Main Restorations Software Audio/Jukebox/MP3 Everything Else Buy/Sell/Trade
Project Announcements Monitor/Video GroovyMAME Merit/JVL Touchscreen Meet Up Retail Vendors
Driving & Racing Woodworking Software Support Forums Consoles Project Arcade Reviews
Automated Projects Artwork Frontend Support Forums Pinball Forum Discussion Old Boards
Raspberry Pi & Dev Board controls.dat Linux Miscellaneous Arcade Wiki Discussion Old Archives
Lightguns Arcade1Up Try the site in https mode Site News

Unread posts | New Replies | Recent posts | Rules | Chatroom | Wiki | File Repository | RSS | Submit news

  

Author Topic: How flexible is laminate? Is countertop laminate different?  (Read 2624 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

BadMouth

  • Trade Count: (+6)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 9226
  • Last login:Yesterday at 09:47:02 pm
  • ...
How flexible is laminate? Is countertop laminate different?
« on: November 17, 2015, 03:45:28 pm »
Not arcade related, but you guys have experience with laminate and I don't want to join another forum.  :)
I have never worked with laminate.

I want to build a 12ft long desk for my home office/gameroom that spans the length of the room.
I'd like a 1.5" thick bullnose on the front edge, but can't seem to find any examples of any DIYers wrapping laminate around the front edge.
Is this possible for a DIYer to do, or are the factory countertops made using processes or materials that I can't replicate? 
(or would it just be too much of a PITA on a piece that long?)

Thanks.

harveybirdman

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2538
  • Last login:February 19, 2024, 12:40:25 pm
  • SHMUP'EM
Re: How flexible is laminate? Is countertop laminate different?
« Reply #1 on: November 17, 2015, 04:29:28 pm »
you need what these dudes have....



I bet you could do in manually but the stuff you buy in home improvement stores would probably break on you with the slightest misstep... it's much thinner today than it was back in the 70's

BadMouth

  • Trade Count: (+6)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 9226
  • Last login:Yesterday at 09:47:02 pm
  • ...
Re: How flexible is laminate? Is countertop laminate different?
« Reply #2 on: November 18, 2015, 09:29:28 am »
Thanks for replying.  I think I'll just go a simpler route for the edge rather than risk it breaking or not coming out right.
The laminate will be a very dark wood pattern, so a half round strip painted black wouldn't look bad.

I will however have a little left over to experiment with.  :D

lamprey

  • Trade Count: (+3)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 636
  • Last login:January 17, 2019, 07:03:11 pm
Re: How flexible is laminate? Is countertop laminate different?
« Reply #3 on: November 18, 2015, 02:43:10 pm »
Although not laminate, if you are doing a wood pattern you can you get wood vainer sheets that bend rather well.  You can stain and put some coats of varnish to protect if you wanted to bend "wood" around the bull-nose. I used it for some  columns for my home theater and it came out great.

Another option is to go to a cabinet company and ask them how much it would cost to do a top the way you want it...?
« Last Edit: November 18, 2015, 02:45:55 pm by lamprey »

BadMouth

  • Trade Count: (+6)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 9226
  • Last login:Yesterday at 09:47:02 pm
  • ...
Re: How flexible is laminate? Is countertop laminate different?
« Reply #4 on: November 18, 2015, 04:54:01 pm »
I'm being cheap for the time being.  ;D
Trying not to sink a ton of time into it because I'm in the middle of a whole house remodel and it needs to keep moving forward.
(I want some finished rooms to sit in though!)

Ordered a 30x144 strip of this for $60:


I'll probably end up with $150 in the desk.
From what I gathered the piece of countertop made by someone else would have run around $300.


lamprey

  • Trade Count: (+3)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 636
  • Last login:January 17, 2019, 07:03:11 pm
Re: How flexible is laminate? Is countertop laminate different?
« Reply #5 on: November 18, 2015, 05:31:19 pm »
I'm being cheap for the time being.  ;D
Trying not to sink a ton of time into it because I'm in the middle of a whole house remodel and it needs to keep moving forward.
(I want some finished rooms to sit in though!)

I feel ya.  :)

Good luck on the remodel!

BadMouth

  • Trade Count: (+6)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 9226
  • Last login:Yesterday at 09:47:02 pm
  • ...
Re: How flexible is laminate? Is countertop laminate different?
« Reply #6 on: December 02, 2015, 10:02:05 pm »
If anyone is interested in how it turned out.....

I just ended up applying laminate to the front edge.  The laminate bit marred the finish off the top 1/4" of the front edge. I should have watched a tutorial that covered that part. Luckily it was a black stripe and isn't noticeable after painting it black.

I also didn't realize how much mdf sags.  There's a 3" double layer around the outside and a plywood cleat on the back and sides, so I don't think it will be too bad, but if I had it to do over again I'd use plywood.  Added a couple parsons legs from home depot on the front side for support. 

I'm swearing off MDF.



« Last Edit: December 02, 2015, 10:04:49 pm by BadMouth »

wp34

  • Trade Count: (+3)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4794
  • Last login:April 10, 2022, 09:48:19 pm
Re: How flexible is laminate? Is countertop laminate different?
« Reply #7 on: December 03, 2015, 11:42:02 am »
That turned out great--from your picture anyway.   I like the laminate you picked.  All black would have been a bit much and hard to keep clean.

lordjackenstein

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5
  • Last login:December 22, 2015, 04:47:53 pm
  • I want to build my own arcade controls!
Re: How flexible is laminate? Is countertop laminate different?
« Reply #8 on: December 21, 2015, 04:51:26 pm »
I use lexan in almost all of my cabinet builds.  It is easy to work with. Can be cut by my jigsaw.