Thermofoil raising at inner edge of kitchen sink.

[JudyK-JAY22rb]

Okay. What genius at Jayco decided it would be okay to cut the thermofoil 'just' at the very edge where the kitchen sink is undercounted, vs running it all the way inside the cutout, then under the counter, for the sink to be installed ON TOP of thermofoil layer?

I just noticed the edge of the countertop at the back edge of the kitchen sink (side I wash dished) has swelled and I can see the edge of the thermofoil and bare particle board. The area appears to be lacking sealant. There's a 1/2 inch of the thermofoil in the same area, along the edge neat the corner, that appears to be bubbling and lifting. The side where I dry dishes is not as affected...for now.

I know I can contact cement the small area that's lifting, but I'm going to have to caulk the heck out of the entire back of sink and really around the entire sink edge, to ensure no water penetrates the exposed countertop wood and doesn't get any worse.

Has anyone had this happen? I tried search but couldn't find anything.

 

[Bigger_Al]

Yes, and had to do several things to fix it. The first was to make sure the sink under mounting was secure and as tight as I could get it to minimize movement between sink and countertop when loaded with water. I then used epoxy to get the thermafoil layer solid with the particle board countertop. I used a high end (thicker than factory) bead of white silicone for kitchen and bath to seal up the edges. Did this in the bathroom sink and eventually around the shower inside against the sliding door/glass hardware to wall and base. The factory clear sealant is thin, cheap and put on poorly.

 

[gunafulltime]

Yes, and had to do several things to fix it. The first was to make sure the sink under mounting was secure and as tight as I could get it to minimize movement between sink and countertop when loaded with water. I then used epoxy to get the thermafoil layer solid with the particle board countertop. I used a high end (thicker than factory) bead of white silicone for kitchen and bath to seal up the edges. Did this in the bathroom sink and eventually around the shower inside against the sliding door/glass hardware to wall and base. The factory clear sealant is thin, cheap and put on poorly.

Same here.

 

[Zenar]

Okay. What genius at Jayco decided it would be okay to cut the thermofoil 'just' at the very edge where the kitchen sink is undercounted, vs running it all the way inside the cutout, then under the counter, for the sink to be installed ON TOP of thermofoil layer?

I just noticed the edge of the countertop at the back edge of the kitchen sink (side I wash dished) has swelled and I can see the edge of the thermofoil and bare particle board. The area appears to be lacking sealant. There's a 1/2 inch of the thermofoil in the same area, along the edge neat the corner, that appears to be bubbling and lifting. The side where I dry dishes is not as affected...for now.

I know I can contact cement the small area that's lifting, but I'm going to have to caulk the heck out of the entire back of sink and really around the entire sink edge, to ensure no water penetrates the exposed countertop wood and doesn't get any worse.

Has anyone had this happen? I tried search but couldn't find anything.

Yes, I just noticed mine was swelling too. No sealant there. It sucks, i wish i knew i would have caulked it long ago!

 

[gunafulltime]

The RV manufacturers need to put a big fat sign on the front of the owner's manual. It needs to say, "Make sure your trailer gains at least 20 lbs. of caulk within the first month of ownership. Be sure to caulk everything and anything that is caulk-able."

For real, I cannot calculate all of the caulk I've applied to our trailer, inside and out.

 

[Grumpy]

I wouldn't caulk it until the dealer has a new countertop on order.

 

[JudyK-JAY22rb]

Yes, I just noticed mine was swelling too. No sealant there. It sucks, i wish i knew i would have caulked it long ago!

RIGHT!? I was all over the scamper, tidying up sloppy work and could have caulked it heavily from the get-go. Well, I guess I'll do it now. Does anyone have an opinion about me using Geocel around the sink? I have a tube that is open and I really need to use it before long.

 

[JudyK-JAY22rb]

The RV manufacturers need to put a big fat sign on the front of the owner's manual. It needs to say, "Make sure your trailer gains at least 20 lbs. of caulk within the first month of ownership. Be sure to caulk everything and anything that is caulk-able."

For real, I cannot calculate all of the caulk I've applied to our trailer, inside and out.

 

[Bigger_Al]

The RV manufacturers need to put a big fat sign on the front of the owner's manual. It needs to say, "Make sure your trailer gains at least 20 lbs. of caulk within the first month of ownership. Be sure to caulk everything and anything that is caulk-able."

For real, I cannot calculate all of the caulk I've applied to our trailer, inside and out.

This !

 

[SJ Communicator]

I had the same issue with our "19" 24RL
I may have not done the "correct" thing. But what I did worked. 1st I scraped att the crap factory caulk off.Then I gently peeled back the loose Thermofoil and injected as much premium white silicone under the T-foil. Then on the outside I worked all the caulking under the foil Making sure the foil didn't look lumpy or bubbly. It kind helped that my faucet had worked itself loose as it helped me work the caulk deep to where it was still bonded. If some oozed out by the sink was okay as I put a nice 1/4" bead all around the sink and tooled it with a corner caulk bead tool instead of the Ole wet finger trick. I tightened the faucet down which was a PITA to reach the nuts under the counter. But a little creative thinking and my rolling garden cart/seat I got it! I digress (lol) the caulk job turned out beautiful and has really held up.

 

[Cardaddy73]

My dealer says Jayco turned down warranty on our bathroom sink counter top when It virtually was damaged and cut short when installed….omg I do not mind improving and maintaining but damn it isn’t even out of warranty

 

[JudyK-JAY22rb]

Same here. They told me 'seals need to be maintained.' I'm like; 'I used the camper one time and the water got under the thermofoil and swelled the top a little.' Reply: Yeah...sorry.

I really wish I had noticed the crappy caulk job...actually, BARELY there caulk job, from the factory and I could have done a better job at sealing it up before using it.

 

[Glamper64]

Jayco should really stand by their products and how they put them together. It's pretty stupid the thermofoil doesn't wrap around the bottom of the countertop for an inch or more, and on top of that, a useless bead of silicon...so easy for water to penetrate there and do significant damage to the point where it's now better to install a drop in sink

 

[JudyK-JAY22rb]

I've already resigned myself to the fact, I'll probably be replacing the countertop in the near future years with a piece of butcher bock. It's not a BIG countertop, so it shouldn't be too bad to use the old as a template and replace it. I've actually meant to pop into the camper over the past few days, to measure exactly what size piece I'd need, if ever I came across a piece on FB Marketplace.

I have some GeoCel I could use. That would work, right? I don't trust silicon caulk. Mold loves to grow on it.

 

[Glamper64]

If you use a kitchen/bath silicon mold should not grow on it. Not sure what GeoCel is?
You must be changing to a drop in sink if going with wood?

 

[JudyK-JAY22rb]

Yes, a drop in sink is no problem. GeoCel is a brand of sealant I used on my exterior seals last season.

 

[Glamper64]

Those undermount sinks are for stone tops only Imo...when done right all you should see is a neat small bead of usually clear silicon.
Drop in's are nice too especially the ones with the back ledge that the faucet sits on. Important to use the proper sealant under the new sink rim...some come with a foam seal stuck to the sink or plumbers putty can be used...just make sure it's mold resistant but I wouldn't use silicon for that install...potential big mess that's hard to clean
Keep the GeoCel outside

 

[Tadsher]

This is the sealant I would use. $10.00 for the tube. Watch out Amazon carries something like this but not the Kitchen and Bath version. The one similar is not Mold Resistant.

• 100% waterproof seal and 30-minute water-ready
• Mold resistant with 10-year mold-free product protection
• Excellent adhesion; will not blemish most high-end metal finishes
• Meets ASTM C-920, Class 35
• 40% more flexibility than Class 25 sealants and has 5X stronger adhesion than GE Silicone 1 sealant
• Won’t blemish most high-end metal finishes like chrome, bronze and nickel
• 30-minute water-ready
• Shrink and crack-proof
• Excellent for sealing a wide range of kitchen and bath projects such as sinks, tubs, showers, fixtures, countertops, backsplashes and additional plumbing applications

 

[JudyK-JAY22rb]

This is the sealant I would use. $10.00 for the tube. Watch out Amazon carries something like this but not the Kitchen and Bath version. The one similar is not Mold Resistant.

• 100% waterproof seal and 30-minute water-ready
• Mold resistant with 10-year mold-free product protection
• Excellent adhesion; will not blemish most high-end metal finishes
• Meets ASTM C-920, Class 35
• 40% more flexibility than Class 25 sealants and has 5X stronger adhesion than GE Silicone 1 sealant
• Won’t blemish most high-end metal finishes like chrome, bronze and nickel
• 30-minute water-ready
• Shrink and crack-proof
• Excellent for sealing a wide range of kitchen and bath projects such as sinks, tubs, showers, fixtures, countertops, backsplashes and additional plumbing applications

View attachment 868480

I knew that looked familiar. I have a squeeze tube of similar stuff...but like you warned...be careful: I see my tube is NOT the kitchen/bath version. Thanks for the advice.