Counter top options

[CEC]

Westiculo thank you that does look great. I hadn't thought too much about this option. My concern with my boat anyways is the vibration and movement with the grout probably cracking. The product you are using looks to address that though. Stick down tiles would be an option, but I haven't found any that don't look like a floor. To much texture ext.


As for UV with the epoxy I have that covered so to speak. There are a couple ways to deal with it both uv hardener and/or top coat. Not much sun on my counters either (I know just ambient light with UV though). Nice thing about it is recoating is fairly straight forward. The product I have is UV resistant, but I have read that its not that effective with virtually all of them that claim this. I'm in no rush so still leaving my options open. Doing this project in May/June.

 

[ghost]

This just arrived today. A crate full of 1.25” high density cork. 6 sheets should do it, so long as I don’t screw it up. It was sold out, hard to find, so my plan is to do my best to not screw it up.

I’ve never worked with this stuff, but plan to run it through the table saw, do some jointery to make it long enough since the sheets are only 36” long, then rout the edges to make a nice radius.

Have not decided how I’m going to finish it yet. Maybe the same short oil varnish I’m using for my dinette table, maybe something less glossy,

I’m doing a breakfast bar and the galley counters.

 

[JoeyAboard]

Granite is porous and known to store bacteria. I would seal my countertops every 6 months

 

[Landlocked_ND]

Mdf

Landlocked, Thanks for the info! I hadn't given much thought to the effect UV might have. You know what? I'll still probably give it a go on both the salon & galley countertops though, because even a sun-faded ,scratched up counter top would have to look better than the brown formica stuff we have now!
Whats MFD?

Sorry Boomerang, I just saw this.

MDF - Is Medium Density Fiberboard. It is a manufactured sheet material used as a substrate under many countertop/vanity household and commercial applications because or the density, perhaps not for marine applications. It's inexpensive, and can be used under epoxy, concrete, laminate, tile, or natural stone materials.

 

[Night Watch]

Trim between sink and formica

Hi
I have thought about replacing countertop with a superior product but concerned that it isn't in the budget for about 5 years there are just other things that need to be done with the boat.

I have formica but the sink is installed under the countertop in a misguided and unsuccessful attempt (by someone not me) to mimic an undercounter sink. The band of exposed (plywood?) area between the formica laminate and the metal sink allows water to seep in -is there a 1" trim piece that goes there on anyone's original formica countertop? The surface is so rough I am afraid of making an ugly feature stand out by sealing or painting. It is black and the formica is white.

I looked below the sink and the sink really should have gone Over the formica as it has the lip to do so, but changing it now would require removing the entire countertop as there is no room to extract the sink underneath. Doing that ends up with project creep and eventually the realization that I might as well get the quartz top since I have the old countertop out.

It seem a lot of folks in this thread are working with different materials and might have a suggestion of a trim or sealant. Suggestions?
Thank you.

 

[GB3295]

If you do not want to rip out the counter, I would sand that exposed part of the wood counter top and once smooth, treat it with penetrating epoxy or thinned West System Epoxy. Just to make it as impervious to water as you can. Then paint it gloss black again or by some white "band" or edge Formica, which normally has heat glue on the backside and glue this on the edge, using a normal ironing iron. Let it stand proud of you actual top and let it sit for 12 hrs then trim the proud piece off and sand round, or at least sand sharp edge somewhat dull.

 

[koliver]

Night Watch
If you are at all handy, you may have room for a piece of teak trim to cover the exposed plywood at the sink. In mine, there was a 3/4 x 3/4 piece of teak just there, with a 3/8 radius routered edge to soften the transition from Formica to Stainless Steel.
When I replaced the Formica with Quartz, I had that edge polished, so didn't need to replace the teak.

 

[angus99]

Hi
I have thought about replacing countertop with a superior product but concerned that it isn't in the budget for about 5 years there are just other things that need to be done with the boat.

I have formica but the sink is installed under the countertop in a misguided and unsuccessful attempt (by someone not me) to mimic an undercounter sink. The band of exposed (plywood?) area between the formica laminate and the metal sink allows water to seep in -is there a 1" trim piece that goes there on anyone's original formica countertop? The surface is so rough I am afraid of making an ugly feature stand out by sealing or painting. It is black and the formica is white.

I looked below the sink and the sink really should have gone Over the formica as it has the lip to do so, but changing it now would require removing the entire countertop as there is no room to extract the sink underneath. Doing that ends up with project creep and eventually the realization that I might as well get the quartz top since I have the old countertop out.

It seem a lot of folks in this thread are working with different materials and might have a suggestion of a trim or sealant. Suggestions?
Thank you.

You’re getting some helpful advice, but you might check with some pros to see if anything you do will make any difference with that exposed edge. Do you know that it’s plywood or could it be partial board? If the latter, I doubt anything you do will keep a raw edge from expanding with moisture. It’s a major reason undermount sinks are not recommended for Formica counters.

FWIW, we’re having Corian installed in the galley Wednesday. After considering the weight, workability (there are few 90-degree angles in our boat) and price, we picked it over quartz and granite. Samsung also makes a solid surface that’s less costly than Corian.

I sweated blood finding a sink that could be under-mount in our galley and finally found one. Our kitchen sink actually nests into a lightbox that is in the ceiling of the aft head and the one I picked can be removed from underneath. If it was not accessible, we’d have been forced to go with a top mount. No way am I going to remove a countertop some day to change a damaged sink.

 

[Mako]

Does no one use a p-trap (U-bend) in their drain? I assume that your sink drains directly overboard, but if it were draining into a grey water tank then you would want one of course.

 

[angus99]

Does no one use a p-trap (U-bend) in their drain? I assume that your sink drains directly overboard, but if it were draining into a grey water tank then you would want one of course.

No room for a P-trap under our sink and no need for one since grey water goes directly overboard. The plumbing in the photo above is completely hidden by an opaque plastic “lens” that forms the “light box” over the aft vanity.

 

[Larry M]

Does no one use a p-trap (U-bend) in their drain? I assume that your sink drains directly overboard, but if it were draining into a grey water tank then you would want one of course.

No room for a P-trap under our sink and no need for one since grey water goes directly overboard...

Our sink in the head has a p-trap. The galley sink does not, like Ian’s. I wish it did though. When we’re in a marina and the wind is from the stern quarter, we can get a pretty good smell up from the drain line. We find we put stoppers in the double sink to stop the smell.

 

[ghost]

I keep stoppers in my fwd head sink as the breeze that can pump through the sink drain can generate a seriously annoying draft.

 

[DDW]

FWIW, we’re having Corian installed in the galley Wednesday. After considering the weight, workability (there are few 90-degree angles in our boat) and price, we picked it over quartz and granite. Samsung also makes a solid surface that’s less costly than Corian.

I sweated blood finding a sink that could be under-mount in our galley and finally found one.

If you are installing Corian, why not use the Corian (or many other supplier's) integrated in sink? These are glued into the countertop and become a part of it, no joint at all between sink and top, nothing to collect mold, scum, and food bits. It is one of the main advantages of Corian or other solid surface materials.

 

[angus99]

If you are installing Corian, why not use the Corian (or many other supplier's) integrated in sink? These are glued into the countertop and become a part of it, no joint at all between sink and top, nothing to collect mold, scum, and food bits. It is one of the main advantages of Corian or other solid surface materials.

Thanks; we have these in our dirt home vanities but were not sure how well they’d hold up under heavy kitchen duty. Probably fine, but we wanted something replaceable without tearing out the countertops.

 

[Night Watch]

Thank you for the tip, I will check when I make my weekly pilgrimage to Fisheries Supply as I saw trim in stock there last time.
Cheers

 

[Night Watch]

Thank you! I will check out the products. I Looked for that 1" trim at a local hardware store and couldn't find it on the shelf but will investigate in the "kitchen designer" help section. I am sure I could find another some other uses for epoxy around the boat ....project creep already!
Cheers,