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  • 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


    (Continued from page 1)

    PHOTO

    Figure C
    PHOTO

    Figure D

  • Add two coats of contact cement to the side of the counter top and one coat to the underside of the laminate strips.

  • When the contact cement has dried and has a nice sheen to it, carefully place the strips onto the side of the countertop and roll out any air pockets using a J-roller (figure C).

  • Allow seven hours for the cement to harden.

  • Once completely dry, use the router and laminate bit to remove the excess laminate. Place the base of the router against the side of the countertop and move in a left to right motion (figure D).

  • Now you are ready to work on the countertop laminate. Measure the length and width of the countertop, again adding an additional inch to the measurements. Cut out using a circular saw.

  • Apply one coat of contact cement to the MDF, a coat to the underside of the laminate, and then go back and apply a second coat to the MDF. Wait for the cement to dry on both.

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    PHOTO

    Figure E
    PHOTO

    Figure F

  • Once dry, place spacers across the MDF, then lay the laminate down on top of the spacers (figure E).

  • One by one, remove each spacer, smoothing out the laminate with a J-roller to eliminate any air pockets. When using the J-roller, push from the middle to the outside. Do this until the entire laminate piece is attached to the MDF.

    Important: Once adhered the laminate cannot be moved, so make sure you have it correctly placed before removing each spacer.

  • Again, allow seven hours for the cement to harden.

  • Once completely dry, use the router and bit to remove the excess laminate (figure F). Place the base of the router on top of the countertop and move in a left to right motion.


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    RESOURCES :

    Kitchen countertop laminate: Bisque Ceramic Matte Finish #7697-58
    Formica Corporation
    www.formica.com

    Peninsula cabinets: Finished Alamo Oak Kitchen Cabinets
    Home Clearance Center
    www.buynewkitchen.homestead.com

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