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Home , Compass (architecture), Countertop

Laminate in the Shop Form tough, long-lasti ng countertops with this handy primer. By Chuck Hedlund with Jim Harrold

At some point in your Material close-up provide a trimming overhang or do-it-yourself Home centers serve as your when applied to common-size activities, the need to install primary source for countertop substrates. As with plastic laminate will come your the samples below, colors, way, and why not? While it’s a sizes at 2 × 8', 30" × 8' (to allow great material for use throughout forlaminate. backsplashes), Here, you’ll 4 × �ind8', 5 sheet× the home, it excels as a super- 10', and 5 × 12' in Wilsonart basicpatterns, 4 × 8'and sheet �inishes starting vary at smooth shop surface material for and Formica brands, among signi�icantly with prices for a projects like the table on others. It’s worth noting that buy solid (color) core plastic page 20, outfeed tables, cabinet the material comes 1" wider and laminate$50. At steeper or sheets prices containing you can counters, project design desks, longer to allow for cutting and decorative surfaces. and more. Beyond that, it’s cost- effective, installs and cleans easily, and withstands a world of abuse. If you shied away from the material having never worked with it, relax. We’ll run through what you need to succeed, from buying laminate, to choosing glue, to the , to laying and trimming32 woodcraftmagazine.com for a �inished �it. Aug/Sept 2010 Plastic laminate varies in exists or in high-humidity, offering less wear-resistance thickness too. Countertop balance board makes sense, than countertop laminate. though countertop laminate can Finally, choose MDF or high- surfaces measures the thickest substitute. Use vertical-grade density particleboard for your 3 atlaminate 64". It’s for engineered �lat horizontal for daily laminate to cover cabinet sides countertop substrate. Go with 1 3 use⁄ and the most abuse. Balance and slab doors. At 32" thick, it too two 4" layers of MDF glued 1 board, 64" thick, adds stability to cleans well and comes⁄ in many together⁄ with yellow glue. a countertop⁄ substrate or cabinet colors, patterns, and textures, side and is applied to inside or bottom faces. Where moisture 6 8 11

5 4

3 10 1 7 2 9

1 Tools for working plasti c laminate: (1) compass, (2) laminate fi le, (3) fi le card, (4) ⁄2" , (5) rubber gloves, 1 (6) contact cement, brush, and ⁄4"-nap roller, (7) hammer, block, and J-roller, (8) acetone, (9) fl ush-trim and (opti onal) bits, (10) scoring cutt er, (11) handheld router. The goop on glues To pick the right glue, assess the size of the though one of them some gives off a harmful and laminate job, your time, and other key factors. The choices in the chart below work well, �lammable odor and will require working in a Type Applicati on Open Time* Trim Timewell-ventilated** Pros space awayCons from any openCost/Coverage �lame. Water- Large/small 30-40 min. 0 hrs. Litt le down Spreads $14/qt. Based surfaces; apply w/ ti me; low odor; thinner than (cov. 190 sq. Contact brush, short-nap, water cleanup; solvent-based; ft .; two coats Cement roller, or fi nishing nonfl ammable; no resetti ng per surface trowel. Use two off ers strong laminate. equals coats on each instant bond. 47.5 sq. mati ng surface. ft . cov.) Solvent- Large/small 15-2 hrs. 0 hrs. Litt le down ti me; Harmful $11/qt. Based surfaces; apply w/ spreads thick; fumes; ruins (cov. 27 sq. Contact throw-away brush/ off ers strong applicators; ft . of bonded Cement short-nap roller; instant bond. fl ammable; surface.) one or two coats as takes more glue; needed. no resetti ng laminate. Melamine Smaller surfaces; 5-10 min. 4 hrs. Low odor; Slow drying $7/16 oz. Glue apply w/brush, water cleanup; ti me; pressure (cov. 56 sq. ft ./ roller, or fi ne-tooth nonfl ammable; needed over qt.) trowel; one coat to long closed- enti re surface one surface only; assembly for a complete platens/clamping/ ti me***. bond. weighti ng required. Note: Common white glue works in a pinch and behaves much like melamine glue. *Open ti me: Amount of glue-drying ti me before applying laminate. **Trim ti me: Amount of ti me aft er applicati on when you can trim waste. ***Closed assembly ti me: Amount of ti me available to adjust/align workpiece.

Photos: Paul Anthony Aug/Sept 2010 woodcraftmagazine.com 33 First make the substrate Cut the laminate Note the laminate pieces you’ll Most shop laminate work centers Prepare the substrate surfaces need for a countertop (and around making countertops. by sanding them with 100-grit backsplash, if desired) and their Begin by cutting the top and wiping clean. order of application in Figure substrate sheet to exact size. Cut the bottom piece slightly oversized and glue it to the top piece. Chuck a top-bearing pattern bit in a handheld router and trim the edges

(Photo A) countertopof the oversized to a wall, piece allow �lush the back edge .of If thescribe-�itting top substrate the piece to overhang the bottom 1 piece by 4". If joining two B countertops,⁄ do so with a butt Run the carbide-ti p of the scoring cutt er along a straightedge several joint and contertop connectors. ti mes, and then snap off the oversized piece at the .

A Use a top-bearing patt ern bit C to even the bott om edge of the the laminate in place on the substrate, supporti ng the waste; substrate piece with the top piece. now rout the piece with a fl ush-trim bit and oversize bearing (Inset). Figure 1: Order of Applying Laminate

Top edge MDF substrate 3 Countertop 4 MDF substrate (front 2 facing)

Backsplash 2 1 Front edge 3 Side Opti onal bott om 1⁄4" scribe sti ck edge balance board 1 (Allows for marking and sanding to custom- End fi t backsplash)

34 woodcraftmagazine.com Aug/Sept 2010 Trim Bits

Flush trim bit Bevel trim bits # 828732, 15° # 828732, $27.49 $16.99 25° # 828885, $29.49

1. (For wood-banded edges, see Apply and trim E page 36.) For ease of installation the laminate Trim off the overhung edges of the later, cut the laminate pieces Wearing gloves, apply glue on laminate in a counterclockwise 1 1 4 - 2" oversize. While you can moti on using a fl ush-trim bit. cut⁄ pieces⁄ on a tablesaw with laminate and substrate. Wait a 60-tooth, thin-kerf blade, outthe �irstthe open mating time surfaces and apply of the and zero-clearance insert, a second coat if the MDF or wielding a full sheet onto the particleboard substrate seems top and against the overly absorbent. Test for light can prove tricky, especially if tack, carefully position the you don’t have large infeed and laminate over the substrate, and outfeed support surfaces. A way apply, working from the center around this wrestling match out. With countertop pieces is to use a laminate scoring over 3' long, place rods cutter to break a large sheet every 12" along the glue surface. into smaller pieces (Photo B). Align and rest the laminate on Because cutting inside corners the rods. Now press down at F in a large laminate piece can the center to make contact, slip Work a laminate fi le diagonally stress the material and result out the rods one by one, and and at 15° to the top to ease in a crack, rout the needed smooth the laminate toward the sharp fl ush-trim edges. oversized piece as shown in one end as shown in the opening Photo C. This method employs photo on page 32. Pull the rods shown in (Photo D). To avoid 1 a 1 8" bearing from a router and smooth out the other end. snapping laminate overhangs, bit bearing⁄ kit to create the Ensure a complete bond tamp the edges with a block desired waste overhang. by rolling out the laminate as of wood and hammer.

one in the Trim Bit Photo in a handheldChuck a router �lush-trim (a trim bit routerlike the works best) and remove the overhang (Photo E). To knock down the sharp laminate edges left by the

rout them with a bevel-trim bit�lush-trim having abit 15° on or countertops, 25° cutting edge or use downward strokes (Photo D F). Remove residuala laminate glue �ile with and Press the laminate onto the substrate with a J-roller; avoid acetone and a rag. Repeat breakage at edges with a hammer and wood block (Inset). process for the backsplash.

Illustrati on: Mario Ferro Aug/Sept 2010 woodcraftmagazine.com 35 Fitti ng the countertop in place To install the countertop and countertop in place atop one or a gangbacksplash of installed to a wall, base �irst cabinets. set the Check that the back corners of wall and that the front edge isthe the countertop same distance �it against from the cabinet fronts. If not, space the countertop from the wall about 1/2" at contact locations. Now, placing the compass at the deepest recess along the wall G H with the pencil point adjusted Scribe the contours of the Belt-sand the raw edges of the to rest the contertop's back countertop's adjoining wall by laminated substrate up to the edge, run the compass along running a compass along it, creati ng scribe line, being careful not the wall and transfer the high a scribe line for belt-sanding. to gouge the workpiece. 1 1 spots (usually about 16" to 4") onto the laminate (Photo⁄ G).⁄ Set the backsplash in place Secure the countertop by Now, using a belt on the countertop and against driving screws through the and 80- to 100-grit sandpaper, the wall. Again, use the compass cabinet’s stretchers and into the carefully remove the high to scribe the wall’s irregular substrate. Glue the backsplash spots along the back edge of surface onto the top edge of the in place with construction backsplash. Remove the waste adhesive, pressing it against the against the wall (Photo H). to the line with a . wall until the adhesive dries. I the countertop for a custom �it Wood Edge-Banding Opti ons 3 For all its strengths, laminate edges are Consider a ⁄4" edge band for a bit of an Achilles heel. Unless they’ve a contrasti ng look and durability. been fi nished properly, they're prone to The samples shown are held catching and then cracking or delaminati ng. in place with glue and biscuits.

Opti on 1: These mitered bands Opti on 2: Here, the bands are butt -joined bond to the edge of the already and radiused at the corner. Laminate laminated countertop and are overlays the bands and features a 1 1 given a ⁄4" round-over. ⁄4" along the top edge.

36 woodcraftmagazine.com Aug/Sept 2010