Almost "any" wood will swell and fall apart given enough moisture.

Most modern counter tops are made from a particle board material.
It is designed for counter tops. It is "NOT" the particle board
you find at the typical home center. You need to find a cabinet
maker supplier, which will carry the correct stuff.

You will also need a fair amount of experience in installing
to get a sink installation correct. There should be NO water
getting through or around your counter top or back splash.

There are MDF and plywood products you can use but they are harder
to come by than typical counter top material. I would NOT use
plywood for a counter top.

The sink and the back splash and any seam you have are the areas
that you need to really focus on getting perfectly water proof.


Roger N wrote:

I have an odd shaped kitchen counter that I need to replace. The problem
with the existing counter is that it got wet in sink area and the particle
board swelled up and is falling apart. I already have the formica, glue,
tools, trimmer bit, etc. I'm wanting to replace this counter top and try to
prevent this from happening again. Should I use MDF instead of
Particleboard? Should I use a sealer or exterior paint on areas near the
sink not covered by formica?

Thanks!
Roger N.