How to repair water damaged panel?

[wanglan2008]

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @wanglan2008,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

Your base end panel is made of a material called MDF, which is essentially highly compressed sawdust. MDF acts like cardboard when it gets wet, expanding and weakening the glue that holds the sawdust together. It both significantly weakens the panel and creates an unsightly mess.

Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to reverse this water damage that doesn't involve removing and replacing it.

If the panel is not supporting any weight and you are just looking to carry out an aesthetic repair, you could attach a timber skirting board to cover up the water damage.

If you are concerned about its ability to support weight now that the base is compromised, the only solution I would recommend is replacing the end panel. This Kaboodle Portacini Pantry End Panel looks like it could be a close replacement.

Allow me to tag @Nailbag, @AlanM52 and @Dave-1 to see if they have any ideas.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob

[Noyade]

G'day @wanglan2008 .

If the budget is an issue - trim it and cover over with skirting board as per @JacobZ's suggestion above.

Hopefully the other side is unaffected or not visible.

And try and find out why this occurred = prevention.

But don't get MDF skirting board.

Awful stuff.

[AlanM52]

Howdy @wanglan2008,

I agree with the lads and the first thing I would do is do nothing... just stand there and wonder if that was a one off water event.

Pull the unit out is the floor damp is there water leaking?

If so rectify that first the proceed with repairs or replacement.

With regard to replacing the panel you could consider just laying the replacement against the damaged panel and secure from inside with screws.

Cheers

[Nailbag]

Hi @wanglan2008 

Typically end panels are fully sealed by the external coating, which varies depending on level of finish. In your case it appears the bottom may have been trimmed to expose the bare MDF. I think it's salvageable without the need to replace an expensive end-panel.

First step is to resolve the cause of the water damage, before the repair as the other brains-trusts have suggested. Then to repair:

1. Use a sharp chisel, edge scraper or long blade to trim the swollen MDF section from both sides. Then coat with a primer.

2. Apply around all side a bead of clear wet area silicone.

3. Then sandwich the bottom of the panel with a suitable profiled pine or hardwood skirting (Not MDF). Prime these on all sides before installing even if pre-primed as this is usually a thin coat of a low grade primer.
4. Apply wood glue and use 50mm countersunk screws to fasten the skirting. Pre-drill pilot holes through the outer skirt and panel only.

5. Paint the skirting in matching panel colour.

This method with cosmetically and structurally repair the damage.

[Dave-1]

Good Evening @wanglan2008 

Another one here for going down the route of chopping off the base and install a skirting board, I would also redo the part you chop off with some timber, not mdf and paint it before you put it back. The Skirt is what I would use to attach it the the upper part of the panel. You could also attach a thin metal sheet on the inside so as to give it extra strengh without loosing too much space.

Dave