Thread: Can anyone recommend anyone who can laminate veneer my existing kitchen counter top?

Back when I did my Furniture and Cabinetmaking apprenticeship, laminating counter tops and fitting kitchen cabinets (scribing to the walls, etc) was part of the course.

I highly doubt that you will find anyone who is prepared to provide any sort of warranty for re-laminating an existing kitchen bench top.
Perhaps they will even require you to sign a written undertaking that whatever happens you won't sue the installer. (Now as far as I know requiring a signed release from any liability is not a legal option -- so I doubt that any installer will touch your project.)


If you do find someone prepared to attempt the task be prepared for the bench top to be disconnected from the plumbing, removed from the wall (splashback), before being re-laminated.


Based on my limited experience, it will be less expensive for you and the missus to buy a whole new bench top.


good luck to you.

Originally Posted by barrysumpter

Can anyone recommend anyone who can laminate veneer my existing kitchen counter top?

Spend last couple of days looking for someone to replace our kitchen counter top.

Now the lady wants me to see if someone can laminate veneer our existing kitchen counter top in place.

Just to clarify, when you say "laminate veneer" to the existing top, do you mean laminating timber veneer (i.e. very thin timber slices) to your existing counter top, or just laminate like Laminex etc? What is the existing counter top?

Thin slices

A wooden veneer is unsuitable for a kitchen top. It's too fragile. It's good for a piece of furniture that gets dusted every now and again. For a kitchen, if they like a timber look, then they need a decent thickness of timber, not veneer.

Could it be that when they say 'veneer' they are really referring to wood about 25mm thick? Well, if so, that's not veneer.

Originally Posted by ErrolFlynn

A wooden veneer is unsuitable for a kitchen top. It's too fragile. It's good for a piece of furniture that gets dusted every now and again. For a kitchen, if they like a timber look, then they need a decent thickness of timber, not veneer.

Originally Posted by ErrolFlynn

Could it be that when they say 'veneer' they are really referring to wood about 25mm thick? Well, if so, that's not veneer.

Ikea solid wood bench tops are around 38 mm thick


I assumed Barry's SWMBO was asking about a 1 mm "thick" plastic laminate and the existing bench has a bull nose edge profile.
If the existing bench has a square laminated edge -- easy to pick -- re-laminating the edge will be nigh-on impossible.


harking back to my apprenticeship we used a set of wringer type rollers to pressure set the contact cement holding the laminate onto the bench substrate.

Originally Posted by barrysumpter

Can anyone recommend anyone who can laminate veneer my existing kitchen counter top?

Spend last couple of days looking for someone to replace our kitchen counter top.

Now the lady wants me to see if someone can laminate veneer our existing kitchen counter top in place.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

What is your existing top now? Chipboard with laminex or solid wood or what?
And what sort of timber "Thin slices " are you thinking of . Oak, Blackwood, Ebony ?

Ive never heard of anyone willing do do such a job in house. It's more the sort of idea an owner builder might come up with I think. Sliced veneer has to be pressed on with a press for best results. Edging has to be done first then the top pressed. With the right glue and pressed correctly and the right finish, and then if its treated also treated well from that point on there is no reason why it wont last well.
Sawn veneer may be better. A facing of wood 4mm thick. I do some table tops that way. Parquetry using 4mm would be much easier than a boarded look. Parquetry facing can be pressed as you go along in small sections while sliced veneer needs to be jointed and pressed as one in one go. Parquetry can be pressed with a small shop made one screw press. Sliced either needs a huge press or a vacuum press which means the top has to go in a bag usually. Although it is possible to try and seal a single skin of plastic around the sides. I doubt that would work though.
All this depends on what is there to lay it on first. Poly glue is amazing at gluing dis similar materials . Just looking at the bond. It is quite possible a rough sanded hard laminex could take a solid faced 4mm top or even a sliced veneer. Ive done solid facing to steel which worked well. I'm about to do another wood to steel application in a couple of months.

Rob

Laminate on timber top with 8 coats of OSMO top oil.

Ok thanks to all.

Now I've got ammunition to negate for the boss.

Looking at Rust - olium diamond white paint now.

Originally Posted by auscab

All this depends on what is there to lay it on first. Poly glue is amazing at gluing dis similar materials . Just looking at the bond. It is quite possible a rough sanded hard laminex could take a solid faced 4mm top or even a sliced veneer. Ive done solid facing to steel which worked well. I'm about to do another wood to steel application in a couple of months.

Rob

FWIW I've done a couple of kitchen bench laminate to laminate overlays on site with KwikGrip on rough sanded original surface and it held nicely. But as auscab mentioned, getting the overlay perfectly flat by whatever pressure I could apply by hand with rollers, battens etc didn't quite happen. Looked okay as long you didn't put a straight edge on it. Nuisance problems scribing to uneven splashbacks and getting neat joins on U shaped benches. I wouldn't recommend it if you want a perfect job, unless you can get a cabinet maker who's done it on site before and can show you examples of his or her work.

Originally Posted by auscab

Ive never heard of anyone willing do do such a job in house. It's more the sort of idea an owner builder might come up with I think.

Very perceptive. The two I did were both on my own house renovations.