What the Hell Home Depot!!! 80 bucks a pop??!

[MrTeamWork]

Woah crap, I was just at the Home Depot scrounging for parts for my cab and I went to the kitchen counter department. What followed was a fiasco.

 I asked how much 4  4'x8' sheets of Wilsonart Laminate would cost. The person asked me if I could show him my kitchen plans, and I said I do not have plans, it's for an Arcade Cabinet I am building.

 The person looked at me like I had 10 arms or something - honestly a 10 second 'stare' into space.

 He said the Laminate I wanted cost $2.50 a square foot - so I quickly added it up in my brain, but forgot to include all the square feet on the inside, ( I added only 4 x 2.50 and 8 X 2.50 ) lol
  and it comes out to like 80 bucks a POP. I was like What the hell! lol I don't have the funds to spend $360 bucks on Laminate for the sides of my cab. lol  

   I need other options - badly. Does anyone know if my Home Depot is out of wack with their prices? Does anyone know a CHEAPER place to buy Laminate, perhaps in the NYC area? ( I live on Staten Island ) What about Laminate alternitives?
  Paint? Glossy? Stain? Enamel?
I have already spent more than I wanted too on the cabinet, but I don't want it to look like crap either. So I am stuck where I cannot spend $360 bucks on the Laminate, yet I have already spent more than I wanted, so I 'cant' chicken out and do a crap job. lol I hope that makes sense...
Help! =/

Please? =/

[Keith O]

Formica brand laminate was quoted at $1.50 a sq. ft at my Home Depot (Florida). You might want to check it out in your area.

[aj6500]

I used rust-oleum "HAMMERED" black paint on my juke cabinet.  It kind of orange peels as it dries, giving the sides a slight texture and hiding some flaws.  This was on MDF.  It looks good and sells for $10 a quart.  I bought 2, used less than 1 after priming with Kilz and applying 2 coats.  My cab is smaller than a stand arcade cab, so you would probably use more than 1.  One point of note.  The can says to use outdoors or in a well ventilated area.  DO NOT IGNORE!  3 am in a near blizzard and I had every door and window in my house open.  On the other hand, I didn't need any beer at that point.  On the downside I kept hoping the wife wouldn't wake up until i'd vented the house.  Also, it stays slightly tacky for a couple days, after the 3rd the finish is hardened and seems pretty durable.

A friend of mine suggested using a roll-on bed liner for pickup trucks.  I gave it a loooong thought.  I figured it'd look pretty industrial and pretty cool, but decided against it.  Could work tho'

[rampy]

snaaake lives in the NYC area and found a laminate warehouse/discount place....

some thread where snaaake talks about it


The roll on bedliner idea is decent... It's been discussed before, but  haven't seen an example of it being done yet...

*Shrug* hope that helps if you still have a hankering for laminate...

rampy

EDIT: here's where snaaake says he got his laminate cheap

First Wood & Laminates Inc
16 Eckford St, Brooklyn, NY 11222
Phone: (718) 218-7800

[_Iz-]

I used some splatter paint designed for the trunks of cars on the sides of my control panel box. (Had it left over from my '68 camaro resto). Then did the control panel surface with hammered silver (ran out of the trunk paint and couldn't get anymore). Looks pretty kewl I think!  

[SNAAAKE]

snaaake lives in the NYC area and found a laminate warehouse/discount place....

some thread where snaaake talks about it


The roll on bedliner idea is decent... It's been discussed before, but  haven't seen an example of it being done yet...

*Shrug* hope that helps if you still have a hankering for laminate...

rampy

EDIT: here's where snaaake says he got his laminate cheap

First Wood & Laminates Inc
16 Eckford St, Brooklyn, NY 11222
Phone: (718) 218-7800

I was gonna post then realized the guy is not around my area so whats the point...
Unless you wanna drive down here..
They do local delivery though..charges like $5 a sheet for local delivery.

Oh and they dont cost $80 a pop..you could get any color heavy weight matt laminate for $14 a sheet..same onces home depot has for ONLY $46(my local HD).

[SirPoonga]

I used rust-oleum "HAMMERED" black paint on my juke cabinet.

Yeah, I got the grey.  It leaves a nice, thick, tough coat.  It was made for weather proofing.

[hyiu]

I visited local Home Depot before...

forget about those guys....

go to the area where they have 4 x 8 ft laminates lined up... (they have special shelves holding all those laminates... whatever color / pattern they have in stock...)

it should be about $50 a piece.... (check price tag.....)
(not a whole lot cheaper.... but I don't think that guy is giving you the correct quote....)

well.... but I'm not sure about the brand... (wilson art / or laminate / formica... etc...)
but the ones I looked at are the normal laminate quality... (which means good ones...)

so.... if you think about $50 a piece (4 x is acceptable, then go check it out again.... if this price is still too expensive... then you might want to think about painting it...

(well.... btw.... I'm located in NYC.... so, I think if they're going to charge high price, my place should be relatively high...) however, I don't guarantee....

good luck....

[JayTea]

I used a smooth surface roller to apply the glossy black, and I am very pleased with the results.  It gives just enough texture for my tastes - I didn't want nuggets of plaster on my cab

[Cue-Ball]

I just bought some of the Wilsonart-type laminate from my local Home Depot.  It cost me $42 per 4x8 sheet.  They had 6 colors or so in stock including the black that i purchased.  Ended up needing 2 sheets which will take care of both cabinet sides with a fair amount of scrap left over.  I had to try a few different Home Depots before i could find one that stocked the laminate so don't be afraid to check around.  Lowe's also carries laminate but the only colors my local Lowe's had were white, off white, and several "stone" textures.

If you decide to laminate don't forget to purchase the laminate glue, a roller (you can use a rolling pin if you have one), and a laminate bit for your router.