Got my laminate!

[davellaman]

Well I finally got my laminate to cover my melamine that I accidently got.  I have been reading some articles and postson putting it on, one thing I noticed is some people cut a few inches extra on the sides to ensure it fits.

But, would that just be harder work, wouldnt it be easier to just cut along the line instead of adding extra work foryourself?  I understand the concept of adding the few inches, but is it really needed?

Also,  What adhesive do you recommend me getting to make it stick to the melamine?


And finally,  If I were to......lets say.....add a logo to the side of my cab, would it look better to use a decal of some sort or to have it painted on?


THanks!

-Mark

Extra note:  Damn laminate is expensive!  $140.00 for 3 sheets ( I went with 3 to be extra safe. im going to cover back and inside as well, if possible.

[OSCAR]

Leaving an extra inch or two is definitely a good idea.  You would really be kicking yourself in the butt if you cut it exactly the right size and it was an 1/8" off in one (or two) directions when you laid it down.  The contact cement, when properly applied to both the laminate and the melamine surface, will instantly bond the two pieces together.  You don't get a 2nd shot at it.  And it really isn't much more work to buzz around the perimeter with a router after the laminate is down, probably 5 minutes per panel at most to trim it up.  Don't try to take a shortcut on the final stages of your construction where any "oops" will show up the most.

Use laminate cement to bond the laminate to the melamine.  Personally, I would go over the melamine with an 80-120 grit sandpaper before applying the cement to make sure it bonds well.  If you do this, be sure to go over the melamine with a damp cloth or tack cloth before applying the adhesive.

A decal will look just fine on the laminate.  The only thing I would be concerned about would be the quality of the decal itself, not so much how a decal would look against laminate.  I've seen laminated cabinets with real arcade sideart on them before and they look really good.

[Wienerdog]

But, would that just be harder work, wouldnt it be easier to just cut along the line instead of adding extra work foryourself?  I understand the concept of adding the few inches, but is it really needed?
...
Extra note:  Damn laminate is expensive!  $140.00 for 3 sheets ( I went with 3 to be extra safe. im going to cover back and inside as well, if possible.

Lets make sure that you have something right.  You need to use a router with a flush trim bit to trim the lamilate after it is cemented.  It's possible you could do it another way, but your extra note says it all.  At close to $50 per sheet, you want to use the right tool for the job.  If someone doesn't have a router yet, there are cheaper alternatives to a full blown $200 router that are okay for this task.

[mastahkaz]

Are there any good Dremel bits for flush triming the laminate?  So far the Dremel tool as been a life saver for me, its pretty much been able to do everything i've needed.

Also, has anyone found any places that will sell small peices of laminate?  I only need like a 2x1' peice but places will only sell me 3'x8' at the smallest.

oh yeah, first post.. i'm Ryan by the way

[davellaman]

hey, welcome to the boards ryan!

I bought a router tool assembly for my dremmel and it works nice, I have not used it on my cab yet, I need the right size bit, but I am sure they have a trimmer bit for it.  They have bits for almost everything when it comes to the dremmel.

[hyiu]

if you want smaller pieces of laminate....

hmmm... the only thing I can think of right now is go to places like HD.... sometimes, they have ruined pieces....
talk to them and they can give you the ruined piece at a DISCOUNTED price.....

or for a smaller shop... just ask....

sorry... not much help here....