How to repair burnt shaving cabinet door?

[hassanfarouk]

 

Hi Community,

I placed a bathroom candle and realised it later that the heat coming from the flame started to burn the shaving cabinet door. I quickly blowed the candle but the damage had been done. Any leads in how to repair this? I am new here

[StevieB]

Welcome @hassanfarouk. We'd love to help.

Our resident D.I.Y. experts @MitchellMc and @EricL will be happy to share suggestions when they're back on the site tomorrow. Let me also tag @TedBear and @Noyade for their thoughts.

Stevie

[TedBear]

Hi @hassanfarouk, 

from the photos the door looks like melamine coated board...   if so, I would try gently rubbing the front surface using a cloth and a mildly abrasive paste cleaner such as Jiff or Gumption ( https://www.bunnings.com.au/gumption-paste-750g-multipurpose-cleaner_p0175668 ).  This might remove most of the front side stain. You could then try something like turpentine to remove any residual heat marks.

If that does the trick for the main surface, you can replace the edging with iron-on melamine edging strip.

You will need to remove the old burnt strip first, which will be fiddliest part of the task...  use a heat gun and a fine blade scraper to push between the (heated) edging and the surface it is stuck to, until it comes off. The existing edging might have some break-ups during the process, but it will look best if you remove the whole edge and replace it.   Hopefully it is white since that is the easiest colour to get hold of.

Once the new strip is in place you will need to carefully trim it to width. Put the overhang on the inside of the door so if it isn't trimmed perfectly, you won't notice it. (if it is bad, remove and replace it again... you will need to buy a small roll anyway, so you will have some to spare.)

Alternatively, you could get another door made by a cabinet maker using the existing one as template. (It would likely be cheaper for them to do that than for them to repair the old door). If the original is from Ikea or another known cabinet supplier, you may be able to buy the correct replacement door directly.

[MitchellMc]

Hi @hassanfarouk,

It's wonderful to see you've already received such a comprehensive reply from the knowledgeable @TedBear. His suggestions sound like a great approach. You might find that once you removed the discolouration, a bit of white touch-up paint could make the damage bearable.

The only thing to watch out for is that there are a couple of types of coatings on doors. If this is iron-on melamine, I'd go with @TedBear's approach of replacing the bottom strip. However, you might find this is a vacuum-formed vinyl coating. Joins on the corners distinguish the two types. If the door has individual pieces of laminate on the door faces and edges, you can replace the edging with 21mm x 10m Melamine Edging White. However, if there are no joins on the front edges, and it is one continuous coating, it's vacuum-formed. Unfortunately, you can't remove and then iron on a new edging if it's vacuum-formed, and I'd suggest touching up the damaged portion.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[EricL]

Hello @hassanfarouk 

It's great that you've received fantastic advice from @MitchellMc and @TedBear. Just to add to the suggestions made, I recommend getting a Mr Clean Power Scrub Scourers - 10 Pack and scrubbing the burn marks with dish washing soap and water. It will take a while but the burn marks will rub off. When there are no more marks, I suggest using Dulux 100ml Natural White Sample Pot in combination with Nylon Flat Craft Paint Brush - Size 6. Paint the damaged area as best you can. Your goal is to disguise the damage to make it look invisible. Don't over paint the area or it will be the first thing you see.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric