Laminating countertops

[andrew whicker]

Hi,

I see some neat looking laminates out there. I have a potential customer that wants a 10 ft long desk with two L's that are 6 ft long. I first quoted him w/ 1/16" veneer & making my own veneer. It was certainly sticker shock, but I can't use thin veneer because I don't have a press big enough for the entire assembly and it would be too easy to get out of plane and sand thru the thin veneer.

So... he asked if I could use laminates. I started looking on YouTube and it doesn't seem much different than paper backed veneer. I also was searching around it seems there are some neat laminates out there. So getting this job, even if he prefers cheap laminate, could be good for me so that I can learn the process.

Is there actual high quality laminates? Without highly specialized equipment, can you do something like that shown below or do you need to buy from a vendor that specializes in forming laminations? Below is an example of something that I could be fun with my furniture. If you do go w/ a vendor, do you make the piece and have them form the laminate around your product?

462855

[Mark Bolton]

You can run Formica/Wilsonart/Nevamar, etc.. whatever you have access to in whatever grade needed (vertrical, horizontal, post form) either with contact or cold press glue if you have a press/bag big enough. You may look around in your area and find someone that will lay up custom panels for you with your desired core material, backer, and face laminate. Often times a distributor that offers panel layup will be the same money if not cheaper than your laminate, core, backer, and adhesive cost before youve even calculated in any labor. But for sure you can lay them up. Get some sample chains shipped in.

[andrew whicker]

There's a very good looking vendor out here that I was keeping in my back pocket for potential CNC work. Looks like they do what you are talking about. I'll have to call and see.

https://www.evolvecabinets.com/

[johnny means]

Colorcore will need to be applied to an already built piece to get the look in the picture. It's not difficult, but will take some planning. The piece you show would be made by laminating the inside faces before assembly. Assembling. Then laminating the sides, front and top in that order.

[Richard Coers]

Certainly Wood sells 1/16" veneer in some species. Quoting a price on something you've never done before is a great way to loose money. Hire the laminate work and you will get a guaranteed return.

[Kevin Jenness]

I can't use thin veneer because I don't have a press big enough for the entire assembly and it would be too easy to get out of plane and sand thru the thin veneer.

Assembling large surfaces skinned with sliced veneer is done all the time. Yes, it takes skill, but so does laminate work. If you do decide to go with plastic laminate, start with a small project, or sub it out. It's easy to screw up and hard to repair- no sanding out minor damage.

[Mark Bolton]

The shelf in the image could easily be assembled from laid up panels and then just a shop applied face sheet over top of it all. It would save a mile of fiddly small work to simply miterfold all those interior/exterior components into interior/exterior laminated boxes, lay them on their backs, insert your face core, then lay an entire sheet of laminate on the face and rout/cleanup. There would be no need at all for that shelf to be fully constructed prior to lamination and in fact it would be nearly impossible to laminate it cleanly if it WERE all in finished form. The problem becomes when your face material is in excess of $10 a square foot and you have no core cost, no backer cost, no labor and adhesive cost, what is you market... Your up in the big numbers so it better be something hot.

[johnny means]

The shelf in the image could easily be assembled from laid up panels and then just a shop applied face sheet over top of it all. It would save a mile of fiddly small work to simply miterfold all those interior/exterior components into interior/exterior laminated boxes, lay them on their backs, insert your face core, then lay an entire sheet of laminate on the face and rout/cleanup. There would be no need at all for that shelf to be fully constructed prior to lamination and in fact it would be nearly impossible to laminate it cleanly if it WERE all in finished form. The problem becomes when your face material is in excess of $10 a square foot and you have no core cost, no backer cost, no labor and adhesive cost, what is you market... Your up in the big numbers so it better be something hot.

Did you notice the thickness of the panels?

[Mark Bolton]

Yep. Hollow box miter fold maybe? Thats how id approach it.

[johnny means]

Yep. Hollow box miter fold maybe? Thats how id approach it.

The point of solid color laminate is to not need to miter corners. Building the hollow form after laminating would be tricky and uneccesarily complex.

[Mark Bolton]

The point of solid color laminate is to not need to miter corners. Building the hollow form after laminating would be tricky and uneccesarily complex.

The bit of color core we've done gets edge finished exactly like phenolic. Can be square, bevel, rad, you just dont have the phenolic core. My point was that unit could easily be made with some doweled and case clamped boxes for the interiors, a miter folded box for the exterior, infill the face voids with core, laminate a sheet over the entire face, and trim router out the shelves and perimeter. Edge treatment of choice, sharp, eased, rad, bevel, whatever. Easy peasey.