To laminate or not to laminate?

[VinceVega]

I'm a good deal into the woodworking portion of my cocktail cabinet. I am striving for that classic 80's woodgrain look that has spousal approval. I have all my panels cut from 3/4" oak plywood, but let me tell ya - that stuff splinters like a mofo. My plan was to stain it - and fix any splintering with wood filler. I tested the wood filler today, and it really doesn't match... at all. To make matters worse, I messed up on the front panel and I need to buy another sheet of wood.

Now that I'm in this position, I'm toying with the idea of starting from scratch with MDF and laminating the entire thing in woodgrain formica. It'd mean a lot of wasted work (and wood), but I've already got the router and laminating would look so nice. But I've heard it can get expensive - and time consuming.

So what should I do? Anyone on here laminated their whole cab, and if so was it worth it? I have no idea how much the stuff costs.

[Epyx]

Quite a few of us on here have laminated their cabs. Take a look at my Aliens project (current project) in my signature...was done about 90% with laminate.  Tutorial in signature also deals with how to best apply laminate.

Laminate will cost you roughly $50-120 per sheet...for a cocktail you can likely get by with 1 or 2 sheets total.  Laminate provides a very nice finish and is dead simple to apply and much easier than a great paint job. However, there is a time and place for both.

[Nacimroc]

Could you not just carry on with your plywood, then use filler, sand smooth and laminate it then. Instead of making another out of MDF to laminate. Laminate isn't hard to apply and gives a nice finish but it is expensive. If you do plan on going with MDF, it shouldn't be hard if you keep the originals and copy the pieces with a flush trim bit on the router ?

[mlalena]

I agree with trying the filler option first, but if you are going the laminate route, you should also consider a real oak veneer - think laminate, but with real wood. Oak plywood is nothing more than plywood with a veneer already applied - a thin layer of real oak on one or both sides. I think the veneer would be cheaper than laminate and it should apply just like laminate.

[VinceVega]

If I do go the laminate route, there are two reasons I wouldn't use the pieces I already cut. One, I messed up the front panel and don't have any wood left, so I have to buy a new sheet anyway. Two, the plywood I was using was 3/4", so with laminate applied the T-molding wouldn't go right to the edge (as seen in Epyx's tutorials). It's nitpicky but if I'm already buying wood I might as well go with 5/8".

Also, reason 2.5 - I'm not totally happy with my saw work so far. I have a router now and I think I can do better.

The cost is the only thing that scares me. I may have to investigate that veneer option.

[javeryh]

Two, the plywood I was using was 3/4", so with laminate applied the T-molding wouldn't go right to the edge (as seen in Epyx's tutorials). It's nitpicky but if I'm already buying wood I might as well go with 5/8".

Your 3/4" plywood isn't 3/4".  It is probably 1/32" thinner than 3/4".  If you apply a 1mm laminate (which is about 0.394") you will have something very close to an actual 3/4" side for the t-molding (1/32" = 0.03125").  If you offset the slot you won't be able to tell with such a small overhang on each side - like paper thin.  5/8" MDF is actually 5/8" (if you can find it - I've never seen it in the wild) and adding the laminate will get you close to 3/4" (but just shy).

[VinceVega]

Two, the plywood I was using was 3/4", so with laminate applied the T-molding wouldn't go right to the edge (as seen in Epyx's tutorials). It's nitpicky but if I'm already buying wood I might as well go with 5/8".

Your 3/4" plywood isn't 3/4".  It is probably 1/32" thinner than 3/4".  If you apply a 1mm laminate (which is about 0.394") you will have something very close to an actual 3/4" side for the t-molding (1/32" = 0.03125").  If you offset the slot you won't be able to tell with such a small overhang on each side - like paper thin.  5/8" MDF is actually 5/8" (if you can find it - I've never seen it in the wild) and adding the laminate will get you close to 3/4" (but just shy).

Thanks for the info! That makes things easier.

[Breaker]

I vote for laminate as well.

MDF is cheap, so the cost to redo your current work would be minimal, and the benefits of going with laminate
are worth it in my opinion. I spent approx $400 on four sheets of laminate for my full size upright CAB and I was extremely happy with the results. Laminate is easy to work with and requires only basic routing skills to apply. However, since you're building a cocktail, CAB you could easily get by with 2 sheets max. of laminate (or possibly only one). Veneer could also work. It would definitely look better than simulated wood laminate but would likely not provide as much protection against bumps, scratches and such (plus good quality oak veneer can be expensive).

I concur with VinceVega regarding t-molding. The 5/8 MDF I used for my cab was the perfect size for 3/4 t-molding once laminated (5/8MDF + 1/16 outside laminate + 1/16 inside laminate = 6/8 or 3/4) . However, as noted in the thickness calculation, I applied a thin laminate border to the inside panels of my CAB for aesthetics which is why I didn't experience any over-hang.

My two cents...
Good luck with your project.

Breaker.

[kegger]

I painted my first cab and laminated my second, and if I did a third I would laminate it again.   

[Epyx]

Ya what does it for me is just running my hands along the side of my cab...oh so smooth and durable.

[drventure]

I used maple veneer for the doors on my cab. It's self stick, was very easy to cut and apply and took stain quite nicely.

If you still want a real wood look, that'll get you there and you can still stain it however you'd like.

There's veneer in all sorts of different wood types (I'd do walnut if I had to do it again, maples nice but not quite right for me)

[VinceVega]

Where can you get veneer?

[drventure]

I picked mine up at a local Rockler, but you can also order theirs online, rockler.com

There's probably lots of other places, but you won't really find that stuff at Lowes or Home Depot. A hardwood supplier or the like is the best bet.

Here's one, new york area
http://www.honerkamp.com/

Google "allwood veneer" for other places.