How to Laminate Wood Veneer
You can give new life to old wood-veneer cabinets, tabletops or other items without the expense of replacing them. Laminate covering--rigid plastic formed to present a suitable furniture front--is easily applied with the right tools and materials. You can choose from bright, high-gloss surfaces, flat matte finishes or even another layer of wood veneer. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Power palm sander
- 80-grit sandpaper
- Tape measure
- Jigsaw
- Power router
- Contact cement
- Brush
- Laminate routing bit
- Steel file
Instructions
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Use your palm sander to de-gloss the current veneer surface. Run the sander slowly along all sides, with moderate pressure. The goal is to take off the very top layer of shine and get the surface flat and clean, not to sand all the way through the veneer. Follow up by wiping down the whole surface with a rag soaked in paint thinner to take up all the dust and leave a clean surface.
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Measure each span of the surface. For each one, cut a piece of laminate with your jigsaw, making each piece 1 inch bigger all around than the surface that it's going to cover. Lay the pieces face down on spread-out newspapers, and brush contact cement onto the back, completely covering the back surface in a thin, even coat. Do the same for the surfaces that are going to be laminated. Let the contact cement air-dry according to the instructions.
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Apply the laminate starting with the side pieces so that the pieces facing the front are done last. For each piece, lay the laminate over the span so that it overlaps on all sides (except the sides abutting walls). Press it firmly against the surface. Run a block of wood up and down the length of it to ensure a tight bond. After it's on, run your router along the edge at a 45-degree angle to trim off the excess laminate. Repeat for each span, ending with the front spans, then gently run your file over all the corners to take off the sharpness.
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Tips & Warnings
Contact cement is designed so that it will stick only to other items that have contact cement on them, and then it bonds instantly, so make sure your laminate pieces are lined up correctly before you let them touch the surface.
Wear goggles when cutting the laminate with your jigsaw and when trimming it with the router.
