formica, laminate, vinyl, or paint?

[censei]

I want to finish up my cabinet with a professional look but without the arm and a leg cost, so which would would be the best and professional looking solution? I know formica is great but it seems it requires lots of work, same with laminate. I heard there is self adhesive vinyl that can be applied without tons of work. I think self adhesive vinyl would be professional looking and easy to install. I've tried painting cabinets and they look professional but can't take the wear and tear of abuse from people using the machine. So which one would be good and where can I buy these at discount/cheap prices? 

[orion]

On my last project I needed to resurface the entire cab. I couldn't spend a whole lot of money as I had a baby on the way. I was going to use laminate but I couldn't find any local so it all had to be special ordered which made it way to pricey. I found a solution using vinyl that only cost me $45.00 to cover the entire cab. This isn't self adhesive vinyl but it was really easy to do. I used vinyl from a fabric store that they were selling as remnets for $3.00 a yard. It took 4 yards to cover the entire machine. The adhesive that I used is 3M High strength 90 I believe ($10.00 to $12.00 a can depending on where you get it). Don't use the Super 77 as it doesn't hold up very well. You will need three cans of it  as you have to apply it to both the vinyl and the cab. It has an insert on the nozzle which causes it to shoot a narrow stream that you will have to remove so you can apply it fairy quickly as it starts to get tacky within 5 min. As with appling any vinyl or decal to a cab you will need help appling it to the sides. The only real tricks to getting it on smooth are to use a steamer on the vinyl before you apply it to get any creases out and after appling it and trimming it take a damp rag and an iron set on high and iron it out. Lay the rag on the machine and iron over it. This will prevent the iron from melting the vinyl and will steam out any of the remaining wrinkles, you just have to take your time with it. Once the vinyl starts to cool it tightens up pretty well. This solution worked surprisingly well for me. The only issue that I ran into was that after a few hours it started peeling away from the edges in some spots. I just squirted a little more adhesive on and stuck it back down and haven't had any issues since. Hope this helps.

[shmokes]

Formica and laminate are the same thing.  Formica is just a brand of laminate. 

If you're after something typical, like black, Home Depot will have it in stock - no special order necessary.  I don't think it's too much more expensive than paint, but remember to factor in the cost of other materials.  You'll need a gallon of contact cement if you're doing an entire cabinet.  That'll run about $15.  Plus you'll need a disposable paint brush (trust me, you'll never use it again) for applying the contact cement.  You'll need at least five or six dowels, so that'll be a few dollars.  You also need a j-roller, but the rolling pin in your kitchen works fine if you'd rather save some money.  Also, if you don't have a flush trim or template bit for your router, that'll ding you for another $20.  But seriously, if you have a router but don't have a template bit you don't know what you're missing.  You need that regardless of whether you laminate your project.  At any rate, you can't apply laminate without it.

I'd say applying laminate is actually less work than doing a good paint job with multiple coats and sanding in between.  Considerably less work even.  You just score it more or less to size with a untility knife, leaving at least 1/4" overhang (I usually make it more like 1/2").  Slather some contact sement on both surfaces.  Lay down the laminate, then run the router around the edges.  And you're left with a flawless surface you could never reproduce with paint and it's WAY more durable to boot.

edit: spelling

[ChadTower]

You don't need to buy dowels.  You can use pretty much anything with some thickness.  I use whatever scrap 2x4s or ply pieces I have around and they work fine.  You also don't necessarily need a router/flush trim bit.  It can be done with a laminate trimmer which is much cheaper.  And I've found that if you use sponge brushes they can be used a few times (though still only contact cement) before you have to throw it out.

I agree that unless you want to do a lot of work that laminate is going to get you your best finish quality-work value.

[Santoro]

I am a BIG fan of laminate - I think it looks much more professional than paint if done right.

[shmokes]

And it's so much easier than paint to do right.  Paint done right can look every bit as good as laminate (look at your car ).  But the very first thing I laminated in my entire life looks as good as the last thing I laminated (which is to say, it looks exactly as it should).  I mean, there's plenty of room to screw up, like tipping the router and having the blade eat into the wood.  But if you're careful it just comes out perfect pretty much every time.  The same can't be said for painting.  Painting well is an acquired skill.

[ChadTower]

The only mistake I've made a couple times with laminate is finding out after I laid it down that some particle got trapped underneath it.  You roll that spot and it breaks up through the laminate a little bit.  Hate that.  Only takes something as small as a little twig to blow under while you're not looking.

[shmokes]

Wow . . . that's fortunately never happened to me.  I'm really lucky as I've laminated a lot of stuff outside and I live in an area where there's always TONS of leaves and twigs everywhere, not to mention saw dust and wood chips from my own work.  I've never even checked whether the surfaces were free of debris before pulling out the dowels.  I'll have to keep an eye out for that in the future.

[orion]

"If you're after something typical, like black, Home Depot will have it in stock - no special order necessary."

Neither Home Depot or Lowes carried Black laminate in my town, all they have is the marbled stuff for the counter tops they have in stock... hence I had to take the route I took. They have also quit selling the smoked plexi for some reason. You would think that they would carry this stuff as it is pretty basic. Also the laminate sheets they do have were $100.00 for a 4x8 sheet.

[ChadTower]

"If you're after something typical, like black, Home Depot will have it in stock - no special order necessary."

Neither Home Depot or Lowes carried Black laminate in my town, all they have is the marbled stuff for the counter tops they have in stock... hence I had to take the route I took. They have also quit selling the smoked plexi for some reason. You would think that they would carry this stuff as it is pretty basic. Also the laminate sheets they do have were $100.00 for a 4x8 sheet.

Both Lowes near my house have white, black, and marble sheets and they're like $45 or so each 4x8.  Of course, they're usually damaged, because they are at floor level in a heavy activity area, and look like they have been there for years.

[orion]

"Both Lowes near my house have white, black, and marble sheets and they're like $45 or so each 4x8.  Of course, they're usually damaged, because they are at floor level in a heavy activity area, and look like they have been there for years."

It wouldn't surprise me if they don't restock those once they have sold them out. They used to sell it in my area but they haven't in years. I am sure they don't restock items that they don't sell a lot of. If you think your going to have a need for it down the road you might want to stock up on it. What surprised me is that not even the local lumberyards in my area carried it either. All of the online retailers seemed only to want to sell it it 4x8 sheets and they kill you on shipping charges. It would have run me around $300.00 to cover a cab, which lead me to be a little creative in finding a solution.

[ChadTower]

Lowe's will order it with no shipping charges... they have almost every style you could need.  That's how I get it.  Takes about a week.

[orion]

"Lowe's will order it with no shipping charges... they have almost every style you could need.  That's how I get it.  Takes about a week."

Thats really good to know! Thanks for the info! I'm assuming that thats for $45.00 a sheet as you said before?

[Santoro]

I paid $52 last year.

[orion]

"I paid $52 last year."

Thats not a bad price 

[shmokes]

Home Depot's the same.  No shipping charges to order laminate.

[Todd H]

Are there different thicknesses for laminate? If so, what thickness should I get? I haven't ordered mine yet so I was curious.

[shmokes]

I suppose there are different thicknesses, seeing as the laminate on melamine is much thinner than typical Formica, but for the most part I think it's all basically the same.  If you have the option get the thinnest possible or use 5/8" wood instead of 3/4".  Laminated 3/4" wood is slightly too thick to be completely covered by 3/4" t-molding.  It's no big deal, though.  All my stuff is laminated 3/4" wood and it looks perfectly fine with 3/4" t-molding on it.

[ChadTower]

The good part about ordering, other than the selection, is that you can order in several different sizes.  You don't always have to get a 4x8 sheet.  You can find the huge selection of samples in the kitchen section.

[orion]

Home Depot's the same.  No shipping charges to order laminate.

OK so the lesson I'm learning here is that if you get no help at the local home improvement centers, come back another day and try again.

The good part about ordering, other than the selection, is that you can order in several different sizes.  You don't always have to get a 4x8 sheet.  You can find the huge selection of samples in the kitchen section.

Thanks for that info as well 

[Franco B]

Are there different thicknesses for laminate? If so, what thickness should I get? I haven't ordered mine yet so I was curious.

To quote Chadwick from the laminate thread i posted:

Here's what I found on the Formica site:

# Grade 10 General Purpose Grade (HGS, Nominal Thickness .048" (1.2mm))
The most widely specified grade; recommended for horizontal and vertical interior applications.

# Grade 12 Horizontal Postforming Grade (HGP, Nominal Thickness .039" (1.0mm))
Postformable to permit bending on suitable commercial postforming equipment. Use whenever forming is desired for decorative or functional purposes in interior applications. Optimum postforming temperature is 325°F (163°C). Note: When used with a polished finish, Grade 12 is recommended only for light duty horizontal applications.

# Grade 20 Vertical Postforming Grade (VGP, Nominal Thickness .028" (0.7mm))
Outside and inside radii to 3/8" (9.5mm). A forming grade designed for vertical or light duty horizontal interior applications requiring radiused edges. Thinner than Grade 12; excellent for postformed radii. Installed panel width not to exceed 24" (609.6mm) maximum.

To be honest, I think you would be fine with any thickness as long as the bending radii suited your project.

There is some good laminate application advice/info in the same thread [<<Here>>].