So... I had a leak in the sprayer on my faucet, which went unnoticed until my wife complained about a "smell" at the sink. Investigation shows the leak had gotten to the cabinet bottom shelf, and soaked in over a period of time, causing the particle board to do what particle board does..
The carcasses of my cabinets are oak and some sort of ply, I am guessing whatever the cheapest hardwood ply they could get away with as these are the 1984 builder grade cabinets.
The original shelf sits in a rabbet along the lower part of the cabinet, and is unsupported along the back of the cabinet, the cabinet back is open to the drywall.
I was thinking about cutting a replacement panel, actually a pair of panels as I can't fit a single piece in the space without either removing the entire cabinet, or damaging the face frame. So a pair of panels, one for each side, to replace the single nasty piece of particle board. They would be supported on 3 sides by a 1" x 1" hardwood cleat (white oak) that will be glued and pinned to the cabinet carcass. The first panel will have a 2" x 3/4" plywood cleat affixed to one side of it, that will overlap 1" such that when attached they will have 1" on either side of the seam, full length connection, and again, glued and pinned.
I am considering making a spreader for the rear of the cabinet, to support the back of this shelf as I never liked how the original flexed, and simply attach it to the carcass using pocket screws.
Once both panels are resting on the cleats, they will be glued and pinned in place as well, and finally, all seams are to be caulked with clear silicone tub and tile caulk to preclude any possibility of water penetration of the seams, and then the panel will receive a coat of bright white paint to help with visibility under the sink...
Now, having said that, are there any items I missed here or does this look like a sound idea to fix this problem?
The carcasses of my cabinets are oak and some sort of ply, I am guessing whatever the cheapest hardwood ply they could get away with as these are the 1984 builder grade cabinets.
The original shelf sits in a rabbet along the lower part of the cabinet, and is unsupported along the back of the cabinet, the cabinet back is open to the drywall.
I was thinking about cutting a replacement panel, actually a pair of panels as I can't fit a single piece in the space without either removing the entire cabinet, or damaging the face frame. So a pair of panels, one for each side, to replace the single nasty piece of particle board. They would be supported on 3 sides by a 1" x 1" hardwood cleat (white oak) that will be glued and pinned to the cabinet carcass. The first panel will have a 2" x 3/4" plywood cleat affixed to one side of it, that will overlap 1" such that when attached they will have 1" on either side of the seam, full length connection, and again, glued and pinned.
I am considering making a spreader for the rear of the cabinet, to support the back of this shelf as I never liked how the original flexed, and simply attach it to the carcass using pocket screws.
Once both panels are resting on the cleats, they will be glued and pinned in place as well, and finally, all seams are to be caulked with clear silicone tub and tile caulk to preclude any possibility of water penetration of the seams, and then the panel will receive a coat of bright white paint to help with visibility under the sink...
Now, having said that, are there any items I missed here or does this look like a sound idea to fix this problem?
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