Gluing and Trimming Plastic Laminate Countertop

[boyutip]

using Rugby on this is more strong.the one you use is only for metal ,paper not for formica after a months it will fall down.

[TheAhua]

Thanks for this information.

[BlueToad2222]

fuck them haters! that summed it up and I didnt even have to hear anyone blah blah blah

great vid looking for more

[murucuya]

¡Y dale con el aerosol! ¡Así está el planeta!

[UnderstandingCuresM3]

This should be renamed.. "HOW NOT TO TRY TO LAMINATE COUNTERTOPS"

[manholewisdom]

I din't know you could shear cut that laminate with a file like that.. but after seeing you do it I can see it working great.

[lgttb1]

he didn't read the directions on the can... he was holding the can to close to the surface- he also had a lot of problems trying to lay on the laminate because he didn't use dowel rods to hold the pieces apart before the glue sticks.next he didn't smooth out the air bubbles from the center out.. he has no idea how to do this

[iworkforme]

i miss the feeling of making a nice lam top but dont miss the sound of "shkreek" as you are working alone, with a big sheet, to carry it over to the deck; that's when you know you had better priced in for the second sheet...and time to do over....which wan't too often. crappy sound nonetheless.

[watch4david]

@iworkforme I know the feeling

[orlandocomo]

Mexican cement glue period.

[ANSEDREW]

co za laps po co on to zbierał frezarką jak tarnikiem robił za oblenie

[ShuttleSpaceCA]

It's a 1/2"- 2 flute carbide flush cut with a bearing at the end. Pretty standard product.

[luisarredondo]

What kind of blade are you using for your router? Thanks

[verite03]

I live in Russia & everyone I know here has a problem w/ water seeping between the laminate pieces and the chipboard swells. This even happens when wiping counters with damp rag. My old countertop swelled to twice its size. I've tried everything I can think of to protect my new one-most successful was covering all joins w/ metal spacers. Each cabinet has a separate top, so there are lots of joins. I hope to buy one single countertop and seal it somehow. Do you know what I can seal it with?

[ShuttleSpaceCA]

Clear lacquer would probably work for that.

Make sure you open the window.

Epoxy can be used to stick the laminate on also.

[verite03]

Thank you so much! I'll try it when I get a new countertop. : )

[trinzito]

@verite03 you can use Formica contact sprayable adhesive, its the best adhesive for the countertops, better than the Wilson art adhessive

[verite03]

@verite03 Thank you trinzito!!!

[watch4david]

@verite03 Don't use particle board to make formica counter tops if you are worried about swelling. I use a good grade of plywood or marine plywood. If I lived in Russia I would use Baltic birch. You can test plywood by cutting a small piece and soaking it over night in water. If it's good plywood the water will not effect it.

[iworkforme]

@watch4david i guess mdo is another opt though haven't tried and probably at least as heavy as mdf which aint aint any better than partical core. though I learned and use partical up in canada with no probs....yet.

[Sleurs]

wow. Don't light a match. That is a lot of spraying. A roller works fine for me.

[TheLaminateking]

wow this ids great somebody that really does not know anything about contact cement. Any of the can sprays only last a short time and were designed for end splash self edging and not for large areas.the reason for this is the solid content or the neopream part has to be cut to next to nothing to pass through the spray tip.i own a custom laminate shop in the S.F BAY AREA since 1965. We use a special contact cement from wilson art in a prssureized spray system. If you need help e mail i can help

[TheLaminateking]

@TheLaminateking your the man

[ShuttleSpaceCA]

I see you also insulted the guy who shows how to file laminate.

Why don't you make your own videos and keep your unproductive comments to yourself.

It's called trolling btw.

[mogambo12345]

The guy knows nothing about laminates is using a file all over after routing to trim the edge. What a horror. And using canned spray for such large areas is idiotic. His counter top will come apart in 2 years. Perhaps his wife can do better.

[TheBaddestRedneck]

I couldn't hear a thing.

[curtjoan]

Neither could I.

[TheChauvet]

I was wondering do any of you know where i can buy laminate i have been lookinng all day and frankly a bit bored so if any of you could shed some light this way it would be great. TA

[ShuttleSpaceCA]

The 3M 90 is the best I've used. If you can't place your material accurately, put something in between, sticks, plastic, etc, but once it touches, it's there to stay... or get out the laquer thinner, so take extra care.

[roblisenbe]

@ShuttleSpaceCA Give Wilsonart 740A contact adhesive a try and you might change your mind regarding the 3M product.

[ShaolinDrunkard]

Does the 3m 90 give you any more time to work with the laminate or does it adhere immediately like the contact cement? I'd like something that isn't so do or die. you know if I place it wrong, I can still have a few seconds to re-position it...

[TNrlboyracer]

Wilsonart 700A is better than 3M and is made especially for bonding laminates.

You can find this at your local Wilsonart laminate distributor.

[ShuttleSpaceCA]

Too many unknowns there for a good answer, just Google Image Search the term "counter support" .... lots to choose from.

[spookfactor7]

Hey, good job.

The thing I noticed was your great spray technique, spraying glue is one thing but I reckon you'd do a great job on a car, ever tried it?

[ShuttleSpaceCA]

Thanks, never did a car yet, I did lacquer some elevator doors and that went pretty good.

[CabinetryExpert]

Professional cabinet makers NEVER sand the edges of Formica. Imagine if you had a kitchen, vanity and laundry room project that entailed 150 mica doors, 15 counter tops and every cabinet had a Formica face. You would be generating no less than an additional three hours of work for yourself unnecessarily.

[ShuttleSpaceCA]

Coming on here and only criticizing other people's methods is totally wrong. It is called trolling.

Some people have found my video helpful and the finished product was of good quality.

[CabinetryExpert]

I'm sorry you feel that way my friend. My comments are providing your viewers with valuable information that will help them take your demonstration to an even greater level of success.

Just so you know, I have thirty years of hands on professional plastic laminate cabinet and countertop manufacturing experience.

[ShuttleSpaceCA]

Unfortunately you went beyond just comments. If you believe you are so much better, just show people with your own videos. Then you'll see others with no videos telling you how to do things.

Look at the plastering video comments and you'll see what I mean.

[lilkunta]

I agree w shuttle. You have ust criticised criticised. Yet your has NO useful vids. Work on your vids instead of criticisng this HELPFUL vid.

Keep on Shuttle !

[CabinetryExpert]

If you were using a rasp then you would need to remove score marks. I certainly hope you are not. By the looks of the size of the router you are trimming the edge with, anything is possible. People who do laminate work use a small hand held router. That thing is a disaster waiting to happen.

[CabinetryExpert]

When he did his block sanding on the finished edge, the back and forth motion could have easily chipped the finish off of the large deck piece of laminate. He should have just tilted the file at more of an angle, after he had it filed flush to the other finished surface, to knock of the sharp edge. The block sander is not necessary.

There are other things that were not done correctly too.

[ShuttleSpaceCA]

Sander removes the score marks from the file and gives a good smooth edge. Sandpaper will not chip the laminate unless it's 30 grit or something, the sandpaper also catches the last bits of glue.

[CabinetryExpert]

The silicon spray should have been applied directly to the surface that he was routing not on the router bit. The entire edge should get a light coat. Because this was a dark counter the correct way is to use Gulf Wax, that you purchase at a grocery store, to protect the edge from having a router bit mark on it.

[ShuttleSpaceCA]

That is lube for the bit so the bearing does not burn out. Don't you hate it when the bearing fails and the cutter digs int the surface.

[CabinetryExpert]

With a piece of laminate that size, if you are butting up against some thing that should be a very tight fit, such as a back splash (even though this demonstration is totally wrong), you should always place 1/4" dowel rods about 8" apart on the glued deck. Then you lay the laminate on the dowel rods, get it adjusted tight to the finished surface that you are butting it to. Next you begin to pull the dowel rods out one at a time, starting from the center of the counter.

[ShuttleSpaceCA]

I removed the other comment by accident.

Here it is again so we can all be

CabinetryExpert:

The splash piece should be laminated when it is not on the top, a separate operation. Then after you put the laminate on the deck of the counter, you apply a thin line of caulking where the splash will go, place the splash into position and screw it fast from underneath.

You can reply to this comment by visiting the comments page.

[ShuttleSpaceCA]

While I appreciate your alternative methods, this is not aircraft construction and we all have our own processes and resources. In the end it is the finished product that matters.

Now go make your own videos and stop trolling me.

[Escorpio40]

AUDIO PLEASE!!!

[ShuttleSpaceCA]

Payment please!!!

[wayoutoftune]

thank you soooooooo much! very helpfull

[wayoutoftune]

well ya see were doing our own tops from scratch and thats no prtob however there is a 45 degree joint that Im worried about for the contact cement stick trick ,would like to glue in place but to get joint perfect could be hard with the slip out stick deal

[ShuttleSpaceCA]

You can use heavy 9 mil clear plastic instead of sticks, just leave the joint exposed and stick that first. Glue one down and then test fit the next one. Use a sanding block to match the joint. Take your time.

I put a small lump in the laminate further along so when its pushed down it squeezes the joint tight.

Or if you can, clamp both mating pieces together to a perfect straight edge and use the flush cutter.Good luck.

[wayoutoftune]

do you know if there is any tips on an easy way to do the 45 inside corner glue down on the lam

[ShuttleSpaceCA]

Is it coming up? Need more details.

[betterpaths]

You look like you've been doing this for a while. Looks Clean!

[iworkforme]

my only bitch is don't be using 3m shit. they don't have a decent contact spray. open my mouth, and now can't think of the 2 (at least) awsome products out there. u can find them.

[ShuttleSpaceCA]

The 3M 90 is the best I've ever found. Has been hard to find since Home Depot stopped selling it. Let me know what is better and why. Thanks.

[iworkforme]

there are 2, but can only think of one.. they are both, stronger by far than anything i've tried from 3m. this one is by "westech" it called hp clear 15. u spray and it's ready and be sure it's where u want it this first time!

[TNrlboyracer]

Wilsonart 700A. All Wilsonart Adhesives are formulated especially for bonding laminates.

[59Gretsch]

Nice informative vid, keep em coming!

[ContractorsPub]

End product looks good, that's what counts.

The only thing I didn't like was his T-Shirt.

(Just Kidding)

[studmuffin512]

correction, i do have several videos on diy posted, click my name, smart guy

[studmuffin512]

i agree with brokenarrow.

[ShuttleSpaceCA]

...then you get the same response as he got, smart guy.

[ShuttleSpaceCA]

Cheers, good to here something positive... be sure to double glue the edges of the wood.

[MarineBugler]

Thanks! ... I am making my own bar top and found this to be quite informative.

[ShuttleSpaceCA]

Thank you, after watching your methods I will be so much better. Oh that's right you don't have anything posted here.

[brokenarrow2222]

Don't take this wrong but you need more practice on your techniques and skills. Overall, you did a great job.