Repairing Formica/Laminate Helm Station Mount Holes

The previous owner of my Mainship 350/390 drilled holes through the Formica countertop at the helm station area. Just wondering if anybody has any experience with repairing something like this.

Thanks,
Alex

If they are fairly small drill holes, this product works fairly well.

Kampel laminate repair, caulking solutions, laminate flooring repair

Plan B is a removal of all the items on the Formica and gluing down a new sheet.

Plan C is a teak plug in the old holes , after drilling them to the plug size..

Thank you. I'll look into it.

How many holes? If it is just a few get some stainless finish washers with short oval head screws to fit them. Put a dab of silicone or other sealant in the holes and insert screw with finish washer as trim. Nobody will know you didn't professionally mount something underneath. Otherwise go the new laminate route. Patches that are supposed to match generally don't.

Here's a few pictures.

I have covered holes with a piece of Starboard. Depends on the size of the area and what you want it to look like.

Or, fill the holes with whatever works (wooden dowels, epoxied in place is one solution), sand smooth and put a decorative decal over the area. Something nautical perhaps.


The best solution of course is to remove the laminate and glue on a new piece, assuming of course, that you have the tools and experience to do this.. If not, it shouldn't cost much to have a pro do it. It shouldn't take more than an hour.

Damn! Starboard and router the edges.

"The best solution of course is to remove the laminate and glue on a new piece,"

If it was installed properly its usually a Huge fight to get it up.BTDT

No problem simply scuff sanding the old stuff and rolling on rubber cement for the next layer..

FF said:

If it was installed properly its usually a Huge fight to get it up.

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Put a putty knife between the laminate and the substrate and slowly pry it off. Gluing on an additional piece is OK in some cases, but not if the edge is exposed.


Contact cement is the appropriate adhesive.

Never used rubber cement for that. Usually use solvent based contact. Make sure you have access to a laminate trimmer, Dremel with guide or a router. Really shouldn't take hardly any time.

I'm not sure what starboard material is, but I'm going to google it. I appreciate the quick responses btw. Not what I'm used to on other forums.

HeatherAlyssa said:

I'm not sure what starboard material is, but I'm going to google it. I appreciate the quick responses btw. Not what I'm used to on other forums.

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These guys will cut to spec and route the edges as well. I've had excellent service from them on the pieces I've needed..

Cut to Size King Starboard Marine Grade Plastic Sheet

It will show up as King Starboard. Makes great cutting boards also. It works just like wood. There are a number of thicknesses and several colors. You should be able to find some at a boatyard or maybe even West Marine. Almost nothing will stick to it. I have had really good luck painting it with Fusion paint though.

Before anyone thinks of replacing plastic laminate with Starboard, keep in mind that it can't be glued effectively. You're going to have to use some sort of mechanical fasteners or restraint.


For anyone unsure how to install plastic laminate, there are dozens of videos on youtube.

How about mixing some white powder into epoxy and fill the holes.
Then sand it smooth and spray paint the panel white.

Cut a piece of rubber or similar material to fit, glue it in place and call it "non-skid".

I'm liking the "non-skid" idea!

Google "hole plugs" many shapes, colors and sizes available. available at Lowes or H.Depot etc. Most just snap in or you can add glue.

WesK said:

Put a putty knife between the laminate and the substrate and slowly pry it off. Gluing on an additional piece is OK in some cases, but not if the edge is exposed.


Contact cement is the appropriate adhesive.

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Use a heat gun to heat the surface of the laminate which will help the contact cement release.

If well stuck, better to leave it and contact cement a new piece as Fred suggested. I do like the idea of rubber non skid. It may also reduce (if that is an issue) glare.

Rob

I'm trying to find some kind of sheet rubber that I can cut to size less than 10 inches. Preferably tan or beige in color. If not, gray. I did a quick Google search the other day, but couldn't find anything.

"If not, gray. I did a quick Google search the other day, but couldn't find anything."

Try "battleship" linoleum

Morning, I have the same boat. Use care with any Formica removal methods. The material goes under all of the surrounding wood work. Out of curiosity, what does the ceiling of the shower compartment look like? The PO of my boat mounted the radar bracket in the same area and drilled through the shower compartment ceiling with the screw holes, I had to plug them from the shower side to prevent moisture damage.

HeatherAlyssa said:

I'm trying to find some kind of sheet rubber that I can cut to size less than 10 inches. Preferably tan or beige in color. If not, gray. I did a quick Google search the other day, but couldn't find anything.

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Check kitchen stores or RV stores for non-skid rubber material used to keep dishes from sliding around. A large mouse pad might work as well.

Check out toolbox drawer liners.

It is customary to welcome new members to TF. If you have already been welcomed, please ignore this post.............On the other hand. Welcome aboard.

Greetings,
Mr. AG. Aw rats! Missed that one. Mr./Ms. HA must have snuck in the through a scupper somewhere...Welcome aboard Mr./Ms/ HA!

Your pic does not show the extent of the problem or the surrounding conditions. That is to say, how much other stuff would you have to remove to recover the whole area? Or, could you apply a neat patch over the offending area?

Formica is generically called 'plastic laminate'; that is, it's made of layers of stuff with a top surface of colored material all impregnated with phenolic resin (unless it's the premium version that's uniformly colored throughout). You can sand the surface but not all that deep; you may have seen plastic laminate check-out counters in stores that are worn through the surface and into the underlying lamina. Sanding the surface will also change the sheen or surface pattern; it will also give a surface which will accept adhesive.

Thus you could apply a neat patch or recover the whole surface with matching plastic laminate. It seems likely to me that Mainship would have purchased their laminate already bonded to a plywood underlayment; if so, the bond will be pretty darned good and the laminate would not be removable. If Mainship laminated their own plywood components, they'd have their choice of adhesives and the removal might be easier. (Morgan used contact cement in our 1972 sailboat.)

Simply filling the holes you pictured might be the easiest w/o the bother of finding matching laminate. I think it would be appropriate, and easy, to countersink each hole enough to remove the ragged edge and any shattered material. Then apply the filler as neatly as you can. Subsequent sanding would unduly affect the surrounding laminate, even if it was the 'matte' finish.

Noahstvr said:

Morning, I have the same boat. Use care with any Formica removal methods. The material goes under all of the surrounding wood work..............

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If the trim was applied after the laminate, it would have to be removed first for a proper repair. If it's like my boat, the trim is screwed on and the holes are filled with matching wooden plugs. This gets far more complicated and makes the non-skid mat an even more attractive solution.