Great instructional video! As a homeowner, these are the kind of product installation videos I watch and refer my contractors to watch before beginning home improvement projects.
Thank you very much. You have answered my question. I will just keep my shop fans on and put on an organic vapor respirator, and stick with "ol' stinky". Thanks for taking your time to respond. That roller looks like it really takes care of business compared to the J rollers I am familiar with. All the best to you in the new year. Allan
Thanks. I hear you loid & clear about the contact cement fumes. I've been exposed to them for a long time & would love to find a low VOC alternative. I tried some a few years ago & ruled them out quickly.Unfortunately I've not heard anything good recently on these either. In fact, I know some of the state regulations have made life pretty difficult for many shop owners. I don't now anyone that wouldn't jump on board with these reg's if there was a decent product available.
You're correct, there are other ways to mount a stainless steel sink although I believe they all use a 1/2" thick acrylic transition ring between the laminate and the sink. The sink is mounted to the bottom of the transition ring leaving a 1/2" brown line between the top and the sink & also a reveal below the ring that has to be cleaned often or gets gunked up. On the Karran / Lansen Edge sinks, the acrylic surrounds the stainless bowl so all you see at the top edge is approx 1/16" laminate.
Awesome video! Only one thing I noticed though. When I was looking into renoing my kitchen I found out that there are infact 2 people that can undermount stainless steel sinks. Karran is one like you mentioned but another company called counter-seal also has a way of undermounting sinks. Cheers.
Wow, I'm so glad I watched this before I tried to install. The way you laid our the laminate I was going to cut it in a 45 degree in the corner and I seen you just laid the full sheet out like you did and I was like why didn't I think of something as simple as you did and just make it one full cut. Lol, I don't know if you understand what I'm saying but I just wanted to say thanks.
I'm renovating my kitchen, and the new countertop is looming on the near horizon. I was wondering *if* I could build it myself, and you've given me hope that I can. I like the look of the bevel edge, and it's the direction I was heading in planning to have it custom built. I thought it had to be shaped; had *no* idea it was a separate trim piece. I'll be pursuing this further tomorrow. Great video!!
Very nice video. I do a little laminate work for shop fixtures in my woodworking shop. My question is about commonly available contact cements. I have been using the Weldwood standard (very stinky) type. Do you have any recommendation or experience using the low VOC less toxic version Weldwood sells that you could share with me. As I get older I get more sensitive to the fumes and was hoping on some table saw fence skins I am making if I could go a little more "green". Thanks for your time.
Fabulous video. I had considered getting them made at a box store. But I am going to ask my handyman if he has done it. I'll check out your website. Thanks!
I did my first countertop lamination today. I used 3M Fastbond 30-NF Neutral contact adhesive and it worked great. It's water based but very expensive, especially if you should need two coats. I needed two quarts to do my kitchen and one bathroom - about 42 square feet. It was not easy to find (Grainger's had it) and it was about $42 per quart!
8 years later…. Very interesting to read this now. I just got off the phone with the Formica tech support department. They strongly said to not use any water base contact cement including 3M Fastbond. I would be curious to hear from you all these years later and hear how it held up. 🤟🏼
oliveros, the laminate is sealed to the acrylic sink rim with epoxy so there will be no water infiltration there. The only remaining surface is the edge of the laminate, approx .038" thick. The Formica laminate (phenolic and resin fused under heat and high pressure) is too dense for water to infiltrate thus there is no additional maintenance required..
This guy makes this thing look easy. It ain't easy. But I am loving the little router he used. I have this behemoth that just looking at it scares you.
Thanks for making this video. I replaced all my countertops to this exact formica and like it very much...but I didn't get the beveled edge you used and now I wish I had. Can I put that beveled edge over a regular flat edge after the fact? About how much to get edges installed per foot?
Any chance you might update the video description with the specific tools you use? I like your router, looks super lightweight. Mine is a beast and you can't move it that fluidly...
Home centers won't cut laminate to size like they do plywood, etc... The same tools that you'll use to final trim the laminate, a router & flush trim bit, can be used to cut it to rough size for fabrication. Consider purchasing an Over-Trim bit which will allow you to just clamp the laminate to the countertop deck and cut it a bit over-sized for the first step. These bits are both used in this video.
good afternoon apology that type of router is the one you used in the router to cut the edges of the sheet or formica if you could desirme to buy lla that this does not leave much edges
Hi Jeremy. The tape I am using is a filament tape. It sticks very well but does not leave residue when removing and is very tear resistant. We sell it on our site under sku FilTape12mm. www.cabinetmakerwarehouse.com/page_8141_1439/tape
Question for you. What trim router are you using and what brand of flush trim bit. I purchased a flush trim router from Harbour Freight and it has no guts at all. It was slow, very slow....the bit I used was a brand new diablo bit.
Now, I just have one question. How well does the laminate sheet do near a sink with the water? Is there another step that I need to complete to ensure that the laminate sheet does not mold or get messed up from water damage?
I have a question about your deck. Was it less than a 4'x8' plywood? Mine would be bigger than a single 4'x8 'piece. I would hate to make 2 pieces and do a 45 degree cut. In such a situation do you advice doing a 45 degree cut or joining 2 plywood. Do you have any videos showing how on to best joint the plywood and braces to keep it sturdy? Also I do not see any Karran undermounts by the name you mentioned. Is it just any of the Edge - Undermount sinks.
Can a homeowner remove the laminate and reuse the existing countertop decks (8 yrs ago and in very good shape)? We currently have eggshell colored Formica and would like something in a black finish or design. Thx.
You certainly can reuse the existing deck for a new laminate top. We suggest you sand down the existing laminate with a rough sandpaper and degrease it so its very clean. You want a clean surface to roll on the contact cement. There is no need to remove the existing laminate.
Hi, what kind of tape do you use for the edging? At my job we got some crescent edge in and the finish on it is making our masking tape worthless. Thanks!
+Matt Stehle Sorry for the delayed response Matt but we do in fact sell the Oversize 7/8in bearing bit on our website located here: www.cabinetmakerwarehouse.com/catalog/over-trim-bit/
You'd be wrong then. Of the tops I've built, the laminate has been the second most cost-efficient. Red Oak was not cheap, and straight plywood while cheap was not flat.
debra belton by drilling the holes through the deck the Karr an sinks come with plastic grommets that go in the hole to protect the wood or you can seal it with silicone
How much is the laminate? I have feeling for the price of real wood + varnish you will catch up to the same cost and have real wood instead of particle board.
I disagree that an integrated sink is a stupid idea. Corian has offered seamless sinks for years and the finished assimilated product is absolutely beautiful. But is does come with the caveat that irreparable damage to the sink or countertop requires an expensive wholesale tear-out and replacement.
