[lmanwarren]

Building a bar in my kitchen and decided to buy laminate and cover with the same color as my countertops.Now I've read that cut laminate slightly bigger then area to cover and router after glue is all set up.I read to that if you place tape where your going to cut.It can be cut with a circular saw and the tape keeps it from chipping.Curious if anyone has tried this method.See I planned on covering a whole sheet of 3/4 plywood then cut from that the size I need covering where I cut with tape and making my marks on the tape.

[skiberger]

You can buy laminate shears at Home Depot or Lowe's. I was surprised how well these work Started usung them when I need to cut laminate. If you use the saw method, install a plywood blade in backwards. Personally, buy the laminate shears, less chance of damage to the laminate.
When laminating the bartop, do the edges first, trim w./ router, then install the top piece bigger than the actual size of the top, trim w/ router.
Make sure the contact cement on the top and laminate are completely dry before putting the two together. To prevent the laminate from accidentally adhering where they're not suppose to, place strips of wood between the laminate and bartop. Set one edge, then pull the sticks out as you make you way down the top. Use a laminate roller to roll the surface after you set to gett all ait out. Then trim w/ router. Final step would be to file the sharp edge of the laminate.

[dherman1]

Yes, you can use tape to help prevent chipping and use the saw blade tip that Skiberger suggests.

But, sheers do work better.

Don't put the laminate on the plywood and then cut it to fit. You need to make sure that the plywood is well bonded and secure before applying the laminate.

Glue and Screw (either construction adhesive, caulk or wood workers glue) the plywood to the bar. Making sure that the screws are below the surface of the plywood. I would also suggest using MDF as the surface tends to be smoother than plywood.

Sand the surface of the plywood to remove any high spots. You don't need to worry too much about indents as the laminate won't show them. But, any high spots will be telegraphed through.

Vacuum the surface and then wipe it down with a tack cloth. Vacuum again and then blow off the surface using compressed air. (Canned air like you use to clean out a keyboard works great).

Apply the contact cement to both surfaces and let dry.

Place stickers (thin pieces of material) on the plywood/mdf. Depending on the size of the laminate, you may want to have a helper when you put the laminate on top of the stickers. Once the two layers of contact cement touch each other, they are STUCK.

Starting in the center, remove the sticker. Use a J roller, to remove any air bubbles and to make a tight connection.

Remove the rest of the stickers, working out from the center and roll it out with the J roller.

Trim off the overage as Skiberger suggests.

Good Luck and let us know how it went.

Dan