Jun 23 2009
Laminate a Countertop #1
Covering a kitchen counter or a vanity with plastic laminate is painstaking, but not really demanding. With care and patience, you can lay a plastic laminate sheet on any clean, well-supported ¾-inc plywood or particle board base. Tools: measuring rule, hammer, nail set, putty knife, belt sander, pencil, straightedge, carpenters’ square, safety goggles; saber, circular, or table saw with fine-toothed carbide-tipped blade; nylon paintbrush or notched spreader, roller or rolling pin, router with edge trimming bit for plastic laminates, fine-toothed flat file. Materials: plastic wood or wood putty; medium- and medium-fine-grit sanding belts, rags, tack cloth, precut plastic laminate edge strips, sheet plastic laminate, nonflammable contact cement, brown paper or wax paper, solvent for cement. Time: about 4 to 6 hours for a plain countertop.
Buy a sheet of plastic laminate big enough to cover the countertop completely, with a slight overhang on all sides; buy precut laminate edge strips to finish the sides of the countertop. Choose a nonflammable, water-solvent contact cement, or use the adhesive recommended by the laminate manufacturer. Rent a router with an edge trimming bit for plastic laminates; if you don’t have one, rent a saber or circular saw with a fine-toothed carbide-tipped blade. At least 48 hours ahead of time, set the palstic laminate in the room where it will be used to bring it to the correct temperature and humidity.
Prepare the counter surface carefully. Sink any protruding nails with a hammer and a nail set; fill cracks and cover nailheads with plastic wood or wood putty. Sand the surface with a belt sander and a medium-grit sanding belt to smooth and level it thoroughly. If yo’re covering an old countertop, remove the old finish completely; sand down to clean, bare wood to provide a good base for the laminate. Wipe off all dust and sanding debris and then go over the entire counter surface with a tack cloth.