Anyone ever make a laminate end-cap for a postform countertop, that should have had one factory applied, out of a sink cut-out. I have applied plenty of those oversized end-caps that are shipped loose with hot-melt glue and I have site-laminated and trimmed edge-banding and end-caps.
This week a countertop was supplied to a job with the end-cap missing and the job supervisor said I should just make one out of the sink cut-out. I let him know I thought that was a crazy request. He said he has installers do that a couple of times a week. I thought, good grief, you guys screw up orders that often!
I told him I wouldn’t do that. Whadda ya think?
I suppose I could have ripped a “1×4” piece off of the sink cut out & turned it on edge and ripped the laminate off the particle board, cleaned it up with a chisel and laminated it on and trimmed it…but just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
Replies
I have never tried it, but I imagine a heatgun would soften the contact cement enough to peel a strip off and reclaim it.
It does sound like an odd request tho.
Yeah, like Sphere is saying you heat the scrap and remove it, then laminate it where needed.
There's no reason they should be making that mistake more than once a year.
I do this all the time as I am too cheap to buy end caps even when available. Rip cutout diagonally and use a heast gun to strip. You can get several caps out of a cutout. Most patterns will work unless you have lines. In which case you have to seam the cap. No biggie.
Larry B
We've done it. It will release (as mentioned) with a heat gun - then sand the back with an orbital. It beats ordering.
I've never trusted the "hot glue" end cap attachment method; in fact, I've had failures with it. I sand the hot glue off and use the "harmful vapor" contact stuff.
i do exactly that several times a week
i take the sinkcutout, rip it down to about 5 by 26 strips( you'l get 3), heat the laminate with a heat gun or an iron, peel carefully with a putty knife, clean up the back side with a belt sander
apply contact cement evenly to the end of the top and the laminate strip and apply
trim with a small router with a flush cutter and file smooth
strips of pine can be used to "build up" the backsplash and bottom of the top before laminating the end
As others have mentioned, I've used the sink cutout to make an end cap.
I wouldnt specifically not order one so as to do it but when you gotta, you gotta!
Doug
Yes in a pinch I have done so as well. Sent the apprentice to the big yard to pick up an end cap only to find out he didn't know left from right. Since the place was now closed I opted to peel a section off the sink cutout and do it the hard way rather than waste another day..
As stated previously it is not a big problem if the top is glued with contact cement. The catch here is most large post forming operations actually use white glue to attach the laminate.
As for the hot melt caps I have literally installed thousands of them. I had a top shop that put out at least 75 post form tops per day. Never had much problem with them unless the stove was set too low.