Lagoon Woodwork Repair Assistance

[Regenero]

Hello cruisers;

We have a Lagoon 41, with some woodwork needs. A few unsealed seams on the intererior cabintry have begun to delaminate and show strange and wonderful colors and patterns along the edges. Also, in some other areas the varnish simply lifts off. Since this is a veneer, sanding and revarnishing probably not a successful plan. Any suggestions from Lagoon or Beneteau owners as we are all family?

Another boater sugessted getting veneer sheets and simply replacing it, but I do not now where to secure this?

Any ideas or suggestions would be welcome - Thanks!

[atoll]

find a cabinet maker locally who will be able to source veneers,or advise on where to buy preveneered sheets of ply to match.

though cutting out the old veneer and replacing with new will be the cheaper option,but this is an art,best done by a proffesional

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Regenero.

[imagine2frolic]

I had a couple of panels take on water due to window leaks. They discolored, and began to seperate. I epoxied them together with clamps, and then sanded. You really had to look hard to see any blemish. I am told they are African Ash, and built like door skins?.......i2f

[Regenero]

Thanks for the help all...we are in process!

[Sand crab]

Try wood bleach and/or sanding to see if you can save the existing veneer. Don't sand too much because the veneer is incredibly thin. Some veneers are used with factory applied heat activated glue. If the veneer is still in good shape you might want to try resealing the original glue with an old household iron. You will ruin the iron for it's original use that being your clothes. If buying new veneer see if you can get the preapplied heat activated stuff. It's mostly in rolls and is used for refacing cabinets. Option B would to use a hot melt glue gun with an iron. Carefully tape right to the edge of the existing veneer(s) to avoid a mess. Use a tiny amont of glue because it will spread when ironing and don't burn the veneer. Less is more. Use paper tape and if you melt the adhesive on the tape to the veneer just clean it up with paint thinner. Experiment first with an out of the way place or on scrap wood. You can reheat to free the bond and reapply if neccesary. I've done this with errant veneers on kitchen cabinets. Don't use it on new veneers, go to C instead. Option C is to use contact cement which you can buy in spray cans or in paint cans for about $15 at the hardware store. Again carefully tape to the edges of the veneer. Do not attempt to spray both sides at once of a partially lifting veneer because if the cement is too thick then it will not work. Less is more. For small areas you will want to place a glob on a scrap piece and carefully paint the veneer and substrate using a cheap artists brush. Larger areas mask and spray. Keep them seperate for the time listed on the product and then carefully press them together. Contact cement bonds to itself when partially dry and is impossible to move or seperate so precut and be exact in the replacement of the veneer and do not try to put it together right away or to late. Usually the bonding surfaces are rolled out to bond but you may be able to use a piece of wood or a plastic putty knife if the area is small or curved. Cut the wood or the putty knife to the curve ahead of time. Experiment first with scrap and monitor the time. You can clean up the glue mess with solvent or water depending on the type used but don't let it soak through the veneer. Cabinet shops use this method for veneering and Formica countertops and you should probably use this method if applying new veneer to large areas. The beauty of these methods is that they are fast and cheap and there is no need for clamps. Regarding the other posts, be really careful if using epoxy. It is really a PIA to cleanup when dry and the sqeezeout will ruin the surface of the veneer. If using that method use wax paper between the blocks of wood under clamps and the veneer so they won't bond and tape to edges of the veneer. Too much pressure will dent the veneer. Don't use it for large areas. Professionals never use epoxy for veneers and for that reason I'd avoid it. BOB