Plastic laminate(Formica etc.) at HD or Lowes?

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Hi All, I just made a torsion box outfeed table and want to cover it with plastic laminate. Anybody see this at the borgs. I don't remember seeing it there. The last time I was there I forgot I wanted some and didn't look for it. Duh! Thanks

[Byron Trantham]

Both sell it. You may have to sepcial order if you want a color other than white or black.

[Michael Ballent]

Yep they do carry it, and you can get it any color you want off the shelf as long as it's white or black :D. It's been a while since I bought some but the price I think was about 23 bucks, and it was by the pre-fabbed counters and stored kinda low (shin level) so it's easy to overlook (at least at my local HD)

[Keith Christopher]

Hi All, I just made a torsion box outfeed table and want to cover it with plastic laminate. Anybody see this at the borgs. I don't remember seeing it there. The last time I was there I forgot I wanted some and didn't look for it. Duh! Thanks

Alan,

I believe you're in cockeysville, if you are take seminary ave to Bond Lumber. They'll have what you need. only place around where I've ever been able to fins 1/2" MDF in fullsheets.


Keith

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Alan,

I believe you're in cockeysville, if you are take seminary ave to Bond Lumber. They'll have what you need. only place around where I've ever been able to fins 1/2" MDF in fullsheets.


Keith
Hi Keith, Sorry, but I'm in Rockville. Got me mixed up with somebody else. Thanks anyway. Alan

[Alan Tolchinsky]

I'll have to look closer but now I know where to look in the store. I don't know why I was looking in the lumber dept. and I never go back to the laminate counter area. Thanks again.

[Jim Becker]

I have bought "ivory" color laminate at both HD and Lowes.

[Alan Schaffter]

They both have it, but when I first went looking I asked for "Formica" rather than counter laminate- the kid didn't know anything about anything, but responded- "I don't think we carry 'Floormica', might want to check down by the carpet." Yikes!!!

[Alan Tolchinsky]

They both have it, but when I first went looking I asked for "Formica" rather than counter laminate- the kid didn't know anything about anything, but responded- "I don't think we carry 'Floormica', might want to check down by the carpet." Yikes!!!

Alan don't you know "floormica" is used for floors? :)

[Dev Emch]

Both of the boxes carry it but often its special order. Also, formica is a trade name for melamine covered plastic laminate. The name of the substrate eludes me right now. ITs on the tip of my tonque. The melamine covered MDF is another story. Melamine is a type of resin that is impegniated into a paper like product and is almost useless on its own as its so thin and brittle. The MDF product has this material laminated ontop of it during the manufactureing process so that it does not need the plastic substrate you get with formica. Great for cabinet interiors; however, MDF has no moisture resistance and the melamine can wear out in high wear envirnoments. Formica and wilson plastic pressure laminate (same thing, different maker) have a melamine pressure top laminated to a tough plastic sublayer. This is the stuff to use!

And please, when building shop tools, etc. with this, get a good color like the green stuff powermatic used to make those outfeed tables for the PM66 or the gray that delta used for the same thing. Dont get some faux marble with pink highlights or some wacky toupe color with golden sprinkles.

Most of the stuff you order will be horizontal grade which as I recall is 1 mm thick. The vertical grade is 0.7 mm thick or so and is used for walls and backings. The horizontal grade is used for counter tops and what not. The difference is that the substrate is a bit thicker on horizontal grade material. I use copious quantities of both for making my own cabinet stock. I laminate vertical grade onto birch ply to make cabinet interior surfaces for kitchen cabinets. I know this is overkill, but I make some of the best or finest in the country and I charge accordingly.

Now most folks use contact cement to attach this. Although it will work, in time, it will fail. It is not the right stuff to use. The best cement I have found and one that was recommended to me by formica's application engineers is resourcinol. This is awsome glue! The problem is that you need to apply significant amounts of presure during the glue up and that means using either a veneer press or a vacuum lamination system. I use a vacuum lamination system by vac-u-clamp.

Good luck and hope this helps a bit.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Thanks Dev for all the info. And just when I was going to go for pink. :)
I probably will use contact cement because my vacumn bag isn't big enough. Thanks again.

[John Pollman]

All of my HD and Lowes carry it here in Michigan. They actually stock a pretty good selection of colors in several sizes. It's over in the aisle where they sell the pre-fabbed countertops. Just past the end of where they store the tops there's a rack with all of the laminate.

Good luck !

John

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Thanks John, And just when I thought I knew my store like the back of my hand.

[Mac McAtee]

One other thing at the HD or Lowes. I have found dammaged sheets. Like corners broken off or even places as big as your head broken off. If I don't need a full sheet, I track down the department manager and ask if he will give me a discount. They usually will to get it out of the store.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

One other thing at the HD or Lowes. I have found dammaged sheets. Like corners broken off or even places as big as your head broken off. If I don't need a full sheet, I track down the department manager and ask if he will give me a discount. They usually will to get it out of the store.

Good tip Mac, thanks.

[Bill Lewis]

Alan, I've seen it at the Milestone HD in Germantown. Look back behind the kitchecn/appliance area. They just changed that area a bit, so they may have moved it. They usually carry the same colors as their pre-fab counter tops.


Hi All, I just made a torsion box outfeed table and want to cover it with plastic laminate. Anybody see this at the borgs. I don't remember seeing it there. The last time I was there I forgot I wanted some and didn't look for it. Duh! Thanks

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Alan, I've seen it at the Milestone HD in Germantown. Look back behind the kitchecn/appliance area. They just changed that area a bit, so they may have moved it. They usually carry the same colors as their pre-fab counter tops.

Thanks Bill, That's the one I usually go to. It's a lot less crowded than the one on Shady Gove Rd.

[Bill Lewis]

Thanks Bill, That's the one I usually go to. It's a lot less crowded than the one on Shady Gove Rd.

Ain't that the truth. Still I "Try" to avoid it on the weekends, but I was there yesturday, and I found the laminates. It is now located on the first aisle after the new kitchen/appliance area. There is a big banner hanging on the end of the aisle that says "countertops" though I didn't even notice it until I left it.

BTW I heard that the Shady Grove store is like #3 in national sales if you can believe that.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Ain't that the truth. Still I "Try" to avoid it on the weekends, but I was there yesturday, and I found the laminates. It is now located on the first aisle after the new kitchen/appliance area. There is a big banner hanging on the end of the aisle that says "countertops" though I didn't even notice it until I left it.

BTW I heard that the Shady Grove store is like #3 in national sales if you can believe that.

Yes I can believe it about the Shady Grove store; it's like a zoo in there. Thanks again for the laminate info. I'll find it if it's the last thing I do. :)