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Can you cut 2" off the edge of a laminate countertop...

10 years ago

Can you cut 2" off the side end of a laminate countertop....or will it damage the laminate? I've seen TV 'gurus' cut it with tape over the top, but I think that was from the bottom and this is just trimming it 'as is' in the kitchen.

And...if it damages the laminate...is it difficult to cover that area with ceramic tile? I might put tile on each side of the range anyway...and this area would only be about 18" wide.

Thanks in advance :)

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Comments (7)

juliekcmo
10 years ago
Is the side "trimmed" with laminate edging? Or would the raw edge be OK.

I believe that laminate is designed to cut fairly simply with the proper tools and techniques.

The ends can be trimmed with the matching laminate trim, which is affixed with an adhesive that is activated by an iron on a low temp (from what I see on TV makeover shows. I have no first hand experience.)
Fori
10 years ago
I enlarged a drop-in sink hole in a laminate counter once. It was old school laminate with chrome trim. I used an electric jigsaw with a new blade and it was okay. Of course, I was covering up my cut so it might not have been THAT great! Ask the guys at Lowe's (they owe ya, right? :P) how to cut the prefab laminate--people do it all the time with that stuff!

On an unrelated topic (seriously--the sink was fine!) I did tile over a scuffed-up laminate bathroom countertop and tub surround and it held. I think it would be fine on a small patch of counter.
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I don't know how handy you are or what the current status of your countertop is, but it does sound like you're thinking about installing a Formica countertop and would like something nice to edge it. It that is the way of it, the solution is really rather simple. I won't tell you about the steps for installing the Formica itself, as I will assume that you already have that knowledge, except to say that it is really not as difficult as it seems to be from the outside looking in. It is one of the easier things I have learned in woodworking, to be honest about it. The way to get a nice edge treatment is to apply it to the countertop substrate before you glue down the Formica. I would choose a wood that matched my cabinets. If you have, say, Â¾" particleboard for a substrate, you simply glue the wood of your choice to the outside edges of your substrate. Typically, that wood should be 1Â½" wide, thereby giving the illusion of a countertop that thick. You can miter the corners, but I have found that what works better and easier is to use wood that is 1" thick, as opposed to the usual Â¾". You can then simply use butt joints for the edges of your wood trim. I do it in such a way that the joint is NOT on the side that will face out when the counter is installed. Make your joints on the sides. Next, I would make a template that has a 1" radius for a corner and put rounded corners on all of the corners that will face out. Obviously, where it butts to the wall, you want it to stay as straight corners. The easier way to round those corners, once you have the template, is to clamp the template in place, use a hand saw to cut across the corner to remove most of the waste, then finish up with a straight trim bit in a router. At this point you can install your Formica. Once you have finished installing the Formica, you can then put a nice profile on the countertop, making sure to cut through the Formica just a little. What works particularly well in that regard is to use a roundover bit and cut it deeply enough that it creates a shoulder. The Formica is then on a "shelf," so to speak, just above where the round starts for the profile on the edge. The other bit I like for this purpose is a simple 60Âº bevel bit. On this one, you simply cut through until you are happy with the resulting profile. After that, you would finish the wood the same as you would the wood in your cabinets. It is really not that difficult to do, and as I say, it makes a truly dramatic edge treatment for a Formica countertop. It makes it look like the countertop is solid whatever wood you choose for your edging, and it finishes the edge wonderfully. Here is a link that might be useful: Cabinet & Furniture Trends & Information
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PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
10 years ago
lavander_lass:

You can trim a laminate counter, but you're going to have to remove it to do a professional job.

If you're cutting off 2", make a test cut at the 1" mark to see how much chipping you'll get. Chipping can be minimized with saw blade selection (circular not jig saw) and tape.

If you want no chips, rough cut at 1 13/4", then pull a router down the edge guided by a straightedge at the 2" mark. Test cut for chipping at the front edge; sometimes you have to cut backwards to avoid it.

This post was edited by Trebruchet on Mon, Apr 14, 14 at 9:19
User
10 years ago
Doable----with the right tools and a steady hand.
2ajsmama
10 years ago
I can't see how you're going to cut this in place when it butts against the wall. At least I'm assuming that's what you mean when you say it's "as is in the kitchen" - that it's installed on top of cabinets on one or both sides of your range, usually a range will be against a wall not in an island.

Pictures might help.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
10 years ago
ajsmama:

It can be cut in place; I've done it. It takes lots of skill with a router or Rotozip freehand and an aggressive belt sander. There will be wall damage, but you can patch that easily enough.
lavender_lass
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks for the responses! I'm still not sure if we're going to change the kitchen or not, but if we do...

Our kitchen has a 'desk area' that is around the corner and drops down from this other counter top. What I'd like to do is trim off the overhang and take off the desk area counter top...and lift it up to be even with the rest of the counters.

This would mean removing the lower counter top and putting new base cabinets in....then placing the top back on. I was hoping to trim off the extra counter top by the range, so that the previous desk area would fit against it.

If I do this, I'll also be cutting out the cooktop, to put in a range...which means I'm cutting both sides of this little counter top area. That's why I may just end up covering it with tile.

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