# Laminate Countertop "siding" adhesive trim. Iron on? Tips?



## WhatRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

forget the iron ..use some good contact cement, let it dry and then you need a router to trim the edge...


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## Thunder Chicken (May 22, 2011)

Attach it with contact cement, then use a router with a flush trim bit to cut off the excess.

There are a bunch of videos on Youtube that show how to do this, it's not too hard if you work carefully.


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

Please don't buy a router to do this job with. A router is heavy and powerful and requires that you use both hands to hold the dam thing. A laminate trimmer is a much better choice; it's powerful enough to do the job and light enough to hold with one hand.

I use water based contact cement for these edges. I use a Porter Cable laminate trimmer with a bearing piloted bit, which means that a bearing rides on the counter top and the bit cuts the laminate to within 1/32 of an inch of the counter top. Then file the excess laminate off with an ordinary mill file. For the inside corner of the top, use a chain saw file if you have one.

Also, throw that stuff you're supposed to iron on in the garbage where it belongs. Any place that does counter tops will have pieces of plastic laminate in their garbage big enough to do this job and they'll give them to you for nothing. Stick the laminate to the edge of the counter top first being careful that it doesn't stick too far back so as to hit the wall. Once you have the edge stuck on, then trim the edge, and finally push the top onto the cabinet and fasten it down.

When filing down the laminate edge you need to know how to tell when the edge is flush with the top surface of the top. You do that by "scratching" the top with your fingernails. As your fingernails go over the edge you're filing down, if you feel anything, then the edge is still sticking up a bit, and you have to file it down more. When the edge is flush with the top surface of the top, you should see a thin string of contact cement come off at the corner between the edge and the top surface as you're filing. You'll see that same thing happen all along the edge as you file it down flush with the top.

You can't wash water based contact cement out of the brushes. Water only makes the contact cement turn into gunk. So, use a cheap brush. I use 1" wide foam brushes and throw them away after each use.

The way to tell if the laminate is still sticking up from


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## ron45 (Feb 25, 2014)

https://www.google.com/webhp?source...ate+trimmer&tbm=shop&spd=11183383752887931726


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## mako1 (Jan 7, 2014)

Owned a cabinet shop for many years and the only contact adhesive I ever had fail was waterborne.Use a solvent based adhesive and apply 2 coats to the end of the particle board as the ends really suck it up.A laminate trimmer with a flush trim bit to trim.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

mako1 said:


> Owned a cabinet shop for many years and the only contact adhesive I ever had fail was waterborne.Use a solvent based adhesive and apply 2 coats to the end of the particle board as the ends really suck it up.A laminate trimmer with a flush trim bit to trim.


 Same experience here with water based cement. I do exactly like mako does.

Do let the end set for a while, after sticking it, it can move if trimmed too soon.


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## KevinEF7 (Sep 12, 2015)

So you guys believe the strip doesnt already have an iron on adhesive applied to it?

Or is contact cement just superior and I should head out and buy some solvent based


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

The strip probably does have some sort of adhesive already on it that would be activated by heat. The problem is that those strips are made of something called "post form" laminate, which means that it's very thin so that it can be heated and bent and glued to a particle board counter top by companies that make custom counter tops to order. Every city has several places that will make a counter top for you out of post form laminate.

Regular laminate is thicker and stronger and isn't meant to be glued to a curved surface.

What is being suggesting is to glue regular laminate to finish your exposed edge because it's stronger. If you can get a piece of regular laminate to match your top, great. Otherwise it's not a big deal if it doesn't match.

When I do this, I:

0. If you have a hole in that counter top for a sink, paint the exposed particle board around that hole with an oil based paint or boiled linseed oil. Also, paint the underside of the top around that hole for a good 6 inches. Ditto if you've cut holes for a faucet. The oil based paint will prevent the exposed particle board from absorbing moisture if there's a leak, and that will protect the top from damage until you discover and repair the leak.

1. cut the top about 1/4 inch wider than the cabinet

2. glue the laminate to the edge of the top (I've done this about 40 times in 20 kitchens in my apartment block and all of them were done with LePage's water based contact cement and I haven't had any problem. Other people post that the only time they've had a problem is when using water based contact cement. Go figure. It just goes to show how everyone's advice can be different because we've all had different experiences.

3. Trim the laminate edge you've glued on. And this can be done different ways. I have an edging accessory that allows me to trim the laminate with a V shaped bit so that I can trim the laminate so close I don't need to do very much filing. If this is your first time, I'd suggest you use a bearing piloted bit in a laminate trimmer which will allow you to cut that side piece so that it only sticks out about 1/32 of an inch from the counter top, and file it down the rest of the way with an ordinary file held at a 45 degree angle. Use the file so as to push the side piece onto the edge of the top, not to pull the side piece off the edge of the top.

4. Once your side edge is filed down, slide your laminate top onto the cabinet and secure it in place. I use something called "flanged insert nuts" available from Lee Valley to hold my laminate counter tops down to my existing square edge plywood tops. But, if you don't have an existing plywood top, you'll have to use a different method to fasten your top down to the cabinet.

5. Finally, squeeze some caulking in between the laminated edge of the top (which sticks out about 1/4 inch over the side of your cabinet) and the side of the cabinet so that if it receives a bump, the laminate is supported and doesn't break. I've always used silicone for this, but a caulk that cures harder would probably support the laminate better and be a better choice. If I had to do it again, I'd probably use PL Premium construction adhesive, which would cure to a strong and shock resistant backer material for the laminate.

But, as I say, we're all giving you different advice because we've all had success doing it different ways.


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## KevinEF7 (Sep 12, 2015)

Well I surely will be using the piece that was provided with this counter top as I live in the sticks and this is only a little island project to tide over the wife for a year or two until we get around to a complete kitchen rebuild in which I will most definitely be building my own laminate counter tops, If I get 3 years out of this counter top I would be ecstatic, It will likely make its way into the garage in the next 2 years to act as a work bench

I very much appreciate the information though, I'll know what to look for on the big project


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

A word of caution, on end added, like you are doing, will be prone to someone snagging the corner and breaking it, you need to file back as clean as possible to make sure there isn't an edge to hang on.


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## ChuckF. (Aug 25, 2013)

In the old days before routers existed or perhaps they were just very rare, DIY'ers would glue the 'arborite' on with an overlap of 1/8-1/4", clamp if possible and leave it a few hours, and then just carefully sand and file away the excess. On a long horizontal strip like this, always sand or file inward and down because it's those corners that can break. 

To get it to rough size we would cut it by hand with a fine handsaw or hacksaw, being extremely careful at the end of the cut. Always use solvent-based contact cement, as another poster noted, the water-based is crap.

I recall doing this with my Father forty or so years ago.


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