Working plan

Making a Countertop Part I

Im making a countertop for an apartment makeover, and thought this would be a good opportunity for a how-to.  There are two pieces to this - a peninsula and an L shaped section.

I start by rough trimming some laminate using laminate sheers. They are kind of a pain, but they cut safely with little tear to the laminate.


Ive started with the peninsula.  I am using 3/4" particle board for the substrate.  I cut the overall top piece, and add 3" wide strips on the underside.  The strips give the top rigidity, and also build up the edges to 1 1/2" where we want it.
I want to start with all the finished edges first, so Ive trimmed out some oversized strips to apply.  I will finish trim them later.  I apply a layer of Wilsonart adhesive to the particle board, and also to the strip being applied, and let it dry completely.  Note: I apply two coats to the edges, because the edges are more porous.  The first coat, once dried, will put the second coat where I want it - on the surface and ready to hold the laminate in place!
Adhesive has to dry completely to work!  You will know its dry when it is no longer a milky color.


The laminate Im using is a lighter color, but here it is applied to the end and trimmed.


Here is a closer look.  I leave the edge strips overhanging, and will trim them flush with a trim router...


Here is the peninsula with all sides completed....


Now for the L shaped piece.  Ive cut the top, and have applied the 3" build up strips on the underside.  At this point, I would normally take this to the jobsite and scribe the wall side of the top to the wall itself, but in this case, I plan to make a 3/4" backsplash which will be installed on top of this countertop, hiding where it meets the wall, so there is no need to scribe.  You can see that I leave the 3" strips on the wall side of the top about 1/2" from the edge - this would make scribing easier.


Applying the edges first...


Now I have cut the top piece of laminate, making it oversized also.


Here is a pic of the trim router in action.  Note: the trim bit should be set just deep enough to cut to top laminate.  If the bit is extended to far, it can chew into your side pieces.  Trust me, you wont be happy when that happens!


Making progress on trimming the inside corner...


And here is the finished L shaped section!  After the trimming is done, I use a power sander with 220 grit paper to smooth all the edges - just a quick pass will do it, and its a nice edge all around.  Total time to make just this section was a little over 4 hours.



Coming up - the backsplashes and the installation.