# Outback Cheaped Out On The Kitchen Counter



## Bill & Kate (Apr 28, 2012)

Some of the ways Keystone tries to save a few cents on the Outback continue to amaze me ......

Check out the pictures of our kitchen counter. The dish drainer got bumped off the edge of the sink, and maybe a quarter cup of water ran to the edge to the counter, got between the particle board and the edging, and soaked right in and swelled everything up.

The counter was fabricated of low grade particle board, and the edging just snaps into a saw kerf around the edge - no sealer, no caulking, no nothing.

I am going to try and soak the swelled up area with some epoxy resin, then clamp it tight. If I can get it somewhere near its original shape, I will reinstall the edging using a good sealant/caulk.

I would suggest those of you that have similar countertops to remove and reinstall the edging material using a sealant or caulking.

Something tells me a new countertop is in our future.


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## MJV (Apr 19, 2012)

Yes indeed ,I will check ours! My DW likes to use a lot of water and our counter top is often wet--so far no problems.


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

Wow...good luck fixing it. Looks like a new countertop is in your future like you said.

-CC


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## KTMRacer (Jun 28, 2010)

it isn't just outback. many trailers with "formica" countertops use the snap in molding, very common. That said, our trailer is 3 years old, been camped and cooked in over 270 days, and traveled 20K+ miles. Many of those with grandkids tromping around inside.

Everything so far has held up well, carpets an fabric looks like new. countertops look new,


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## Bill & Kate (Apr 28, 2012)

KTMRacer said:


> it isn't just outback. many trailers with "formica" countertops use the snap in molding, very common. That said, our trailer is 3 years old, been camped and cooked in over 270 days, and traveled 20K+ miles. Many of those with grandkids tromping around inside.
> 
> Everything so far has held up well, carpets an fabric looks like new. countertops look new,


Wouldn't have been so bad if they had run a bead of caulking along the top edge before pressing the snap in molding into place. Would have been even better if they had used a more water resistant version of particle board for the counter .....


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## Bill & Kate (Apr 28, 2012)

Just an update. I think I got a pretty decent fix - but it isn't finished yet. I dug out a lot of the loose, swelled up material using a 1/4" drill bit. I then applied a couple coats of Minwax Wood Hardener to give it a firmer surface, then used Gorilla Glue and clamped it tight. Next step is to use a router to recut the slot, and reinstall the trim. I am going to get the trailer warmed up real good, and use some contact cement and Lexel clear sealant to make sure it is watertight from now on. I will post some finished pictures later.


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