Before I posted everything you ever wanted to know about batteries yesterday, I started my day with a hearty breakfast. Donna made an omelette with mushrooms, onions, red peppers and feta cheese. She also cooked up sweet potato home fries. Add a cup of coffee and it was a great way to kick off the day.
Breakfast of champions
I had a project for the day. Donna noticed the caulking around the kitchen sink was cracking again. When I looked it over, I could see the sink was loose, it was sinking! It’s mounted from below the counter top and held in place with aluminum extrusions screwed to a small wood beam under the counter top. I tried to tighten the screws, but it seemed like the aluminum extrusions had sagged.
I rode the scooter to Home Depot and looked at sink mounting clips. The only clips they had were for sinks that are mounted on top of the counter, not from underneath. The guy at Home Depot told me I should go to Central Arizona Supply as they would have what I was looking for. Central Arizona Supply is on Country Club – to get there I came past Orangewood Shadows RV Resort. I decided to stop and take another look under the sink to make sure I knew what I wanted to do to support the sink.
This time, I wriggled around on the floor and got my head into the cabinet under the sink. With a flashlight I saw what the problem was. It wasn’t anything wrong with the aluminum extrusions, it was the wood they’re mounted to. The wood was glued to the counter top and the adhesive was failing, allowing the wood to pull away from bottom of the counter top.
Adhesive failure
I didn’t need mounting clips – I needed glue and a way to brace the wood up against the counter top while the glue set. I went back to Home Depot and poked around. I found a 3/4″ square section of wood 48″ long. I had it cut into two 19″ lengths and two 5″ pieces. Then I looked for a suitable adhesive that would adhere to the Karadon counter top material and wood. I settled on Gorilla Glue expanding glue. It sticks to anything and the expansion allows it to penetrate wood and fill gaps. It’s also waterproof.
Gorilla Glue
I tried to brace the sagging wood up against the counter top material with the 19″ section of wood I got at Home Depot. Unfortunately, 19″ turned out to be about 1/2″ too long. Although I’ve replaced many of the tools I lost when those Dirty, Rotten Thieves stole my trailer, I still don’t have a saw. I walked down the way from our coach and found a neighbor Vern working on a room addition. I asked if I could use his saw. He lopped off 1/2″ from my two braces.
I did another trial fit and the braces fit perfectly. I needed to re-glue the beams on both sides of the sink. The Gorilla Glue is activated by moisture. I used a wet paper towel to moisten the surface of the wood beams and the bottom of the counter top where the beams made contact. Then I applied the glue and braced the beam up against the bottom of the counter top.
Glue applied and brace in place
I placed a basin of warm water on the shelf under the sink and closed the cabinet doors. I was hoping to add humidity under the counter to help set the Gorilla Glue. With that done, I headed off to Red, White and Brew for a cold one.
Meanwhile, Donna was out on her bicycle training with her friend Dara and Dara’s friend Jenn. They did hill repeats on Hawes Hill off McDowell Road and put in a total of about 22 miles, getting home just before dark.
Last night I removed the temporary braces and the sink held fine. The glue is supposed to be at 80% strength after two hours and fully cured within 24 hours. I glued and braced the front center section of the sink overnight.
Gorilla Glue fully expanded and set
This morning, the sink is tight against the counter top and it’s secure again. Next, I’ll have to remove the old caulking and re-caulk the joint where the sink and counter top meet. That will likely be tomorrow’s project of the day.