Cabinet Shops... What adhesive (brand) for Formica / Laminate?

[johnny means]

A paint tray and cheap thin rollers will work perfectly well and not require any clean up besides a trash can. Sometimes I don't even bother with the tray, just spill adhesive on your material and roll. Corncob rollers are useful if you're doing production work and need to use the same equipment for longer stretches, but don't do the job any better.

[Mike Kees]

I am in the same camp as Johnny. I use a paint tray and foam trim rollers with a 3m water based contact adhesive. This product is fantastic ,it holds well and there is no vapor/headaches.

[andy bessette]

I use a roller tray liner and yellow foam roller, but refuse to use the water-based material. Have a stash of the real contact cement, Weldwood brand IIRC.

[Mel Fulks]

Some shop owners who use contact cement daily …..won’t use it on stuff for their own house. Manufactures of contact cement say it lasts
between 5 and 7 years. The urea formaldehyde type glue is the most permanent, with parts of the same size you can stack them overnight
with plastic bags between , requires no rolling. Every trade harbors it’s own nutty ideas , cabinet shops often look down on the rolled edge
factory applied laminate ,but those round pieces don’t loosen and flap in the breeze and fall on the floor.

[Kevin Jenness]

Another pva option for shops without a press-FSV adhesive laid with hand pressure or a pinch roller. https://veneersystems.com/product/fs...neer-1-gallon/

[Mike Kees]

I use a roller tray liner and yellow foam roller, but refuse to use the water-based material. Have a stash of the real contact cement, Weldwood brand IIRC.

Andy I used to think exactly like you, until I tried out the water based product.

[andy bessette]

Andy I used to think exactly like you, until I tried out the water based product.

Since all my work is on yachts, the water-based adhesive has no appeal to me. It just isn't worth the risk.

[Richard Coers]

Material is so thick there is no "overspray". You can contain what doesnt hit the work with a scrap of cardboard in your free hand. Airflow and a respirator handles solvent in the air.

Everyone in the commercial shop I worked at must have missed that class. Everything in the open face booth had a coating of red rubber on it. The build up on some saw horses must have been an inch thick. You had no issues with your feet sliding in there as you almost stuck to the floor. I guess I am surprised how it stunk in the shop since all the off gassing and smell is so easy to get rid of.

[Mike Kees]

Since all my work is on yachts, the water-based adhesive has no appeal to me. It just isn't worth the risk.

Ok I get that. The 3M product I now use has worked very well for me. (counter tops in residential and commercial settings). I have never worked on a boat or yacht . What type of work do you generally do on these jobs ? Sounds like it could be real interesting.

[Jim Becker]

Since all my work is on yachts, the water-based adhesive has no appeal to me. It just isn't worth the risk.

I would think that the only real risk would be if water was the actual solvent rather than just a carrier like it is with waterborne finishes. If the adhesive will not dissolve/re-wet with water, it "should" be no different than the older solvent based products where the solvent was both carrier and, um...solvent. Whether the specific product is as good at adhering or not in the marine environment is a different question, of course.

[andy bessette]

...What type of work do you generally do on these jobs ? Sounds like it could be real interesting.

Very interesting and challenging work. My specialty is customizing yachts, though I am also called on for repairs. I fabricate in most materials. Custom cabinetry represents a great deal of my work. Also fabricate in metal.

[Jim Becker]

You do beautiful work, Andy!

[andy bessette]

Thanks Jim. Very kind of you to say so.

Always wanted a mill and a lathe. So, when an ancient mill and lathe presented themselves to me at a good price, about 7 years ago, I jumped on them and began teaching myself how to use them. The machined block of aluminum, an end fitting for a sailboat boom, was actually the very first part I ever made on a mill. Likewise the Bimini frame/solar panel arch was my very first attempt at using my new JD-Squared tube bender (last year).

At 77 years old I am often told by friends that I should be selling my machines--not buying more. Never too old to learn new skills. And I believe it really helps us to continually challenge ourselves.

[Jim Becker]

At 77 years old I am often told by friends that I should be selling my machines--not buying more. Never too old to learn new skills. And I believe it really helps us to continually challenge ourselves.

Apparently, you're also wiser than your friends...