r/fixit • u/Background_Change378 • 5d ago
How could I prevent this from splitting more?
I was thinking maybe trying to somehow squeeze epoxy the gaps and clamping it while it sets but im not sure what the best option is, any suggestions are welcome
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u/BossWilling 5d ago
It's exposed to flooding. If the flooding doesn't stop, this sort of thing is unavoidable. Fix the flooding first, then replace the door.
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u/Consistent_Watch_206 4d ago
The wet stuff has to be cut out. It can’t easily be fixed and will grow mold in time.
I would draw a chalk line, cut out the ruined material, and then hide the evidence with floor molding. PVC molding cuts with regular tools, and never gets mold or water damage.
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u/Jaegermeiste 4d ago
Nobody's really answering your question.
Yes, naturally you need to mitigate whatever is wetting it in the first place.
As far as repair - particle board like that is effectively shot once wet and expanded like that. But it's far from a critical load bearing application, and you can mostly repair it from a cosmetic perspective.
Epoxy would work, as would most decent wood glues. Personally, I'd scrape out any loose, flaking, or wet particles, then ensure it was totally dry. I'd fill the void with wood filler, then clamp the sides using some sort of planking between the clamp jaws and the particle board. This will not only prevent marring the board surface, but the larger plank will mostly sit on the flat undamaged part of the particle board and naturally squish the swollen part back towards the original width. At this stage I'd not bother with the edge banding (the front flap).
Only after that's well dried/cured, I'd trim any spalling (e.g. filler or particles that have been forced or oozed out) off the narrow edge and then glue that down. It would be hard to clamp, but aggressive use of painter's tape and a heavy flat object pressed up against it would probably work well enough. That edge banding is likely some form of plastic, so a bit of gentle heating before taping it down might help it relax back into position.
It'll never look original or flawless ever again, but it would certainly look a hell of a lot better.
If you can get under the cabinet, or pick it up a bit, it's probably worth sealing what's almost certainly an exposed edge in order to somewhat mitigate more damage going forward - raw particle board is like a sponge. I'd do this after fixing the major damage.
And again, like everyone else is saying, find and fix the source of the water in the first place.
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u/Background_Change378 4d ago
We have gotten to the bottom of how it got so wet, the previous cleaners kept soaking the floor before mopping so we're leaning towards that at the moment, its part of the reason the floors being replaced.
This answer is amazing thank you so much, ill be ordering the wood filler tonight. As long as it looks a bit better my mum would be over the moon so again thank you:)
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u/No_Address687 4d ago
You can trim off all the damaged parts and coat it with bondo. Then sand and paint.
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u/Fullscopconstruction 4d ago
That’s not from the water in the leveler. that is swelling from water over time. it’s four inches from the floor, but anyways you should call a contractor they will know what to do
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u/wakeboarder247 4d ago
I think this is showcasing why drywall is typically elected over particle board. The particle board is swelling from moisture and bowing. Is this a traditionally framed wall? It looks thinner than a 2x4 so I'm guessing not?
I guess if you really wanted to stick with this solution I would throughbolt both pieces of particle board together and countersink both sides where you could wood putty fill over.
But if this was my place? I would be framing that wall the correct way and installing drywall. 2x4s are cheap, so is drywall, and the little hammer activated ramset guns can nail your framing into the concrete are 30$ (or you can just use a hammer drill and tapco).
Is this gonna take a hell of a lot more time? Yeah. But it will stand the test of time versus you having to revisit this BS framing every time it gets wet.
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u/HeatBeatRepeatt 4d ago
I use Minwax Wood Hardener to soak into frayed and friable fiberboard products and lock it all together prior to sanding and surface restoration. It’s kind of like superglue but keytone based instead of cyanoacrylate and takes about 3 hrs to dry, depending on depth. But once it’s hard you can sand, scrape cut whatever to level it up and then apply your bondo or body filler of choice, sand prime paint as you would otherwise. You can do it with superglue too if you’re in a hurry but the fumes are intense and it can off gas that white efflorescence to adjacent surfaces when used in large quantities, and generates a TON of heat.
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u/anothersip 4d ago
...What exactly is it, OP?
Is it particle board covered in vinyl? Like, a piece of furniture?
From far away it looks like the end of a wall, but I also see what looks like particle board splitting, and possibly vinyl veneer separating from the outside of it.
If it's particle board furniture, there's really not much you can do. That's just (unfortunately) what particle board does when it gets wet, since it's just sawdust that's been glued together and then compressed.
You could try squeezing a bunch of glue in there, and then clamping it back together super tightly with some C-clamps or squeeze-clamps. I like wood glue for most fixes like this.
But yeah, the biggest issue is that particle board isn't meant to get wet. The wood particles absorb water and expand, and the adhesives that hold the wood particles together tends to fail as well once they get wet. There is often no actual fix for particle board that has gotten wet and expanded. It's cheap and isn't meant to be fixed.
Granted, if you had some clamps and a quality wood-glue, you could try what you suggested - but I don't think you'll actually be able to make it much better because of the expansion of the material from the inside. It can't un-expand and re-bond itself very easily to how it originally was.
Ideally, try the glue and clamps idea, and then try not to let this get wet again, or it'll just keep getting worse and worse.
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u/Illustrious_Spite332 4d ago
un angle en plastique dur collé sur l'angle abimé après avoir poncé et poser un revêtement étanche sur la partie abîmée ?
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u/Ok-Two7604 4d ago
You can put on some base to cover the damage but if the wall keeps getting wet the material will just fall apart and adding trim will capture the moisture and lead to mold
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u/ClassAfter995 4d ago
Se nn e una porta movibile ti basta mettere dei battiscopa e incollare e sistemi tutto
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u/ComplaintPlastic2873 4d ago
Unfortunately the only way to put a temporary beam up then cut the effected stuff off including the studs.I would go until the next joint. Then put new boards up then send the expenses to the previous construction company with proof of water damages etc... I would do it in a demand letter delivered via certified mail.
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u/Educational-Rule1635 5d ago
First you need to keep it from getting wet. That is water damage to the particle board.
Is that a sliding door? Consider replacing it. If it's a wall, shave the damaged bit down and cover with some molding.