Replies

1. 
   BossHog | Apr 23, 2015 05:55pm | #1

   Maybe those kitchen people that post spam here all the time can help ya.

   (-:

2. 
   oldhand | Apr 23, 2015 06:37pm | #2

   new one to me..

   Looks like it may be a useful product. Instructions not so much.

1. 
   Mike_Mahan | Apr 24, 2015 01:10am | #5

   Instructions

   I didn't post a link but there are some pretty good videos on line.

3. 
   DanH | Apr 23, 2015 07:49pm | #3

   I would guess you should build a sample before you attempt it in real life.

1. 
   Mike_Mahan | Apr 24, 2015 01:09am | #4

   Absolutely

   I've got plenty of material. I'm going to make a mock up to be sure I get it right. I'll post my results.

1. 
   gfretwell | Apr 24, 2015 12:42pm | #6

   I made similar edges with Corian scraps I was able to come up with and they worked great.

2. 
   calvin | Apr 27, 2015 08:51pm | #7

   Mike

   if you have the time and inclination, feel free to post some pictures and text on the process.

   thanks

1. 
   gfretwell | Apr 27, 2015 11:58pm | #8

   The Corian trick I did was easy. A cabinet guy gave me some strips of Corian about 1 11/2" wide. I rounded them over with a router and glued them to the edge of the counter with Epoxy. I drilled some holes in the back and pressed in some brads with the heads cut off that held the strips up until the glue set. I set tile up to the strip.

   View Image

   The other thing I have seen is putting quarter round pieces in a notch cut along the edge of a counter where they used mica.

   I assume they do the final trim after the mica is in place.

   View Image

1. 
   calvin | Apr 28, 2015 06:21am | #9

   Greg

   thanks, visuals make the story.

   Ive done many laminate jobs, old school.  Biggest exploration was wood edge.  Found soon a dedicated shop could produce a quality job at a better price, so started farming it out.  

2. 
   gfretwell | Apr 28, 2015 10:44am | #10

   I did the Corian because bull nose on a tile counter tends to get chipped. That counter is 20 years old.

   The corian quarter round (mica counter) was in a house we rented in Oregon. I only have to guess how they did it.

   It does just look like a router trick .

3. 
   calvin | Apr 28, 2015 09:05pm | #11

   Greg

   so you saw no overlay of laminate.

4. 
   calvin | Apr 28, 2015 09:05pm | #12

   Greg

   so you saw no overlay of laminate.

5. 
   gfretwell | Apr 28, 2015 11:38pm | #13

   No that was a solid material on the corner of the edge, looking like quarter round in a square cutout..The dark gray part

   The laminate butted up to it..

   I suspect they set the laminate, used a router to cut the rabbet in the edge, set the solid piece in and then trimmed it to final shape with a round over bit so they ended up with a nice flush fit.

4. 
   Mike_Mahan | May 08, 2015 01:58pm | #14

   Tis done.

   I finished the job. I really liked using these edges. The finished product is far superior to conventional laminate edges. In this particular case I chose laminates because of the cost consideration and because I didn't want to spend alot of time on it. I was originally going to use flat edges but at the last minute opted for the snap edges that lock into a grove cut on into the side of the counter. This was a good decision because the snap edges make dry fitting a piece of cake.

   This is not a DIY project. You need experience with laminate counters.

   First laminate the tops cut to rough dimensions. Then trim the rough edges with a router. I built up the rough edges before trimming making sure no brads were in the area to be removed. (A brad can sure screw up a $60 router bit.) Dry fitting was so great that I did not glue the edges to my mock up. I used Titebond 2 to attach the edges and on my first counter the glue was so thick that the edges did not pull up tight. This left a minute gap at the seams. I'll fill this with matching caulk. I diluted the glue on the next counter and everything was fine. Cutting the edge grouve requires a very precise router adjustment that I fine tuned on the mock up.  Miters are rough cut with a chop saw and fine cut with a stationary disk sander. I build jigs to cut 45 and 22.5 cuts for 90 and 45 miters.

   No laminate edges show in the finished product, but the seams do require a slight amount of fiing (that's with a file, not filling). I left the edge slightly high (maybe a few thousandths of an inch) and filed it smooth. This won't pass as solid surface but it comes close for alot less money. My finished cost including my time was probably less than $20/ sq.ft.

   
1. 
   deadnuts | May 09, 2015 08:30pm | #15

   NIce Job MIke. Definitely makes for a clean look with a softer visual edge treatement.

   You should expand your post into a finehomebuilding magazine article. It would be better than the WilsonArt instructions. Plus it would be nice to see someone other than Mike Guertin published.

   Did you consider trying the curved edge profile?