- If your current laminated countertop is in good physical shape, without any gouges or bubbles, you can just sand over it with 100-grit sandpaper to prepare for the laminate. If the laminate is significantly damaged of peeling off, you'll have to take if all off. Use a razor knife and a hammer to get underneath the layer of laminate and peel it away from the particleboard substrate. If the wood underneath becomes jagged and damaged from the removal, and can't be made smooth by sanding it down, glue and screw down a piece of 1/4-inch plywood on top of it, cutting the edges to match the current countertop.
- Cut your pieces of laminate larger than the surfaces they will cover, so they will hang over by about one inch (except at the back wall). Lay the laminate pieces down on their faces and brush the backs of them with contact cement. Also, brush the whole countertop with contact cement. Let the cement on all the surfaces set according to the instructions. The dry cement won't feel sticky when you touch it, but the two surfaces that have the cement on them will bond instantly, so don't allow them to touch until you're ready to mount them.
- Start with the front edge of the countertop, carefully pressing the laminate into place over the wood. Remember, after the two surfaces touch, there is no way to adjust them, so get the position right first. Roll all along the piece with a rolling pin to roll out any air bubbles. Run a routing bit along the edges to cut the laminate even with the countertop.
- Set one-inch wooden dowel rods over the countertop surface, about one per foot, and lay the laminate piece over the rods, so it will be held apart from the countertop surface while you get the piece in position. Once you're ready, slide out the dowel rods from the middle, one by one, pressing the laminate down to the countertop surface as you do and using the rolling pin to smooth it. Once the laminate is secure, use the router to trim the overhang.
