Plastic laminate surface for router table

[Victor Robinson]

I'm building a router table and am looking for plastic laminate for the top (and bottom). I haven't been able to find anything suitable at the local BORGS and just get blank stares when I ask them for plastic laminate or "any kind of plastic sheet 1/16" or so thick".

"Uh, you mean acrylic?" No, not quite.

Anyways, the offerings at local plastics distributors are dizzying. There is, of course, nothing called "plastic laminate". So what exactly am I looking for?

LDPE? HDPE? Phenolic? These are all things that seem like they would be fine but I think I'm missing the simpler and cheaper options.

If you know of any online suppliers of suitable plastic laminate, please let me know. Thanks!

[Robert Reece]

Use the term "Formica". It's a brand name. It's at the BORG in the kitchen department. They have 5,000 little cards that show the sample colors. My BORG usually carries a couple of colors in 4x8 sheets - white and off-white. But you can order any color you want.

Wilson Art also makes the stuff. I am sure there are others too.

BTW, you can sometimes save a little money if you buy "backer laminate" for the underside. It's brown and doesn't have the wear surface of regular laminate, so it costs less. Of course if you have to buy a big sheet of the colored stuff, you probably will have enough left over to do the bottom, so buying a 2nd sheet wouldn't save anything.

[Michael Wildt]

If you're at a Borg, then ,any times they have a sheet that is damaged that you can get cheaper. Just watch the edges since they are sharp. It can be rolled, large diameter, and then you can fit it in the car.

[Kurt Cady]

I called HD yesterday about this. 2x4 white was like $12. 4x8 was like $48. This was for Formica.

Hope this helps.

[Jim O'Dell]

High Pressure Laminate is the technical term. Only one of my closest 6 HDs carry any at all, and of course it's the furthest away of the 6. Several of the Lowe's carry about 4 colors. There is a local distributor that has all of it. A little higher, but you can get the color your want. HD, and probably Lowe's, will order it, but HD said they charge a 22.00 delivery fee to the store, one sheet or 100. Jim.

[Victor Robinson]

Thanks everyone! I will try HD again and this time ask the kitchen guys for Formica.

[Bob Vavricka]

I'm usually not picky about the pattern/color for this type of application, so I check with one of the two lumberyards in town to see if they have any that was damaged in shipment. I am often able to pick up what I need at a greatly reduced price and sometimes for free. You might also check with some local cabinet shops, they often have left over pieces.

[Bob Vallaster]

As noted above, the Borg might have a damaged sheet for a lower price.

I have found damaged sheets at my local supplier-to-the-trade and partial sheets at cabinet production shops.
You can't be picky about color when shopping among leftovers, but price runs from pennies on the dollar to free...

BobV

[Myk Rian]

Look for a light colored laminate. Makes it easy to see pencil marks, and they erase right off.

[Stephen Edwards]

I'm usually not picky about the pattern/color for this type of application, so I check with one of the two lumberyards in town to see if they have any that was damaged in shipment. I am often able to pick up what I need at a greatly reduced price and sometimes for free. You might also check with some local cabinet shops, they often have left over pieces.


Ditto, what Bob said. Cabinet shops are a good source around these parts, especially if you're not too picky about the color.

As an aside, it's astonishing to me that salespeople at the BORGS don't know what you're talking about when you ask for plastic laminate. As Robert mentioned, most of them will know what you want if you use the word Formica. For the fun of it, I'll sometimes ask for plastic laminate counter top material. Frequently, I'll still get a blank look or, they'll show me their precut counter tops!

[Dan Forman]

I buy directly from a local plastic distributor and get some really good deals on remnants, very slightly damaged pieces, or custom ordered pieces that were never picked up. Hit the yellow pages and make a few calls.

Dan

[Victor Robinson]

Ditto, what Bob said. Cabinet shops are a good source around these parts, especially if you're not too picky about the color.

As an aside, it's astonishing to me that salespeople at the BORGS don't know what you're talking about when you ask for plastic laminate. As Robert mentioned, most of them will know what you want if you use the word Formica. For the fun of it, I'll sometimes ask for plastic laminate counter top material. Frequently, I'll still get a blank look or, they'll show me their precut counter tops!

Hehe true. A HD worker very condescendingly told me the other day, "sir, we call that plexiglass and it's in aisle 39." Does plexiglass sound like a 1/16" white or other solid color plastic sheet? Great, thanks. I'll just put some plexiglass on my router table.

I'll try giving some local cabinet shops a ring.

[Stephen Edwards]

Look for a light colored laminate. Makes it easy to see pencil marks, and they erase right off.

That's a very good point.

[Mark Elmer]

Hi all,

Check your local Re-Store store (Habitat for humanity store) if you have one. I was able to buy a pretty good sized piece of laminate for about $10 and it is a nice light grey color. Just what I'd been looking for.

[Rob Ballard]

My local granite counter top installer puts their old formica covered counters in the dumpster and occasionally tosses a kitchen island in the bin, sometimes 5 ft square. He's glad to let me have them and once you develope a relationship he will even set them aside.

[Brian Lindenlaub]

I recently made a benchtop router table out of a sink cut-out that I got (free!) from a friend who remodels kitchens. Couldn't choose the color, but the price was right.

Brian