Full service floor covering company located in Massachusetts with a full line of carpet, hardwood, laminate, ceramic tile, and vinyl flooring. Sorry I read your post quickly. I used this for a floor and it was terribly hard to install because of weight and size,if you are doing a countertop go to Lowes, Home. How to Install Formica. Formica, or any other brand of household laminate, is most often used for kitchen counters and wall decoration. Laminate is easy to. Best Countertop Contractors Phoenix AZ. This pro will provide an estimate when you discuss the details of your project in person. If you choose to hire this pro for your project, youll agree on final pricing before any work begins and youll. Youre in control. How to Install a Countertop. Premade countertops. Plastic laminate countertops. Youll save a lot of money installing countertops yourself. Plastic laminate countertops have been adorning kitchen cabinets for more than 5. Plastic laminate is a tough, durable material that comes in hundreds of colors and finishes. When applied to particleboard or plywood underlayment by a production shop, this proven product is ideal for kitchens, bathrooms and other settings. By installing premade countertops yourself, youll save 5. In this article, well show you how to measure, buy and install your own countertops. Our instructions include how to make chip free cuts, tight to the wall scribes and nearly invisible joints for a professional looking job. The easiest approach is to order custom made laminate countertops ours cost about 3. You can also buy premade take it with you stock tops in limited colors at many home centers, for about half the price of custom countertops. Shop for the latest in plastic laminates on manufacturer Web sites. You can also view product samples at home centers and countertop suppliers. A belt sander with an 8. Photo 7. You also need a scribing tool Photo 6 to make accurate marks along irregular walls. A 1. 0 in. mill file and a smaller half round file will help you get perfect fits for end caps Photo 1. Besides these special tools, a 1. Measure carefully before you order your new countertop. Photo 1 Measure along the finished edge. Measure the hollow space under your new countertop for the correct build up height. Your manufacturer can supply build up strips or you can cut them yourself. Our measurement was 34 in., so we used 1x. Photo 2 Attach the build up strips. Screw the build up strips to the tops of your cabinets sides and along the back using 1 14 in. You may not need them on the cabinet end where the manufacturer has installed a finished end. Photo 3 Test fit the corner pieces. Slide the corner pieces into position first to test fit for scribing. Since our corner cabinet had a solid top, we cut inspection holes to tighten the miter bolts next photo. Photo 4 Hold the corners together Temporarily bolt the two corner pieces together from below. Use the special miter bolts above that come with the countertop. Detail of miter bolts. These special miter bolts temporarily hold the countertop corners together. Before ordering new countertops, youll need to make accurate measurements of your cabinet layout. A word of warning here If you have a U shaped kitchen with two large miters and have never installed countertops before, you may want to hire a pro. Configurations like this require you to scribe three walls at one time. But if you have only one inside corner as we did, the project is well within the skill level of the average do it yourselfer. Make a sketch and then, starting from the back walls, measure the exact lengths from the walls to the edge of each run of cabinets. Add 34 in. to the length of each section to allow for overhangs. Allow an extra inch to protrude into a freestanding range space. Youll trim it off later for an exact fit Photo 1. Order a laminate end cap or make your own, Photo 1. If you need to butt the countertop into a side panel like a pantry or refrigerator cabinet, add an extra 1 in. Photos 1. 4 1. 6. This will give a more finished look than a straight cut. Also measure the depth of your base cabinets. Standard laminate tops are 2. Check to make sure youll have at least 12 in. Most manufacturers will supply preshaped and preglued iron on end caps to cover finished ends, but I prefer to order a little extra plastic laminate that I can score and cut and glue into place with contact cement for a longer lasting grip. Either system works fine, but if this is your first go at this type of project, youll find the iron on end caps easier to install. Just keep in mind youll need to do a bit of filing in either case to shape the end caps. Another important consideration is corner and edge style. To fit our design requirements, we chose square corners for all our edges. If you want any rounded corners on exposed edges, discuss this with your supplier ahead of time and ask to see sample profiles. Youll also need build up strips usually 34 in. Photo 2 to support the top across the cabinets. At first glance, countertops appear to be 1 12 in. Applying additional build up strips to the top of your cabinets will fill the void at support points and elevate the countertops above top drawers. When ordering, ask for build up strips, but keep in mind you can easily make your own from scrap 34 in. Once you complete your measurements, take your drawing to your countertop supplier and discuss your plan to make sure youve covered all the bases. How To Crack Nba Live 2008 Demo here. If you dont have a home center near you or your lumberyard doesnt provide this service, check the Yellow Pages under Countertops. When you place your order, ask about delivery to your home. In most cases, the odd shapes are unwieldy and wont rest securely on top of the family car. Measure at Least Twice to Locate the Sink. You can get into trouble here if you dont think through three important steps Center the sink over the sink base cabinet. Set the sink back far enough to clear the cabinet front. Cut the hole smaller than your sinks rim. For most stainless steel sinks, its safe to flip the sink over and trace around it and then make another line 12 in. Photo 8. The exception here is an asymmetrical shape where the left side is different from the right side. Check this carefully, especially if youre reinstalling your old sink and no longer have the original template most new sinks come with a full size template. If youre installing a cast iron enameled sink, you should make an even smaller cutout, leaving more countertop to support the weight of the sink. Usually most cast iron sinks will allow you to cut inside the traced perimeter at least 1 in. Once youve traced the outline, draw another line inside the first, drill your holes Photo 9, then flip the countertop over, transfer the lines Photo 1. Scribing your backsplash to the wall is the most crucial step. Photo 5 Tighten the miter bolts. Make sure the miter is flush on top as you tighten the bolts. Once the bolts are tight and the top is flush, slide the countertop into the corner and examine the fit along each wall. Photo 6 Scribe the backsplash. Set your scribing tool to the width of the widest gap along each wall. Apply masking tape to the top of the backsplash and use your scribe to mark the entire length of each countertop. Scribe to each wall, adjusting your scribing tool each time for the largest gap on that wall. Photo 7 Sand to the scribe line. Belt sand to your scribe line using an 8. Make sure the top is clamped down to your work surface to keep it from walking away from you as you sand. Sand only to your scribe line, keeping the belt sander at 9. Reposition the top and rescribe and sand if necessary. Photo 8 Trace around the sink. Flip our sink upside down into position over the sink cabinet. If your sink is not symmetrical, use a template. Mark around the perimeter, then mark another line 12 in. This will be the cutout size. Photo 9 Drill holes inside the template. Drill 12 in. dia. The edges of the holes should just kiss the inside edge of the inner line. Photo 1. 0 Connect the drill holes. Flip the top upside down. Connect the dots. The lines should touch the outer circles of the 12 in. Use a coffee mug to round the corners.