[Renter for Life]

We rent a condo that has it's original 1975 kitchen and a landlord who is not interested in this type of problem (We want to stay here and don't bother her unless it's BIG). The kitchen has a diagonal countertop seam which, at the outside edge, is only about 4-5 inches from the sink, and even with our best efforts to keep ANYTHING remotely damp AWAY from that side of the sink, it occasionally gets wet and swells at the edge end of the seam, and then goes back down. I fret every time this happens, and suspect my husband of poor water management skills at the sink (of course he denies this :vs_cool so I'd really like to find a cheap solution. I found a treatment/sealant online but it involved a hand sander, which we do not possess.

I'm wondering if there is a simple tube of something I could use to seal that particular seam a couple 2-3 times a year? Anybody? Anybody?

 

[Nealtw]

 

[karoc524]

There are seal fillers that is available at home centers. Go to HD website and search for it

 

[joecaption]

#1, I'd be putting my concerns in writing to the owner, and including pictures by certified mail!
This one can come back and haunt you when you move out.
Once particle board gets wet there just is no going back, it turns to oat meal.

 

[huesmann]

When it dries out, does the swelling go away?

Easy solution would be to tape over the seam.

 

[Renter for Life]

Thanks so much for your reply, huesman. Yes, when it dries out, it goes back down. I mean, I can still tell that there had been moisture in there but it's much better.

I guess I don't like the idea of tape because, being a small kitchen, counter space is precious so I do need to wipe the counter in that spot (I always towel dry after). I suppose I can just change the tape out every week or so to deal with the 'stuff' that'll get caught up on the edges of the tape. Do you have a certain type of tape in mind, by the way?

 

[huesmann]

I would give the counter a good scrub to get any debris off, for as flat a surface as possible, then a clear shiny type of scotch tape.

 

[chandler48]

Or thin strip of Gorilla tape. It will be there for a while. Sure it's black, but think of it as a racing stripe?