lily97•23d ago

My laminate edge banding turned yellow after 8 months in a south-facing kitchen

I did a full kitchen remodel for a client in Phoenix back in March and used what I thought was high-quality PVC edge banding on all the melamine cabinets. By November the stuff facing the window had turned this gross yellow shade while the rest looked fine. Has anyone else had laminate or PVC edge banding discolor from UV exposure on a specific wall?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_uma23d ago

Read that PVC edge banding has this problem because of how the stabilizers break down in direct sun. South facing windows are brutal, especially in Phoenix where the UV is intense year round. The yellowing is probably from the chlorine in the PVC reacting to light, not a quality issue with the brand. Heard some of the newer acrylic based banding holds up better in sunny spots but costs more. Might be worth swapping just the window facing edges for that stuff if you do another job in that area.

leo_carr1323d ago

Used to think all edge banding was basically the same, but this breakdown of UV damage makes a lot more sense with those Phoenix summers. The chlorine reaction to light explanation clicks, never thought about that chemistry angle before. Might have to look into the acrylic stuff for my next sunny side project.