Asma

The side of our bathroom cabinet has had some water damage, which makes me really sad

We didn't notice what was happening (frequent baby water splashing) until too late... now I am hoping to figure out what can be done. In the images, you can see that there is sort of an arc of discoloration with a little warping at the bottom, then peeling in places. What does it take to repair such a situation? The warping and even the discoloration doesn't really bother us, mostly we need to fix the flaking that has occured.

Can the side panel be replaced easily (we don't know where the cabinet/wood is from) by itself? Or could it be sanded and re-finished? And can anyone tell me vaguely what this wood is ... please forgive the newbie question, but it isn't a solid chunk of wood right? something is flaking off of the cabinet, could that be a finish or glaze?

Or if it's really involved and requires taking apart a significant bit of the side of the cabinet, how much might it cost to have someone fix this (work + supplies)?

Part of me is just thinking of taking a matching paint to the side and covering up the spots, since they're actually quite small and this isn't a particularly visible part of the bathroom except for someone on the toilet :P.

nb... the photo in which the wood appears darker/chestnut is more accurate.

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Asma

oo.. could the cabinets be veneered? http://www.keidel.com/design/select/...atl-veneer.htm

AllanJ

A lot of cabinets nowadays are made of shelf paper covered particleboard or Masonite. This cannot be refinished in the traditional sense. You might find that baseboard molding or cove molding covers up the damaged area.

Jeeper1970

Visit your local home improvement store and pick up a piece of base mold, looks like your existing base mold is 3-1/4", but measure to make sure. Take a door off the cabinet and to the store with you to match up a quart of stain as close as possible. Cope the stained mold into the existing painted mold.

thekctermite

Yeah, those are cheap-o cabinets and there isn't a way to truly repair it. Without replacing them (which wouldn't be all that expensive if it is just a vanity), you can do a number of things to cover up the problem. Paint, trim boards, etc.

You might be able to buy some time by applying some wood veneer with pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA). It is essentially a very thin wood sticker that you cut to fit the side of the cabinet using a sharp utility knife. Stain and polyurethane, and you've got a good band aid fix that is DIYer friendly. PSA veneer can be bought at woodworking stores, or online retailers like Rockler.com.

DUDE!

as long as we get to vote, here's mine, either let it go for now, or as said earlier, pickup a piece of matching trim and nail'er in.

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