Rob Keeble
Member
- Messages
- 12,633
- Location
- GTA Ontario Canada
So two nights ago i got asked to help out a friend finishing a second hand kitchen in his basement. He had installed plywood top on these old cupboards and had laminate type of formica ready cut to go down.
I ended up making up some oak strips of wood and gluing and nailing them to the edges to provide a decent straight edge and surface to apply laminate.
At the store where he got the laminate he was given a 3M adhesive spray to apply the laminate to the plywood. This set of alarm bells in me because i had only known this adhesive type for craft projects and marketing type booth material.
There was no "desire" on his part to wait till i checked in with all of you and got some real world knowledge so i was somewhat forced into going with the flow.
I was amazed but still apprehensive as to how well this stuff made the laminate adhere to the wood. But there were a few things that i was not happy with. Anyhow we got to the point where the oak edges are on one set of the cabinets and the laminate adhered to the face of the edge and trimmed top and bottom by me using a combo of router and zip tool with laminate bit.
Then he had already cut the top so i sprayed it and the surface it was to be applied to and we stuck it down. No issues so far and i had done a test piece first before we even started because my knowledge of this stuff said you need to use contact adhesive.
But here is the thing. When i came to trim the pieces i had cut to stick on the front face of the edge strip the overhang had this adhesive on it and when i trimmed it up with the router this adhesive seemed to adhere to the bearing on the router bit and cause it to roll off center depending on the glue stuck to it. This made me switch to the zip tool with a bit that has a smooth tip for a bout 1/4 inch and well i made it through finishing the top and bottom edge.
But i refused to go further once the top was glued down until i checked on both the adhesive and how to do this.
He wanted this top down to be able to cut it out for a sink and get on with the rest of the job. So its currently in a state where the counter top is adhered and a overhang exists.
Still have a complete other side to do but i aint going to be party to it until i know something about what i am doing. Its all fine and dandy helping people but when it goes wrong even though they insist it is done using what they have then you still the guy in the firing line and this is not being done for income just helping out.
Can any of you tell me if you have used any of the 3M adhesives sprays to adhere laminate to plywood. If so which one. My research so far does not show up a red tin that is design for this purpose.
Does this glue ever dry?
How do you route these edges given glue build up. I am hoping this glue drys and that the finish rout of the top overhang will not have the same glue build up issue if it is dry.
Is there a special router bit for these purposes other than a normal bearing type straight trim bit.
Do i trim to the edge and then use a 45 chamfer bearing bit to give it a final finish?
This is textured typed laminate to boot so its not smooth. How will a bearing run on this stuff. My experience on the edges was not a great one. I got it done but boy I was under duress and ended up using the zip tool with its bit. A bit i have since found out is a tracing bit. Fortunately for me where it rubbed it was the top and bottom of the oak egde i installed but that was more by luck than design.
So before i return to finish the edge i would like to up my knowledge on what to do so as to do it properly.
I am worried this spray adhesive will not hold. I must say it was amazing on the test piece but i just dont know for the long term what the situ will be.
Any help advice or criticism would be greatly appreciated.
My eagerness to help out has got me into a bind on this one.
I ended up making up some oak strips of wood and gluing and nailing them to the edges to provide a decent straight edge and surface to apply laminate.
At the store where he got the laminate he was given a 3M adhesive spray to apply the laminate to the plywood. This set of alarm bells in me because i had only known this adhesive type for craft projects and marketing type booth material.
There was no "desire" on his part to wait till i checked in with all of you and got some real world knowledge so i was somewhat forced into going with the flow.
I was amazed but still apprehensive as to how well this stuff made the laminate adhere to the wood. But there were a few things that i was not happy with. Anyhow we got to the point where the oak edges are on one set of the cabinets and the laminate adhered to the face of the edge and trimmed top and bottom by me using a combo of router and zip tool with laminate bit.
Then he had already cut the top so i sprayed it and the surface it was to be applied to and we stuck it down. No issues so far and i had done a test piece first before we even started because my knowledge of this stuff said you need to use contact adhesive.
But here is the thing. When i came to trim the pieces i had cut to stick on the front face of the edge strip the overhang had this adhesive on it and when i trimmed it up with the router this adhesive seemed to adhere to the bearing on the router bit and cause it to roll off center depending on the glue stuck to it. This made me switch to the zip tool with a bit that has a smooth tip for a bout 1/4 inch and well i made it through finishing the top and bottom edge.
But i refused to go further once the top was glued down until i checked on both the adhesive and how to do this.
He wanted this top down to be able to cut it out for a sink and get on with the rest of the job. So its currently in a state where the counter top is adhered and a overhang exists.
Still have a complete other side to do but i aint going to be party to it until i know something about what i am doing. Its all fine and dandy helping people but when it goes wrong even though they insist it is done using what they have then you still the guy in the firing line and this is not being done for income just helping out.
Can any of you tell me if you have used any of the 3M adhesives sprays to adhere laminate to plywood. If so which one. My research so far does not show up a red tin that is design for this purpose.
Does this glue ever dry?
How do you route these edges given glue build up. I am hoping this glue drys and that the finish rout of the top overhang will not have the same glue build up issue if it is dry.
Is there a special router bit for these purposes other than a normal bearing type straight trim bit.
Do i trim to the edge and then use a 45 chamfer bearing bit to give it a final finish?
This is textured typed laminate to boot so its not smooth. How will a bearing run on this stuff. My experience on the edges was not a great one. I got it done but boy I was under duress and ended up using the zip tool with its bit. A bit i have since found out is a tracing bit. Fortunately for me where it rubbed it was the top and bottom of the oak egde i installed but that was more by luck than design.
So before i return to finish the edge i would like to up my knowledge on what to do so as to do it properly.
I am worried this spray adhesive will not hold. I must say it was amazing on the test piece but i just dont know for the long term what the situ will be.
Any help advice or criticism would be greatly appreciated.
My eagerness to help out has got me into a bind on this one.