New Solid Surface Countertops

[Woody.303]

Originally Posted by adonh

What about

PL Premium Polyurethane Construction Adhesive.

PL Premium is a polyurethane adhesive that provides superior results and is safer to use. PL Premium generates three times the power of traditional construction adhesives. It may be used inside or outside and will last as long as the surfaces it joins together.

• 3 times stronger than ordinary adhesives
• Water and weatherproof
• Bonds to wood, metal, stone, concrete, masonry, bricks
• 100% Polyurethane

Don,

The polyurethane adhesive would work just fine. It might even be a bit more flexible, which is good in a moving, swaying trailer.

I've used thousands of tubes of that stuff, and can tell you that it will stick to just about everything. Definitely wear some old clothes, and put a paper towel under the tube to catch the drips.

If you plan on doing any typing the following day, then I would recommend a pair of gloves.

Woody

[Woody.303]

Originally Posted by SinclairR

Hi I am a union carpenter that has fabricated corian tops for hundreds of grocery stores throughout the midwest. Do not use a jig saw skillsaw on the cut out, they will cause stress fractures that will deteriorate in time. Solid surface materials are just like pastic or concrete in the way heat and cool conditions make them swell or contract. If you can make a pattern out of wood and then use a few visegrip clamps with the flat face head on each jaw will make it easier to hold your pattern in place while you route the hole out for the sink. The router bit you will need is a flush cut bit with a top bearing. If you have a half inch collet on your router that is the safest and most durable bit to use. This would mean you have a big enough router to handle this type of bit. A 1 1/2 horse router or bigger is ideal. These bits can cost about $40 -60 and are carbide tipped. Remember solid surface materials are an acrylic material and when they get hot they will warp if not secured properly to a firm subserface. You have to glue them down with 100% silicone cauking. The person who said not to hook the sink to the bottom of the solid serface material with silicone is probably right. Under mount sinks are cheeper in quality than Cast Iron and enamle. Set on top sinks are easy to change when they go bad after like 50 years, but you will never see a stanless or solid surface sink last that long. When you build the top you can use a skill saw or a table saw to cut the edge but make sure you don't let the top bend more than 1/4 inch or you will cause stress fractures you won't see until a short time down the road. Like I said heat and cool conditions will make the product swell and contract wich will open up these cracks and then you will hate it. I have considered puting solid surface material on my counter top in my airstream but I am considering an alternative to it since it is so vulnerable to vibration and movement. I have it in my house which isn't going to move unless we have an earth quake. If you deside to build your own make sure you clean all serfaces where you have to glue an overhang or backsplash, with denatured alchohol and paper towels. If you get any dust or contimanate in the glue it will show when you finish the joint surface. Cut and shape all finished edges with a straight edge and a router. Then sand with a micron sandpaper starting with 80, 60 and then a 30 micron grit and if you want to shine it to a semigloss finish use scotch brite pad made for solid surface tops. Once this is done you can buy polishing compound or auto buffing compound and then a good acrylic polisher. Investigate the proceedure before you get too involved as it is very expensive to go from start to finish.

Good luck,

SinclairR

I will agree with most of this. I have found that stainless steel sinks tend to have the highest longevity rating though. This does depend on the gauge of the material, thicker is better.

Woody

Woody

[adonh]

The 3 solid surface pieces have been cut, one 46" X 30" with the sink cutout. This covers the area from the right wall over to the cutout for the range top. One piece that fits behind the range and one small piece 2" wide that fits just to the left of the range top. The sub top has been attached and the undermount sink has be attached in the rabbet with the PL adhesive. I have completed all of the new plumbing drains and water supply hookups and built a new shelve under the sink with a slide out drawer. I also have a tile back splash that I will install later probably to a cut down backer board. In my trial runs it really look good. I have the special color matched adhesive to bond the 2 small visible cuts that comes in a 250mm tube with 2 sections designed to deliver a 10 to 1 mix through a special tip that fits on the tube. The only problem is that it requires a special type of caulking gun that has 2 plungers in order to mix the correct ratio, and this gun cost $75. I improvised my own gun from an old caulking gun that I had and it should work for the small cuts that I have.

Now I should be ready to actually attach/install the Corian sections to the sub top. My thoughts are to use the PL adhesive to attach/bond the Corian to the sub top and to apply a bead of clear GE II silicone around the bottom of Corian sink cut out and the stainless steel sink edge exposed in the rabbet.

Any thoughts before I proceed would be appreciated.

Don

[FreshAir]

Are any of you considering the additional weight you may be adding to your coach(es) with the use of materials manufactured for 'stationary' structures? Sure a simple galley countertop and sink 'may' not be an appreciable weight gain but if you are remodeling much of your coach the added weight will mount up VERY rapidly.....especially if you are reworking 31 feet of coach.
Neil.

[adonh]

Originally Posted by FreshAir

Are any of you considering the additional weight you may be adding to your coach(es) Neil.

The actual solid surface counter top with stainless sink and 1/2 plywood sub top is about 50lbs I would say. The old Formica counter top was probably around 20 lbs. I had already taken out the old furnace and the stove with oven that that were pretty heavy so I believe I some weight to give. Also I took out the sliding shower door which was never used and that probably saved another 10lbs.

The other cabinet and door work has been done with 1/4 stock and vinal wall covering over the closet doors. My new fridge weighs I know less than the old Dometic.

But I agree you have to balance out what you add with what to take out.

Don

[Woody.303]

Originally Posted by adonh

My thoughts are to use the PL adhesive to attach/bond the Corian to the sub top and to apply a bead of clear GE II silicone around the bottom of Corian sink cut out and the stainless steel sink edge exposed in the rabbet.

Any thoughts before I proceed would be appreciated.

Don

Don,

I've not had much in the way of good luck when using 100% silicone. I would use a siliconized latex caulking. Silicone especially doesn't stick to stainless steel very well, and it also tends to mildew.

Woody

[Woody.303]

Originally Posted by FreshAir

Are any of you considering the additional weight you may be adding to your coach(es) with the use of materials manufactured for 'stationary' structures? Sure a simple galley countertop and sink 'may' not be an appreciable weight gain but if you are remodeling much of your coach the added weight will mount up VERY rapidly.....especially if you are reworking 31 feet of coach.
Neil.

Neil,

I seriously doubt if the added weight here will be of much worry. It might be a total gain of ten pounds when all is said and done.

If he continues with more projects, then it may be of concern. He can upgrade the carrying capacity of his axles if necessary. I have acquired some information/opinions from Inland Andy about this very subject and would be more than willing to share.

Woody

[utee94]

Are any of you considering the additional weight you may be adding to your coach(es) with the use of materials manufactured for 'stationary' structures? Sure a simple galley countertop and sink 'may' not be an appreciable weight gain but if you are remodeling much of your coach the added weight will mount up VERY rapidly.....especially if you are reworking 31 feet of coach.
Neil.

It's certainly a valid consideration. At the same time, I am replacing my original cast iron sinks with stainless steel ones, that weigh perhaps 1/20th as much (if even that much). And, my plastic, on-demand freshwater tank is also substantially lighter than the original, galvanized, pressurized one.

Sure, Airstream did a good job of minimizing weight in their original designs, but some of the more modern options are much, much lighter than anything Airstream considered "back in the day."

Overall, it's a balancing act when performing a renovation or restoration. Weight is added in some places, and reduced in others. Being aware of this at every step is indeed quite important.

-Marcus

[FreshAir]

Originally Posted by utee94

It's certainly a valid consideration. At the same time, I am replacing my original cast iron sinks with stainless steel ones, that weigh perhaps 1/20th as much (if even that much). And, my plastic, on-demand freshwater tank is also substantially lighter than the original, galvanized, pressurized one.

Sure, Airstream did a good job of minimizing weight in their original designs, but some of the more modern options are much, much lighter than anything Airstream considered "back in the day."

Overall, it's a balancing act when performing a renovation or restoration. Weight is added in some places, and reduced in others. Being aware of this at every step is indeed quite important.

-Marcus

Good. I just wanted to be sure that my Airstream friends leave enough safe weight on their axles so not to have to leave a cooler full of 'cold ones' behind.
Neil.

[RustyL]

Don you need to use 100% silicone when fastening the corian to the substrate. All solid surface materials will swell and contract when heated or cooled. In other words they will move on you and there isn't anything you can do about it. Silicone will flex with the movement of the solid surface materials but it won't let loose. Also when you install your range unit into the top you will need to glue on at least a quarter inch thick felt to the side of the opening and then cover it with a self sticky aluminum tape for a radiant barrier. After it is covered hang a strip down from the edge of the opening so it looks like a small curtain around this opening. This is how we have to install for hot pots and ranges in tops for our customers. If you don't do this I guarantee you will hate the outcome if you use your range much.
You can get the aluminum tape from an HVAC dealer and the felt from a craft supply store.

Good luck

SinclairR

[adonh]

I have finished the counter top project and its looks very good. I put in a small backsplash and finished under the front edge with an oak trim. The two small cuts were bonded with the special color matach adhessive and and when sanded its very hard to see where they are joined. My improvised dual plunger calk gun worked fine. Hooked up all of the plumbing and of course it leaked everywhere. Plumbing has not ever been one of my favorite tasks. After tightening the connections to the hot and cold water lines and installing the required fitting in the drain line no more leaks. This has been a time consimimg project and it took a lot longer than expected. Today I am working on getting the trailer ready for our 3 week vacation to Durango. We leave tomorrow. I will take some pictures of the finished project and post the steps along the way once we get settled in Durango.

Don

[Gene]

Originally Posted by adonh

This has been a time consimimg project and it took a lot longer than expected.

Don

Every project takes longer. If we really knew how long it takes, we'd never start anything. The second sink will be faster. Enjoy your sink and Durango.

Gene

[Pillow]

x2
>cover it with a self sticky aluminum tape for a radiant barrier. After it is covered hang a strip down from the edge of the opening so it looks like a small curtain around this opening. This is how we have to install for hot pots and ranges in tops for our customers.<

The stove needs a radient barrier otherwise you can potentially melt the corian.

FWIW There is a special silicone used for counter tops and sink installs. I think from OSI, but it will specifically say "countertops" on it. Not that crappy GE Silicone II you find at the big box stores, which only sticks to your skin.

I have a granite top installation in a few days and I will try and write down the model # of the caulk.

Also to have granite machined it is only like $150 for your slab or remnant, cheap if you ask me. I am sure they would install it as well if you drove the AS over to thier shop.

I would never PL a counter or sink on. But that is me. I use PL mostly for a substitute for Liquid Nails. Both of which should be used sparingly.

[Stonecast]

I work for American Stonecast, which was mentioned in the original post of this thread ( thank you for mentioning us ).

In regards to our sinks, we currently carry a 19 x 33 which is designed to be undermounted ( this has a hard edge at the top inner edge of the bowl for a clean undermount look ), and a 19 x 25 which can be either drop in or undermount ( this has a rounded inner edge ).

We currently have customers that undermount both of these into Corian and laminated surfaces, and they absolutely love the look, and report no problems with mounting or adhesion. Offhand I do not know what type of adhesives they use, but some customers also reinforce them with mounting hardware and ensure the seal with silicone. In 2 years I have not heard of a single adhesion failure.

Also on the issue of weight, our customers are always looking to remove weight from their products, so from a manufacturers view weight is a major factor in the products they install. We are working on new types of counter top surfaces that will be just as strong and durable, if not more so, than current conventional materials, and reduce weight by up to 50%. Although not quite ready for public sales, we expect it to be a huge success in the near future.

[Pillow]

Oh man! That Grani-Light looks sweet! I may be giving you all a call on that sooner than later.

[adonh]

I finally was able to put together some photos of the counter top project. The attached pdf file has the before and after pics with some shots in between. I also re-did my water filter setup and added a slide out drawer for big items under the sink and replaced the small slide out drawers as well. I put in a tile back spash that is mounted on a think peice of Hardy backer board that is attached to the wall. All in all in turned out very well.

Don

[darlingbooks]

Adonh, that is a really good set of pictures. The counter top looks like it belongs and is trimmed out quite attractive. Our Airstream was equipped with Corian counter tops, and I think that replacing it may be more than I could take on. You have done well.

Is your water filter easy to change out? If you can get two hands on it, the compression fittings look to be a good idea.

Steve

[Kevin245]

Don,

That really looks good. Love the backsplash, and the black framing. You be given an extra rivet.

Kevin

[Sugarfoot]

Don, that's one terrific looking result.

[Minnie's Mate]

Great job!