Laminate joins in kitchen worktop

[JamesAsus]

The kitchen fitter made me a bit nervous by saying to be careful where the laminate worktop seams are, saying not to leave water over them for very long incase it ends up getting in the gap and lifting the laminate.

They are butted up together very tight and looks like he has put some silicone in between them before butting them up but there is still a faint line you can see where some 'mdf' is visible where the cut hasent been mega clean (im talking 1mm thick max)

Im wondering if there is anything i can put there to reduce any potential change of warping later down the line if i forget to wipe water off the seam? Or am i worrying over nothing?

Theres no 'gap' to fill as such but could i use one of them wax crayons on the thin mdf line to protect it better?

 

[Mr Chibs]

Post a pic please.

 

[opps]

He cut the worktops rather than using a router to create the joins?

1mm is a big gap.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Every laminated kitchen worktop I can recall seeing had a particle board (chipboard) core, so are you sure it's MDF? I think agree with others that a photo would be a great help as it will be more obvious what type of top it is (e.g. post-formed laminate or some form of edge-banded laminate)

Regardless of material, your joints should be really tight with no visible gaps and no differences in level between the two worktops across the full length of the joints. You should never be able to see the core material from above. Nothing less is acceptable.

When I've installed kitchens I've used either a matching coloured filler (e.g. Colorfill) or sometimes silicone sealant (clear or coloured) on the joints to achieve a water tight joint. Even so it isn't really advisable to leave standing liquids on joints or next to sink or hob cut-outs, so in thatvresoectbyour fitter's advice is good. But if you realise that the core material of a laminated worktop is a timber product, that's just common sense

 

[Deleted member 174758]

He cut the worktops rather than using a router to create the joins?

1mm is a big gap.

If the worktops are 3mm PVC edge-banded stuff, like some of the IKEA tops are these days, that is perfectly feasible if you are using something like a Festool rail saw. The ends of the edge banding can be mitred with a chisel to form a tight corner - but you still shouldn't see any core stock

Edit: Now I'm wondering if he's left the edge banding in the joint and just siliconed it. Surely not?