Bottom of galley cabinet cracked from light to the wall

[Gary Carmichael]

The plastic or what ever liberty calls it is cracked from the light area to the wall over the galley sink. I called Troy in Stuart said it would need to be done in Chicago, Called Bill D in Chicago said they did this sort of work very seldom, would have to put special team together to do it would call back. Questions has any fellow POGs had this problem and where did you get it repaired I hate to drive all the way to the windy city to get this work done! With the "special team" sounds like I might have to rob a bank on the way up. Both lights are affected. I just noticed this after my last trip to Goodletsville Tn for service they did have the coach up on jacks but don't think that could have caused the problem? Drove straight from Prevost to Virgina and have not moved the coach since. Bill in Chicago said heat from the light usually was the culprit but don't as they say "leave the light on". any info please!

[Orren Zook]

That material is vitricor - I thought that both heat and cold effected it......

[jj628]

I checked this out a while back. I have similar problems. It is now called Nevamar or Vitricore by Nevamar. They sell it in color sheets 3x6(?) for about $350 a sheet. Get a local cabinet man to do the work. 800-638 4380.

[travelite]

Recently I was in a 2001 Liberty Elegant Lady that a fellow had for sale. The coach had significant delamination of the Vitricor. Virtually every panel had some sort of cracking, peeling, and or discoloration. Is this a common problem with Vitricor? Was there ever a recall, a class action, or repairs made gratis by Liberty? Anyone know what years Liberty used Vitricor and what other coach converters used it significantly?

[rickdesilva]

I have the same situation. It appears that my cracks originated where the vitricor was screwed into without predrilling. I've had the easy stuff replaced but I have learned to live with the major stuff.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Any time there is a serious amount of delamination my first reaction is the coach was not protected from excessive heat.

I have not heard of or had the opportunity to measure how hot a coach can get, especially with the hot temperatures we have been having around the country, but I would surmise it is more than enough to soften the contact adhesive. In the industry if a piece of laminate has to be removed the easiest and cleanest way is to heat up the laminate, softening the contact adhesive and allowing the laminate to be lifted off.

I don't think the issue is a vitricor issue as much as one in which a coach with a laminated interior was allowed to be exposed to high interior temperatures.

Except for those conversions that have used wood interiors such as Royale and early CC, I think all converters make use of laminates for their interiors.

I have no knowledge of the specific coach David refers to, but my guess is that coach was not protected inside a building or under cover, nor was it kept powered up with some AC running.

[Gary Carmichael]

Fellows, My coach is in a climate controled barn temps never get high of course I have not had any delamination problems just 2 cracks 12-14' long no where else on the coach is there any problems with this material I will try that toll free number, thanks by the way is this something that coachworks would do or can do?

[travelite]

Any time there is a serious amount of delamination my first reaction is the coach was not protected from excessive heat.

I have not heard of or had the opportunity to measure how hot a coach can get, especially with the hot temperatures we have been having around the country, but I would surmise it is more than enough to soften the contact adhesive. In the industry if a piece of laminate has to be removed the easiest and cleanest way is to heat up the laminate, softening the contact adhesive and allowing the laminate to be lifted off.

I don't think the issue is a vitricor issue as much as one in which a coach with a laminated interior was allowed to be exposed to high interior temperatures.

Except for those conversions that have used wood interiors such as Royale and early CC, I think all converters make use of laminates for their interiors.

Thanks Jon,

Having little ones running about, it's important to me that they not be able to peel my cabinets apart. :) They will if they can... What's important to me in an interior, besides aesthetics, is durability and repairability. Every cabinet facing material has it's pros and cons, but it's still difficult to beat wood and wood veneers for durability and repairability. If my little ones pull the acrylic layer off my Vitricor, only a thin paper print is left, and the only recourse is to remove the panel and relaminate. Then the challenge becomes finding a matching or constrasting pattern and shade. Wood and it's ability to be sanded, stained, and otherwise filled and repaired is hard to beat. I see that Liberty has moved to the use of more wood and natural veneers in their coaches. Of course, extreme heat, cold, and humidity changes can be damaging to wood too. There's no escaping the fact that we need to maintain temperatures and humidity levels to some degree. Some materials may be more forgiving. Anyone one have a special material they like?

[Alek&Lucia]

Found this over the Internet:

by Charles Chaffey, Nuvacor Corporation, Jersey City NJ
" We are actually the inventors of Vitricor. In 2002 we withdrew the license agreements that we had with Nevamar Div. of International Paper and re-launched the product as NUVACOR (they wouldn't give us our Vitricor name back). In the interim time, there have been numerous product improvements. We acn be reached at www.nuvacor.com or at (201) 413-1776. We do not sell through distributors but rather sell directly to the end user. There is also a link to an online Fabrication video which may be of interest to you: http://www.nuvacor.com/videos.htm "

Alek

[Jon Wehrenberg]

We like laminates. I don't have a preference between "Formica" or "Vitricor". The reason we like laminates is with a spray bottle of Windex or Glass Plus or equivalent we can wipe stuff down and it looks good.

I'm a wood guy when it comes to aesthetics. I love the dark walnuts CC used in the early 90's because they felt warm and the coach looked rich. Jim and Chris have a Beaver with that type of interior and it just looks rich. But it is too dark for us at this stage and we want lighter laminates for ease of cleaning and the lighter colors make the coach feel more spacious.

I don't think there is any one material that is free of problems so like everything else in our coach we compromise.

[Steve Bennett]

We have seen more problems with Vitracor or Nuvacor, than we have seen with the more traditional high pressure laminates. Because of their added thickness, the paper, or painted backing and the inherent brittleness of the material, this type of material is more susceptible to problems with the substrate or environmental conditions. It is important when repairing an area to make sure there is not a seam in the area that cracked. If there is you may want to have that area of the cabinet altered so it will not happen again. Window cleaner is not the best choice for cleaning laminate, especially the Vitracor type of material. Most window cleaners contain ammonia, that will over time degrade the plastic. You also do not want to use window cleaner on any acrylic or other plastic surfaces in the coach (mirrors, display cabinets, etc.). There are products made specifically for cleaning and protecting various plastics, laminates, and even solid surface counters.

[Gary Carmichael]

Thank everyone for the good info again this site is where it's at . thanks Gary C

[Prevost.Rick]

we,ve seen this before,lib ,vogues,vantare,s,many ways to repair,call me ,rick at 813-833-2284

[Shane Stewart]

Maybe someone can help me with some leads. I have been told from the people trying to repair some of my cracked cabinets in my 02 Vantare that they can not find the right vitricor. My cabinets have a light brown swirl behind the laminate. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Gil_J]

I assume you checked with Vitracore. Donnie Myers probably has it, but I believe he reserves it for his service customers.

[Shane Stewart]

Thank you Sir