places for color charts/products.

One caveat: clean the surface to be stained/poly-ed well and follow the instructions on the can to apply the product. Stir, do not shake the can to mix the product.

Re: Laminate peeling at top of shower door

Reply #4 – May 19, 2020, 12:56:45 pm

Hi Jodi; I've seen white plastic hooks set over the door to hang wet towels on. As they get slid back and forth they abrade the very thin vinyl. These slight separations in the vinyl allow more moisture to penetrate the exposed wood and lift the vinyl away to make the problem worse. Proper preparation and a coat of the Minwax polyurethane as Joan detailed should make it look better, and keep it from continuing to deteriorate. RonB

Re: Laminate peeling at top of shower door

Reply #5 – May 19, 2020, 02:19:32 pm

What Joan said - stain then protect it.

You can also put laminate in that area...
Home improvement stores have rolls of 1/2" or 3/4" laminate (white and other colors) that have adhesive on them (a clothing iron is used to secure it). I searched online and could not find a link (sorry).

You can also get sheets of laminate - the kind for laminated kitchen countertops - but they need to be trimmed to size and attached with contact cement.
Some skills are needed for the laminate solutions - more so for the sheet laminate than the thin roll.

Laminate is waterproof but where it meets the door is no longer water proof.

Be aware if you decide to put laminate at the top or sides of the doors, that makes the door thicker and can affect how it closes.

Jane

Re: Laminate peeling at top of shower door

Reply #6 – May 19, 2020, 04:48:51 pm

With age, heat cycling and wear, the paneling's plastic coating will start delaminating, there isn't much to be done other than covering it or painting it.
Coating it with a clear polyurethane may help, I would try applying it to a small area in a less obvious spot to see what effect the poly has on the old coating. It could cause it to peel more.
If covering the entire door with a laminate, such as Formica, consider how the molding around the perimeter of the door is going to be trimmed on a thicker door, something needs to be done to make it presentable. You could end up with something less attractive than what you have now.

Larry

Re: Laminate peeling at top of shower door

Reply #7 – May 22, 2020, 10:07:13 am

this small project is done and worked out great. Time will tell if the poly holds but I think it will.

Lightly sanded it to get the flakes off. Then clear poly'd over it to make it smooth and more water resistant.

I do like the idea of it looking like a library though!! Haha!! Keep that in mind for next time

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