What is the best way to cut laminate countertop

Run your circular saw along this straight edge with good support. You may get that say Rough. Make a paste of baking soda, dish soap and a small amount of water and take one of those plastic scrubbing pads and gently scrub the paste into the area that smells, working in small circles.

Take a wet cloth or J-cloth and clean it all. Handheld power saws cut on the upstroke,. Trimming the edges of laminate after it has been glued down calls for. Remove any masking tape used for the larger cuts with the circular saw.

Trim the Formica to the exact size needed. Install the Formica onto the location. If you replace a countertop in your kitchen or bathroom , you may need to cut the new countertop to fit the desired area.

Laminate countertops usually come in one piece that combines the actual countertop and the backsplash. Set the laminate counter top on top of the cabinets with its back edge facing the wall. Cover the back inches of the counter top with masking tape. Push the counter top tight to the wall.

How to Cut a Laminate – Formica Countertop Tools. You can buy laminate countertops in stock sizes that come in two foot intervals between and feet. Again, use masking tape where you will be cutting to protect from chipping.

The manufacturer of your sink. The best way to cut the laminate is to lay it face-side down and cut from the back to the front. Cutting Laminate Countertops You must practice caution when cutting laminate countertops by thinking about the kickback potential. Best Answer: If the countertop is preformed and not just a sheet of laminate , you have the chipboard below and the laminate glued to the top. A laminate countertop installation is basically a grade-school cut -and-paste project writ large.

You build the substrate, cut out the laminate , and paste the two together with contact cement. Alternate methods are to use a jigsaw with a specialized laminate cutting blade or a circular saw with a shop-built jig to guide the cuts. In this video, Jeff Johnson from Glen Allen, Va.

To cut through laminate countertops, you can use a hand saw, but a circular saw makes the job much quicker. Because a circular saw can produce jagged edges and chip the laminate , your best bet is to lay the laminate face-side down and cut from the back to the front. Because laminate countertop is a relatively soft material, a normal circular saw blade for cutting wood is capable of cutting through it with ease. According to WoodworkingTips. The problem is I will need to cut the countertop back.

The backsplash is solid cherry, top is laminate. Get as close to degrees as possible, right up to the backsplash if that is the case. However, to see the best return on your countertop investment, you need to know how to clean laminate countertops so that your surfaces hold up for years to come.

Let’s take a look at some of the best ways to clean this material, including how to clean laminate countertops on a daily basis. To cut a hole for a sink, it’s easiest to use a jigsaw, which allows for great control. Always, always, always use a new jigsaw blade. An old or dull blade can chip the laminate along the cutting line. Drill two starter holes in opposite corners just inside the cutting line.

Drill a hole into each corner of the laminate surface with the paddle bit to cut the arcs properly. Turn the countertop over and use the jigsaw to cut along the straight lines you drew on earlier. Even though most of the laminate material is wooden, use a jigsaw blade designed for metal, i. Step II: Cut to Length Start by cutting the laminate countertop slab to length. Measure the length of the countertop and then cut the countertop slab to slightly longer.

Your carpenter’s square will come in handy to draw a straight cut line across the end. Cut along the line and lay the slab. Quick Tips Laminate is a composite material comprised of layers of paper and resin.

As with most housekeeping tasks, the key to keeping your laminate countertops. Keep Your Laminate Countertop Looking Good. As we’ve mentione one of laminate’s best features. Cutting a Hole in a Countertop for the Sink When you’re installing a new kitchen countertops, installing the sink means you’re near the end.

Most sinks come with a paper or cardboard template to help outline the area you’re going to cut out. Plastic laminate is used to cover countertops and cabinet panels, including door fronts and drawer faces. Once adhered to the substrate, laminate makes a rugge long-lasting surface. Laminate and Solid Surfacing Forum) From contributor I precut my laminate all the time, and have found the best way is with a dummy countertop I have at the shop and a router.

It is difficult to achieve a perfect cut close to the wall. For your final cut , you may cut just slightly outside of the line and leave a little amount to remove. Using a belt sander, you can grind the laminate back to the line. The steps are as follows: You need to place the belt sander in a way that it is running downward.

Nevertheless, the crucial aspect of cutting laminate countertop is to choose a blade with downward oriented teeth. In addition, the blade should have a medium to high tooth count. Using a blade with upward-orriented teeth is a rookie mistake, as in most of the cases it will chip the laminate countertop.

After examining the way the countertop fits, is it possible to cut a strip of laminate or another material that fills the gap? The general process for manufacturing laminate plastics is to add a resin to multiple paper layers which are subsequently bonded together into a hard surface. Read this article for advice on preparing the work area, sizing and laying laminates, and completing the countertop project.