DIY Network

Inside Job: Adding New Laminate To Countertop As part of the "three rooms into one" home makeover, Carter Oosterhouse reveals the steps for installing a new laminate countertop for the kitchen area. From "The Inside Job" episode DISJ-101

Laminating a new countertop or resurfacing and old one can completely change the look of your kitchen. For our project, we are using medium density fiberboard (MDF), a great material because it is great at soaking up contact cement.

Tip: If you're resurfacing a countertop, make sure you scuff up the existing countertop with sandpaper. This will give your laminate and countertop a nice, tight bond.

Before

After

Before

After

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Adding New Laminate To Countertop

Materials:

MDF countertop
laminate
contact cement
wood spacers
sand paper (if resurfacing)

Tools:

circular saw
laminate slitter
router and laminate bit
J-roller
contact cement rollers
measuring tape
protective eye wear

	Figure A
	Figure B

Steps:

• Before starting any work on placing laminate, make sure your surfaces are completely free of debris. Otherwise you'll have a mess when you begin laying down your contact cement.

• It's best to start working with the counter siding. Measure the length and width of the counter edges and add an additional inch to the measurements, allowing yourself room for error when attaching (figure A).

• Cut out the strips of laminate you will need by using a laminate slitter (figure B).
  
  
  

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  ALSO IN THIS EPISODE:
  	Inside Job: Adding New Laminate To Countertop