In the latest issue of FH on page 59 there is a callout that shows “Laminated edges that have the look of solid-surface material”. Anybody know how to do that? I am new to laminatd countertops. Don’t they have a dark subsurface that shows thru when you trim it with a router? There are no dark edges in this photo. What gives?
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it's called "color core" the color is all the way thru the sheet, no line of resin/paper.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
Thank you. Now I will see if I can find it
It's been around for IIRC more than 20 years now. Expensive stuff. Special order at most lumber stores/building centers.
For the solid surface look, w/o the expense of a full top, you can apply a 1/2 x 1-1/2 pc of s.s. as you would a pc. of wood. Apply that to the edge of the deck, lay the plam over that as you would a normal deck, rout an edge (not to exceed the thickness of the s.s. nosing) and you have a nice edge. The overlay black line will almost disappear if you use a dark s.s. With the plam overlay, you don't compromise a joint in the surface of the top as you would with a premade, applied colored nosing. Works well and looks good. Here's an example, sorry no close up.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Went to HD and looked at the Wilsonart sample in cross-section. It is a three piece build up using their standard laminate sheeting. Top deck, front piece and 45 degree chamfered piece 3/8" wide. But how is it done? I can't tell, the edges are all but invisible. It sure looks sharp and I would love to be able to create a top that looked like that.
It's factory fabricated. They mitred their sheets and installed them probably with a machine that costs more than you and I make in our life time.
Hmmmm. the edges do look mitered. So there is no way for the littel people to do that?
You can buy the beveled edge with most any color combo. Most are applied to the deck edge with a spline connection and glue.Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
>>So there is no way for the littel people to do that?
Not in my life time. See post #8.
The Wilson Art edging system is called PermaEdge. I have been building tops with that system for the past ten or twelve years.
You build and laminate the slab (3/4" particle board) w/o any subbase strips. Rout a 1/4 x 3/4 deep slot in the edge of the slab and glue the manufactured edging peice in the slot. If your setup and slab prep are right, the phenolic line of the top dissappears. Flip the whole thing over and add the final 3/4" build up sub bases for the 1 1/2 thickness.
Go to WilsonArts web site and find a PermaEdge supplier in your area. Contact the supplier (no big box stores) and ask when they are having the thier next seminar. Seminars are ussually free and last about 4 hrs in the evening. A lot of it is sales pitch to get you buy thier specialty tools to build the tops. You most likely already have similar tools, so you are just learning another way of utilizing them. With the instructions and a little practice, you can duplicate anything they sell at HD.
I figure if I can do it, there are a lot of excellent craftmen here at BT that can take it to a higher level.
Dave
There is another company that also makes and will do them in the laminate from any of the major companies.
It is Kueh Bevel or something like that. If I remember the last time I looked they also have wood edges and SS edges.
I think FHB or FWW did an article on four or five different edgeing systems a year or two ago. Formica was one of them, and there is a local source for it here, but I am not a huge fan of that brand. IIRC some of the other systems in the article read like they would be more fabricator friendly than WilsonArt, but I have never tried them. Wilson Art also makes a wood edgeing and even has radius corners for it. Several spieces available. Not sure about the s.s., but know thier plam line is coordinated with thier Gibraltor line of s.s. .
Dave
I was directed to Kuehnbevel.com a company that distributes the pre-beveled edge pieces. I guess that is the way to go as there is a wall of diminishing returns one must face on projects like this. Probably far easier to buy the edging than to try and make it. Thanks for the input.
Thanks for the info. With some training and practice I think most people on this board can do what you described.
But I and I think Roughcut too were thinking about that edging piece, I don't think I can with any tools that I can afford to produce that edging piece for the top.
Agree with you there.
Don't know that I would ever want try to make the edgeing itself. It is reasonably priced for the end results you get. Besides, I've sliced my hands enough on the razor sharp edges of the edgeing. i hate to think what I would do to myself with loose pieces of laminate that sharp. :)
Dave
Is that ABS or something like Corian?
That nosing was corian, but any solid surface will work.Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
I recently ordered a bunch of tops... Wilsonart laminate faces and Wilsonart Gibraltar solid surface edges. The edges are made with an integral spline that fits into a groove routed after the face laminate is in place. SS edges the top of the back splash, top and front end of edge splashes. There are several profiles of Gibraltar available. Don't know if they sell this to the general public or just to their fabricators. The resulting tops have no laminate edges showing anywhere. You need to be able to pick colors of both materials that you like together. Check out http://www.contourlaminates.com/laminates_edge_rndsolid.htm for some examples.
Edited 9/24/2004 9:30 am ET by davidmeiland