How to Laminate a Countertop

By: Harry Sawyers, This Old House magazine

Shopping List

Supplies You Will Need

1. LAMINATE
Order at home centers or through kitchen designers (allow two weeks for delivery). Laminates range from about $2 to $5 per square foot, but they come in 4-by-8- or 5-by-12-foot sheets. Because you want as few seams as possible, choose a size that will yield the longest uninterrupted pieces, taking into account not only the surface of the counter but the sides and backsplash as well.

2. 3/4-INCH PARTICLEBOARD
to form the substrate to which you adhere the laminate. A 4-by-8-foot sheet should be wide enough to create all the pieces needed for one standard 25-inch-deep countertop section and backsplash, up to 8 feet long.

3. WATER-RESISTANT WOOD GLUE
to glue together pieces of the substrate. Look for PVA wood glues rated Type II. 4. PRIMER
to protect the particleboard from moisture.

5. NEOPRENE CONTACT CEMENT
Look for a water-based or low-VOC product rather than a solvent-based one, which will dry faster but can only be used in a well-ventilated area. One gallon will cover about 250 to 300 square feet.

6. 3/4-INCH DOWELS
to hold the laminate off the particleboard before adhesion. Plan on one 3-foot-long dowel for every 12 inches of countertop. Clean scrap wood will also work.

7. CLEAR LATEX CAULK
to seal and waterproof seams between two countertop pieces and to seal edges where the countertop meets a wall.

8. 11/4-INCH and 15/8-INCH DECK SCREWS
to assemble the substrate and to attach the countertop to the cabinets.

Close
Tools List
Tools You Will Need
Close
Product Gallery
Product selections for this project
Close

Drive screws through the pilot holes to secure the backsplash

Photo: Kolin Smith

Introduction
Overview
Steps:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10

7. Create a backsplash

To make a backsplash, cut a piece of particleboard 5½inches wide and as long as the counter. Do not double up the wood. Laminate this piece, adhering first the short sides, then the wide face, and finally the top.

Using a caulk gun, run a bead of clear caulk along the bottom part of the face of the backsplash. Align it with the back side of the countertop surface, making sure the bottom edges are flush. Using a drill/driver fitted with a 1½-inch bit, create pilot holes through the backsplash and into the edge of the countertop every 6 to 8 inches. Drive 1 5/8-inch screws through the pilot holes. With a wet finger, smooth any caulk that oozes out.