Do It Yourself Counter tops

[Stimw]

Aircommuter, that was a lot of work, my fear would be I screwed up the granite. At least with their high price comes their responsibility for mistakes.

In one of the videos the guy used metal shears for initial trimming, others had laminate shears. I have several air shears so I tried it and it worked great.
I used a 1/2" router bit with the ball bearing on the bottom for final trimming after gluing.
Also another trick is to glue edge on first then top which gives an even edge.
That partical board is very heavy! I never realized how heavy it is.
Belt sander was great for truing up the board edges where I glued strips to get 1 1/2" size.
I bought the laminate online and with shipping was $408.00. I figured if I screwed up an area with all that I saved I could still come out ahead. Laminate came with a tear off plastic that really helped protect it during fabrication.

 

[Stimw]

I really like the electrical work,.... over by the fridge!

Don't need no stinking licence!
The white extension cord has an off/on switch in it.
That is temporary, you can see the handy box in the ceiling over the island for the new lights. I got a 3 pendant light bar to go there.

 

[ustmd]

Looks great.

I have tried Formica a couple of times and I always end up with tear out (chipping) when I use the router to trim after the glue down.

 

[Stimw]

From the videos- You need to run the router counter-clockwise to the work.
In other words you want the blades turning into the work not going backwards.
Not sure if this was your problem. ??

 

[dragoneggs]

Aircommuter, that was a lot of work, my fear would be I screwed up the granite. At least with their high price comes their responsibility for mistakes.

In one of the videos the guy used metal shears for initial trimming, others had laminate shears. I have several air shears so I tried it and it worked great.
I used a 1/2" router bit with the ball bearing on the bottom for final trimming after gluing.
Also another trick is to glue edge on first then top which gives an even edge.
That partical board is very heavy! I never realized how heavy it is.
Belt sander was great for truing up the board edges where I glued strips to get 1 1/2" size.
I bought the laminate online and with shipping was $408.00. I figured if I screwed up an area with all that I saved I could still come out ahead. Laminate came with a tear off plastic that really helped protect it during fabrication.

Very nice looking marble pattern! I love granite except the price but I can see going with laminate if you just can't stomach the cost. And it is extremely practical. Carbide router bits w/bearings and a decent sized router base helps a lot for edge work.

 

[TnAndy]

Solid surface (Corian) is easy to work with. Way more so than laminates.

I bought some knock off Samsung brand from a local salvage materials place cheap....came in 3/4" x 4x12' sheets. Saws, routes and sands easy. Only thing I needed to buy additional was a dual barrel caulk gun for the matching epoxy glue to make up the thick front edge, and joints where you turn a corner.

 

[toyotadriver]

I've done a few laminate Formica type countertops....several in my house and several in friends' houses. They have all been super easy. I build them with Advantech subfloor because it's stiff, flat, and water resistant. Makes an awesome countertop. Heavy though.

 

[ray66v]

Nothing about working with laminate, justifies the high cost of having counter tops fabricated.

If you have basic wood working tools to make the bases, and you can get a laminate router, a slitter, and a couple of the right rollers, it really becomes a piece of cake.

When I work with the shinny laminates, I cover them with self adhesive plastic, carpet protector, while I machine, and install it.

The smooth, shinny laminates do scratch, so I would be careful using them in high use areas.

 

[MacLawn]

Good job, Stim. I love Formica, not expensive and has stood the test of time! Granite is already going out of style, very dated now.

 

[RNeumann]

I recently posted about RTA Cabinets (ready to assemble) and found them online and have them installed now in my total kitchen remodel.
I started pricing counter tops and found they want STUPID money for the granite/quartz/solid surface.
I needed 90 sq ft total and the cheapest was some thinner stuff for $3500. What I really liked was $7800.00 !!!!!
I then looked at Formica/Laminate, them fabricate, i install- $2000. They fabricate and install- $2600.
I started watching laminate u-tube videos (there are a bunch of them) and I jumped right in!
I bought the laminate online, 5 sheets of partical board,gal of contact cement- Lowe's and a Router and Belt Sander- HF.
Total was under $600.00 !!!
I had to move into my shop because the board was sagging from the heat outside.
The 3 pieces turned out perfect so if you have some skills watch the videos and jump right in!
Plus I now have a Router and Belt Sander! I don't think the other guys would have given me those!

Can you list the brand and source for the laminate? The glue brand would help too.
Thx for posting! Keep um coming!