Particle board and Laminate (Parts Direct)

[jholman76]

Hey all, had a question.

I am currently hot and heavy in building a bartop with some free 5/8 in particle board.

When it comes time to finish it, I want a nice, smooth black (matte if possible) finish. I have toyed with either laminate or paint, but for particle board, laminate seems to be the way to go.

many posts have directed my to Parts Direct and their self-adhesive laminate they have on Amazon. This would be the correct width, but would I be better getting some from a local countertop place? (HD and Lowes cant sell me any).

Also, if any one has used the parts direct laminate, did it apply easily without bubbles, etc? I once tried to do some vinyl work on my windshield.... ya, never again.

I was thinking I might be better with a nice (thicker) formica scrap and then trim it down.

Thanks everyone. Pics will come when I am almost done. I'm hit and miss with time to work on it.

Joe

[milkit]

vinyl and laminate are two different things. vinyl on rough particle board is going to show all kinds of bumps and imperfections. laminate is thick and wont show those but its about $60 a sheet.

You'd be better off trashing that particle board and buying a $25 sheet of MDF and painting it

[jholman76]

Thanks. I know that particle board isnt the choice wood for cabinet building, but it was free and I'm into it already.

a friend of mine and I are building a few of these if they turn out OK, so the next couple will probably be of MDF. I will just have to get some respirators for all of the dust 

The board I have is amazingly smooth. I'm sure I'll find some bumps if I decide to get vinyl, so I'm going to call a countertop manuf. that is local. If they dont have any scraps, i'm going to have to trial some primer/paint methods.

Update: I did find some laminate local at a Menards, but it was all marble countertop so if it has to be that, its not a TOTAL loss.

joe

[pixelchallenged]

You are on the right track with getting some scrap material and gluing it yourself. I would not trust self adhesive laminate on partical board. You might want to look in the local ytellow pages to see if there are any display or exhibit shops in town. they are known to throw out large quantities of laminate. The biggest hurdle you are going to face is the glueing process. Brush on or roll on sucks and can delaminate.
If you could contact a local supplier of laminate goods then you could find out which manufacturer offers a spray contact in an aerosol can. yea it cost about $10 per can but two cans per project or less well worth it.  Happy to help with any question reguarding laminiate, 20 year specialist, mail me at wintersremodeling@msn.com

[Epyx]

I wouldn't go with the self adhesive. Get good quality black laminate from HD or any kitchen cabinet place. With quality laminate, no one will ever know it is particle board underneath.  See my signature for a tutorial on lamination if you have never done it, you will be amazed at how easy the process is and it looks pro when finished! 

[milkit]

Thanks. I know that particle board isnt the choice wood for cabinet building, but it was free and I'm into it already.

i guess my point was that the free wood isnt worth it by the time you spend all the time/effort/$ to make it look good. A sheet of MDF is $29 max and will paint easy. By the time you buy laminate/aheasive/etc you arent going to save much with the free wood. but good luck either way

[MaximRecoil]

vinyl and laminate are two different things. vinyl on rough particle board is going to show all kinds of bumps and imperfections. laminate is thick and wont show those but its about $60 a sheet.

You'd be better off trashing that particle board and buying a $25 sheet of MDF and painting it

Particle board isn't rough. Dynamo cabinets for example, used particle board and a thin vinyl or vinyl-type substance, and they were smooth. Atari often did the same thing. My Missile Command for example is particle board covered in vinyl.

Here is a picture of my Ikari Warriors (Dynamo) cabinet:



The surface of the particle board used in that Dynamo cabinet is smooth enough that it would make a decent surface for placing paper on to write. You can wipe a paper towel or even a tissue across it without it snagging/catching on anything.

Maybe you are confusing particle board with OSB which is very rough.

[jholman76]

Well, I got some laminate from a local counter-top making place here. On the positive side, since they make such large counters, they usually have scraps that they throw. I talked with the owner and he said it was no problem for me to come and harvest whatever they can save for me, so bonus! I just said anything solid (or near solid) color or wood grain would be perfect. I want to stay away from the marble/stone look. Its a little too 80s for me. (and the wife)

I applied the laminate to some of my pieces and I must say it was a very easy process and with the help of a flush-trim router bit, a very successful process as well. I just hope I can get a bunch for free so I can continue using it. its expensive, but looks so damn good!

[jholman76]

I've been laminating the project... I love it... wow. My loves are my Craftsman pro portable table saw w/sliding mitre table, laminate, router, and wife. IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER.