Bending Laminate Sheets

When putting edging on use a heat gun to make the strip easier to bend.

Bending laminate sheets.

The edge will also be laminate 90 deg edge the sink is a farm sink and the edge of the countertop is cut to match the curvature of the sink. Make sure when sticking the edge you ve got the thinner section lined up with curve. Unlike traditional plastics which are usually manufactured from some form of virgin resin laminating sheets offer distinct performance characteristics by combining. Make sure nothing is under the strip so you re sanding flat.

Laminate sheets are created from a mixture of paper or fiber that is impregnated into a plastic resin and cured under a specific heating and cooling process known as thermosetting. Brown kraft paper the same as paper grocery bags is used for the bottom layers. Instead of heating the entire sheet of glass until it becomes soft only the area of the glass where the actual bending is to take place is heated to that point. Belt sand the back of the laminate where it will bend around the corners.

Most tight formica curves are formed during the manufacturing process since it s difficult to bend and shape manually. In order for this to work it requires that the laminate is heated to a state of relaxation that allows for the forming of the material to the core. After countless times of ruining a brand new counter edge when trimming the top down to the final dimension i came up with this trick to provide consistent. This is not something that can be done cold.

How to bend laminate it is 1 1 2 in. Formica is a plastic laminate used widely for countertops and cabinet doors. It is made by bonding layers of paper together with a plastic resin under high heat and tremendous pressure to create a single solid layer. For instances where the radius of the curve is three inches or greater you can cautiously bend the laminate without heating it so start by measuring the radius of the curve.

Also there are some laminate brands that will have a greater chance of cracking because of the physical properties of the sheets. A decorative sheet that bears the visible color and or design of the laminate countertop goes in the middle and translucent sheets of paper form the top layer. I ll start on a straight edge which holds up one end of laminate for you. Thick 2 layers of 3 4 plywood with laminate on the top.

Clamp the laminate strips to your table before sanding.