Where to Find Affordable Kitchen Counters

No-drip edge

Waterfall

Self-edge

Accent-color edge

Bull nose

Bevel edge with accent color

Rounded wood edge

At Nutone Counters in Brooklyn, New York, fabricators cut the MDF fiberboard substrate to size, then add a strip along the front edge that will be covered with laminate. This produces a 1 1/2-in. overhang that will hide the seam between the top of the cabinets and the counter.

Fabricators apply the edge laminate first, then trim the excess. A belt sander is used in this case because the top has a curved profile on one side. On a straight top, a specialized router, called a laminate trimmer, is used.

Next, contact cement is applied to the substrate and the cut-to-fit laminate—this one is from Formica—is pressed into place. Fabricators use a squeegee to remove air bubbles and ensure full adhesion.

Because the field laminates are usually cut slightly larger than the counter to help prevent mistakes, the excess is pared flush with a laminate trimmer.

Cutouts for the sink and cooktop are made with a router and template. Most fabricators keep templates for different-size sinks, though some shops prefer to make the sink cutout on site when they're installing the countertops.