Mend > Tables

how can i repair my RV table top lamination that separated from the heat?

I store my RV in a hot climate, up to 115 degrees. My laminated table top has separated. This is my 3rd table from the manufacturer. I am told that this just happens in a hot climate. How can I prevent it from happening again? I have kept a fan circulating, have added a 5 gallon bucket of water to keep humidity level high and done everything I can to keep this from happening. Apparently this problem is common in Arizona. If the manufacturer will not replace it, how do I fix it? It is cracking right where the laminated sections are joined together. Apparently the glue is not strong enough for Arizona summers.

Gary Mertens
August 2009

Furniture, Tables Table Top Heat

Wood shrinks across the grain as it dries out - If it's cracking in the glue line it must be because the outside edges are fixed tight - the wood shrinks and something's got to give - if it didn't break in the glue line the timber would split along its length.

The solution is to ensure that the timber table top can move as it shrinks i.e. not fixed too solidly to the supporting frame. This way it will shrink in the height of summer and expand again in the winter.

The fan and the bucket of water may have helped but obviously not enough.

House tables are often fixed to the frame using angle brackets with elongated slots to allow for this movement - stretcher plates...

http://www.kitchendoorcompany.co.uk/product-images/accessories/fullsize/stretcher-plate-angle-bracket.jpg

Peccavi
August 2009