So you’ve found the laminate you’re looking for, the pattern, design, color, and price matched up, and now you’re ready to begin your home improvement project. The project will be long but the final result will be rewarding. Whether your goal is to improve your home’s aesthetics or increase home value by upgrading your kitchen, the project will leave you with a sense of accomplishment.
The first step is to prepare the surface area for the laminate sheets.
- Remove the old countertop surface
- sand the surface
- clean the surface
- Use coarse sandpaper on the surface area to prepare the contact cement.
- Apply any back laminate as required, this will reduce moisture entering the countertop
Note*
The removal of adhesives, paints and varnishes is key to achieving the professional result you are looking for.
The second step is to prepare the laminate sheets.
- Measure the surface area to determine the size and shape needed.
- We recommend using a utility knife or fine-toothed back saw to cut laminate sheets. (You can also use a circular saw, back saw, or saber saw.)
A. Allow yourself a few inches to make sure the laminate will fit, you can trim the sheets later to ensure you get the correct fit.
b. The technique for cutting the sheets is to cut on the side of the design and at a low angle.
The third step is to set up the surface area and laminate sheets for your placement.
Experts recommend using contact cement to bond laminate to your surface. (Epoxy adhesives will also work as a bonding agent.)
- Using a brush, apply a coat of contact cement to the surface to which you wish to apply the laminate.
- Apply a light coat of contact cement to the back of the laminate sheets.
- Read the contact cement drying instructions and allow it to dry for the recommended time.
A. Be careful not to allow the cement to dry too long, as this can decrease bond strength.
b. A good rule of thumb is that if the contact feels dry to the touch, it’s probably done.
Note*
You may need an additional coat of contact cement for the trim around the counter edges.
The fourth step is the placement of the laminated sheets over the surface area.
This must be done very carefully. The bond strength of contact cement is between 50-70% at first contact. Therefore, it is imperative to position the laminated sheets perfectly before they come into contact. You can do this using strips of wood, dowel rods, or wrapping paper.
- Lay strips of wood or dowel rods about a foot apart, adjust if laying larger sheet metal. Or place wrapping paper over the surface area. (This step is not necessary when laying laminate sheets on a vertical surface.)
- Place the laminate sheets on the surface area, once the placement is perfect, remove the strips of wood, dowel rod or wrapping paper.
- Use a roller to go over the entire surface, make sure the plastic sheeting is sealed tight to the surface area, this will also help ensure air pockets are eliminated. For this task you can also use a block of wood or a mallet, it is recommended to start from the center and work with these tools.
- If you need to make a seam, place the larger laminate sheet on top of the smaller sheet. Cut sheets cleanly at the exact point where they overlap, then remove excess laminate.
The fifth step is the laying of laminated sheets on the edges.
- Measure the edges and cut the laminate sheets accordingly. Remember to cut the leaves a few extra inches to ensure they cover the surface area that you can trim and customize the leaves later.
- Apply two coats of contact cement over the edge of the surface.
- Apply a coat of contact cement over the plastic laminate strips.
- Allow the contact cement to dry for the recommended time provided by the product instructions.
- Carefully position the laminate sheets aligning them perfectly with the top of the countertop edge.
Go slow and press down firmly to ensure the blade is sealed to the surface at all points.
The sixth and final step touch up and clean your new countertop.
- Allow the contact cement to dry completely.
- Trim any excess laminate around the edges using a router with a special laminate blade, you can use a file if the excess is small. Be careful and go slow when cutting off excess laminate, a slight miscalculation could break the laminate sheets.
- Clean up any excess contact cement using a special solvent, if you don’t have the solvent you can also use nail polish to remove it.