How To Install Laminate Kitchen Countertop Sheets' title='How To Install Laminate Kitchen Countertop Sheets' />Re Laminate Your Countertops Extreme How To. A popular and economical choice for kitchen countertops is plastic laminate, available in many attractive colors and designs. Give shape substance to your dreams with IKEA Planning Tools. Plan your perfect kitchen, bathroom, office, wardrobe or storage system before making a commitment. Laminate countertops often called Formica, although that is actually the name of only one manufacturer come in just about every color and pattern imaginable. From contemporary patterns to styles that mimic popular stone looks, laminate is durable, affordable, and you can install it yourself. If installing new sheet laminate over old laminate, material, first thoroughly sand and clean the old surface. During the course of a recent kitchen remodel, I recovered a laminate countertop with newer, more brightly colored laminate sheeting with a granite type pattern. This kitchen had three separate countertops, at various heights and locations around the kitchen. So I bought three new 4 by 8 foot sheets of laminate and went to work. Heres how to do it. Abc Spelling And Math Crack The Code more. How To Install Laminate Kitchen Countertop Sheets' title='How To Install Laminate Kitchen Countertop Sheets' />Tap into your creative side with these tips for creating a doityouself kitchen countertop. DIYNetwork. com remodeling expert Fuad Reveiz shows how to lay ceramic tiles over a laminate countertop and how to install a tile backsplash to match the new countertop. Hi, Im considering installing a corian countertop in my kitchen. But Id love to see photos of actual installations before I decide. Im most interested in Corians. Then remove all obstacles, such as sinks and faucets. Prepping and Planning. If youre installing over existing laminate, the old countertop surface should be thoroughly sanded and cleaned to remove all debris and contaminants. The sanding helps to remove any existing glossy coating and roughs up the surface for better bonding with the countertop adhesive. I used a random orbital power sander over all existing countertop surfaces before cleaning. Test fit the laminate. In some cases, you can set the sheet in place, and use a marker to trace the shape of the countertop on the underside of the new laminate. Next, measure the dimensions of the countertop and sketch a diagram of the countertop shape that youre going to have to cut out of the sheet laminate. The edges of these sheets are very straight, so you should plan for the edges to line the rear of the cabinet against the wall, when possible. Take one countertop at a time and sketch its shape. As you sketch your designs, the sheet cutouts should roughly mirror the shape of the final countertop, but add a few extra inches so the sheet edges will overhang the edges of the countertop. Youll go back later with a router and trim the edges flush with the counter. Love the look of Corian, but dont love the cost  Well DIY solid surface countertops can be an extremely affordable and elegant option with material from Solid. Surface. com.   Using basic woodworking skills and tools, you too can install your own custom solid surface countertop, desktop, bathroom vanity, laundry prep areas, shower walls, or other surface of your choosing. Click here for more information. With your plan sketched out, transfer those dimensions to the sheet laminate, marking the appropriate cutlines on the material. The rip fence of a table saw helps to guide the sheet for an accurate cut. Cutting the Laminate. You have a couple of options for cutting laminate. There are special blades that allow you to use a utility knife to cut sheet laminate. If using a utility knife, also use a straightedge to guide the knife for a smooth and even cut. You can also cut plastic laminate with a circular saw, jig saw or table saw with a fine tooth blade. Place a strip of masking tape where the cut is to be made to prevent chipping and make the line easier to see. When using a power circ saw or jigsaw, cut from the back side of the laminate. These blades cut on the upstroke, and cutting from the back will help prevent chipping. To cut the sheet laminate, I used a fine tooth blade installed backwards on a table saw. Note See warning below. Heres another tip, and also how I cut the laminate for this project I used a fine tooth blade installed backwards in a table saw. Now, let me emphasize that you should NEVER cut anything else with the blade on backwards other than sheet laminate. But I was told of this trick by a professional cabinet maker, and thought Id give it a shot. And I was pleased to find that this method works like a charm. The rip guide of the table saw helps to control a straight cut, and although the cutting process takes longer with the blade on backwards, the cut was perfect. In fact, the blade simply peels away a strip of the material in a ribbon thats as wide as the kerf of the blade, and the cuts are perfectly smooth. Granted, youll need to set up both outfeed and lateral supports to work with the big 4 by 8 sheets, but I found this to be a great way to make accurate cuts. Once youre finished rough cutting the sheets to shape, immediately change the blade back around to its normal cutting direction. Brush on an even coat of contact cement to both the old, prepped countertop surface and to the underside of the new sheet laminate. Allow the adhesive to dry until it is tacky. Gluing the Laminate. Plastic laminate is generally applied with contact cement. After the old countertop has been prepped sanded, cleaned, dried, brush contact cement onto the countertop surface. Apply a smooth, even layer covering the entire surface. Then brush a layer of contact cement on the back side of the laminate cutout for the counter. Allow the adhesive to dry until tacky usually 5 to 1. Then place dowels or wood strips, spaced roughly 1 foot apart, over the old countertop surface. At this point, place strips of wood or dowels over the countertop roughly 1 foot apart. Dont worrythe strips wont stick. The wood strips will act as a temporary barrier between the sheet and existing countertop. They should be long enough to extend beyond the edge of the counter so you can grab the end and pull them out later. Next, place the new sheet laminate face up on top of the wood strips. Be careful when placing the sheet dont let the two glued surfaces touch yet or they will bond together Its best to recruit some help when placing the laminateI did. Even when cut to size, the material is still slightly larger than the countertop surface and difficult to maneuver without some assistance. The new sheet should be accurately positioned right above its final installed location, hovering on the wood strips with its edges flush against the surrounding walls. Starting in one corner, remove the first wood strip and use a j roller to roll the sheet down onto the countertop surface. Applying the Countertop Surface. Starting at one end of the sheet, remove the first wood strip or dowel and use a J roller to press the new sheet down onto the counter, bonding the two pieces together. Use the roller to apply pressure to the sheet so the glue will have a strong bond and no air pockets. Work toward the opposite end of the counter, removing the wood strips one at a time and rolling the entire surface thoroughly as you progress. Continue working from one end to the other, removing wood strips and rolling the top to bond the cement as you go. By the time you reach the end of the counter, the entire new laminate surface should be securely bonded. You can then go back with a router, fitted with a flush trim bit, and trim away the excess laminate overhang flush with the edge of the counter. Do not rush the router let the tool do the work. I used a Rotozip with a Tracing Bit to make the sink cutout. You can also use a jigsaw. I then temporarily replaced the sink to keep the area neat and uncluttered while I finished the counter. Cutouts. You may encounter obstructions such as sinks, faucets, etc. For this particular project I had to remove a sink, install the laminate and then make a cutout in the new laminate to replace the sink.