I had a client ask for a peninsula counter with a rounded end, 18″ radius. They want laminate and they want a bullnose or half-bullnose edge too. My instinct is that it can’t be done, and it certainly can’t be done by me, but I’m curious if anyone has ever seen this. Obviously it would be very easy in solid surface or stone, but before I question their choice of material I want to find out what the options are.
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It could be done with a wood bullnose, but no way with laminate.
I saw it done once in a magazine article. Maybe FWW? It was actually done with wood veneer and a vacuum bag. But I sure wouldn't take the job. Maybe it's time for a solid surface edge in a coordinating color.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
Can't be done in p-lam. Try doing it in wood and get a custom colored paint to match. This will require compromise if the p-lam has a pattern.
F.
david
Are you saying that they want the radius in the same laminate as the top? Just trying to figure this out.
I have seen it, dont know how it was done unless they used solid surface of the same patern and routed the profile. Thats how you make undermount sinks on a laminate top.
Doug
Doug, there is a peninsula that's about 36" wide and 7' long. At the end they want, ideally, a half round cut (18" radius) so that there are no corners. To compound things (ha ha) they want the entire top to have a bullnose.
This would be a piece of cake in stone, solid wood, or solid surface, because you'd just use a router and round the thing over. It would be a piece of cake in laminate if the edge were applied, such as a wood bullnose or a solid surface bullnose. It would be a piece of cake in laminate if the edge were square, and in fact that's what they have now. Someone cut the substrate with the 18" radius, glued on a strip for the edge, and then added the top sheet.
I'm 99% sure it's not do-able in laminate, but before I spout off to the HO about it I want to be sure. With a laminate bullnose there's usually a seam in the top every time there's a change in direction, and the edges are straight. But there is some very sophisticated manufacturing equipment out there and it wouldn't surprise me if someone had worked out a way to smear laminate all the way around a compound curve.
David
I could swear that I've seen exactly what you describe. I just dont have a clue how it was done.
Then again maybe I was looking at solid surface and only thought I was looking at laminate.
Dont you have a counter top specialist in you area? Most places do. Just looked at your profile, dont know where the hell Friday Harbor is, must be near somepalce!
Doug
No, I don't think so. It's really a matter of physics. This is completely impossible to do in laminate because of the geometry of the top. When you take that into consideration and the law of physics that says more than one bit of matter cannot occupy the same space at the same time...... no go. Unless of course you want to make all kinds of little kerf cuts to remove some of that matter.
Rob Kress
Nobody here does laminate work, and I'm relatively new here so I don't know the good suppliers yet. I did locate a large shop in Seattle and will talk to them tomorrow.
that would have to be like a radiused post form..the only way it can be done is a spray on (electrostatic) powdered plastic, which then would be actvated or cured..the thin contactpaper type of fake woodgrain stuff in vinyl would still wrinkle unless it was shrinked on..
in any case it may do-able, but not cost effective
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
David it can be done in melamine but requires special machines. This can not be done using a regular hpl. I work for an office funiture company, and we have looked into it. If you go look at some of the outdoor tables you find at Wal Mart and the likes, you can see an example of it. It requires a special mold for each size you want to do, and basicly is a big vaccum form machine that can apply heat at the same time.
The wear resistance is very poor. HPL is made up of a 2-3 layers of colored paper that is impregnated with phenolic resin and then many sheets of kraft paper that is also impregnated with phenolic resin and smashed under tons of pressure. Melamine is just the 2-3 layers of the colored paper impregnated with the phenolic resin and then thermofused directly to particale board of mdf. The wear resistance is very poor and it scratches easily also.
We are the people our parents warned us about. J. Buffett
Edited 5/28/2004 10:28 am ET by Mike
Can be done in P-lam with the 45 degree "clip" but you need someone who knows his stuff.
If you had a client that wanted to suspend a 500 lb refrigerator from the kitchen ceiling, you would have no trouble answering the request. Why is this request any more reasonable? ... unless, of course, the customer has a reference for you that you can pursue.
Using your philosophy I'd ignore the customer's request and keep myself ignorant of any possible techniques for doing the work.
It wouldn't be that hard to hang a fridge from the ceiling...
Jon Blakemore
>> It wouldn't be that hard to hang a fridge from the ceiling...
Four toggle bolts, some nuts epoxied to the top of the fridge, some threaded rod. No problem. :o)
Toggle bolts, well that's okay if you want OVERKILL...
I think Piffin has just the fastener for this application <g>
Jon Blakemore