how do you cut formica edge strips

by Destany Wisozk MD Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago

Using a Router to Cut Formica

1 Cut the Formica to 1/8 inch (.32 cm) larger than the size needed. [8]
2 Remove any masking tape used for the larger cuts with the circular saw.
3 Install the Formica onto the location.
4 Trim the Formica to the exact size needed. Use a trim router that features a laminate cutting bit. [9]

Install a fine-toothed blade on your table or circular saw. Either saw can be used to cut the strips, however, if you use a circular saw you will also need a set of sawhorses. The fine-toothed blade will also help to prevent the laminate from chipping.

Full Answer

How do you cut Formica?

A few easy steps before actually cutting the Formica can help make your do-it-yourself job look like a professional installation job. There are 2 ways to cut Formica, either with a jigsaw or a laminate router bit. Follow the steps below to learn more about both methods. Purchase the size of Formica sheet that fits best for your project.

Can you cut a Formica countertop without chipping?

This piece addresses Formica and asks the question of how to cut a Formica countertop without chipping. Formica is not stone. Rather, it is a laminate and cuts differently than does granite and quartz. Laminate countertops require a greater degree of care in cutting to size for a proper fit.

Can you cut Formica with laminate shears?

Laminate shears can cut up to 1/8 inch thick Formica pieces easily without chipping. The mouth of a laminate shear moves in an up-down direction to cut small laminate pieces. With the tool, you can cut patterns or circles. Laminate shears stand out since one can rotate them at a 360-degree angle. Formica countertops are plastic laminates.

How do you attach Formica to laminate countertops?

Install the Formica onto the countertop or other surface. Apply contact cement to the back of the Formica with a roller or brush. Align the edges of the Formica with the edges of the surface so that there is 1⁄2 –1 in (1.3–2.5 cm) of overhang on each side. Press down the laminate to adhere it to the surface.

What to use to trim Formica?

How to cut Formica with a circular saw?

Why use Formica laminate?

What knife do you use to cut narrow strips?

How thick is a Formica sheet?

What kind of scissors do you use to cut laminate?

Can you remove masking tape from circular saw?

See 4 more

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How do you cut Formica strips?

0:562:18Cutting Formica Plastic Laminate Edges Hand Slitter - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSlide it see if you can see the slide it inside of the slitter. You can see where it meets theMoreSlide it see if you can see the slide it inside of the slitter. You can see where it meets the wheels there and then push and pull at the same time. You can see it's cutting that strip of lameness.

How do you cut Formica edges?

0:222:26how to FINISH a formica countertop laminate edge - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou want to go to angle. Just like this. And then that'll level out the Formica. So it'll be smooth.MoreYou want to go to angle. Just like this. And then that'll level out the Formica. So it'll be smooth. And flush with the surface.

What is the best tool to cut Formica?

You should not use a utility knife to cut your Formica® laminate sheet. We find that a circular saw and a jigsaw for fine-tuning do a much better job. In any case, make sure to follow the instructions and any security protocol to avoid chipping your sheet or hurting yourself.

How do you cut Formica by hand?

0:291:34Tips for how to properly cut formica? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSaw just use one with with the finer teeth on there but here's the trick. Take masking tape or someMoreSaw just use one with with the finer teeth on there but here's the trick. Take masking tape or some kind of tape. And take the edge draw. Your line and cut through the tape. And the wood.

How can I cut laminate without chipping?

Can you cut laminate flooring without chipping it? The key to cutting through laminate flooring without chipping it, is to use a fine tooth blade. Some recommend at least 18 teeth per inch on a hand saw to prevent chipping, whilst others recommend at least a 30 teeth per inch blade for a jigsaw.

What bit to use for trimming laminate?

The square bearing (SQB100 or SQB102) is manufactured with a strong non-stick Teflon® which won't mark your edge so it can be wiped clean easily. CMT's 3 in 1 carbide-tipped flush trim bits with patented Delrin® triangular bearings (791.042. 00 or 791.043. 00) are best for laminate trimming.

Can I cut Formica with a utility knife?

A utility knife can be used to make scoring cuts on Formica. Formica brand plastic laminate is most commonly used to cover countertops, cabinet doors and drawer fronts. Formica is a leading brand whose name has been synonymous with laminate for decades.

What type of blade do you use to cut Formica?

Formica is best cut with a fine-tooth carbide circular saw or jigsaw blade. Always start on the finished side of the Formica, or the side that will show when you've finished your installation. If you start cutting from the back side, the saw teeth can leave a chipped or jagged edge on the finished surface.

How do you cut a Formica sheet without chipping it?

1:393:38No fuss way to cut laminate sheeting without chipping. - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd just get a little squirt. And then you lift it up and let the isopropyl alcohol sort of wickMoreAnd just get a little squirt. And then you lift it up and let the isopropyl alcohol sort of wick underneath it and it just Falls straight off.

Can I cut laminate with tin snips?

0:221:30Hand Cutting Cabinet Formica Plastic Lamiante - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThat happens and you just want to grab a hold of the laminate hold it firmly. Then cut right alongMoreThat happens and you just want to grab a hold of the laminate hold it firmly. Then cut right along your line with your snips.

How do you cut Formica with a Dremel?

1:062:18About the Dremel Laminate Cutting Tool - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo you can slow it down from up to 40 000 rpm down to about probably about 2000 rpm depending on theMoreSo you can slow it down from up to 40 000 rpm down to about probably about 2000 rpm depending on the on what you're cutting. And the speed of the bit or blade that you want to use.

How do you glue Formica down?

Formica is glued to plywood in the manufacturing of kitchen countertops or any time a waterproof surface is needed. Contact cement is used to glue Formica to plywood; wood glue will not work. Contact cement bonds permanently on contact and provides the necessary barrier to prevent moisture from penetrating.

How do you cut a Formica sheet without chipping it?

How do you cut a Formica countertop without chipping it?

To cut through laminate countertops, you can use a hand saw, but a circular saw makes the job much quicker. Because a circular saw can produce jagged edges and chip the laminate, your best bet is to lay the laminate face-side down and cut from the back to the front.

Can I cut Formica with a utility knife?

What type of blade do you use to cut Formica?

How do you finish Formica edges?

Once you have a rough cut done, finish off the edges with a trim router. Attach the Formica sheet to the surface of your choice. There should be a...

How do you cut Formica with a jigsaw?

Use masking tape to cover the points where you plan to make your cuts. Then, trace over the tape and cut.

How do you cut Formica without chipping it?

Check if your saw blade is designed to cut laminate or particle board. If you're using a table or circular saw to cut Formica, use a saw blade desi...

How to Cut Formica Countertops to Length - EzineArticles

The process of cutting a laminate counter takes a certain level of finish carpentry skill. Leaning how to cut a Formica post-form countertop is something that should be learned from following a skilled cabinet maker's instructions. Here's the way I proceed to cut plastic laminate tops.

How to cut laminate strips?

Install a fine-toothed blade on your table or circular saw. Either saw can be used to cut the strips, however, if you use a circular saw you will also need a set of sawhorses. The fine-toothed blade will also help to prevent the laminate from chipping.

How to cut Wilsonart laminate?

Cut the Wilsonart or Formica laminate into strips with a table or circular saw. Cut from the back of the laminate to prevent chipping.

What kind of saw do you use to cut laminate?

Laminate strips can be cut with a circular saw.

How to measure laminate?

Measure the laminate with a measuring tape. Determine the desired width and length of the laminate strips. Write the measurements down on a piece of paper.

Do you have to cut laminate before installing a backsplash?

In addition, many homeowners choose to install a laminate backsplash, which requires that the laminate is cut into strips prior to installation. Homeowners that install their own laminate backsplash must learn to cut laminate into strips without chipping it. Advertisement.

How to protect formica from chipping?

If you have some thin 3/16 or 1/4 inch sheets of wood lying around I would sandwich the formica between 2 pieces of wood and then clamp it tight. The pieces of wood that the formica is sandwiched between will protect it from chipping. When I worked in cabinetry we always cut with the face of the formica facing down, this will also prevent chipping.

How to make a formica not crack?

In addition, what I've done to make sure the formica doesnt crack and you have nice smooth cut edges is to sandwich the formica between two pieces of scrap wood. Make sure the formica finish is facing down away from you so the jigsaw blades cut up and into the formica surface. Finally finish up your work with a fine rasp file and sandpaper, making sure you file and sand parallel to the formica edge not across it. Lastly polish up any remaining roughness to your satisfaction.

How to set up a formica fence?

Set up a fence by clamping a straight edge to your formica sandwich an appropriate distance from the edge so that when you run your saw down the fence you get 3/4" strips of 'sandwich'. I'd also go a hair larger than 3/4. If you have a circular saw that would be much better.

How to cut laminate sheets?

several passes with this tool, working from the back, will cut most of the way through the laminate, then placing the cut right over a sharp corner, press down gently and it will break cleanly. Pay attention to getting the ends cut thoroughly, the exit end usually isn't a problem, but you might want to turn the sheet to be sure the start end is well cut. clamp the whole works, straightedge, laminate, backer board, together somehow to keep anything from squirming at the wrong time.

What to use to keep a cut line from chipping?

Masking tape the cut line before cutting will help keep it from chipping the edge when using a power saw. And I cut it good side up. I've used a circular saw but never a jig saw.

What to do if you can't make a formica sandwich?

If you can't make the sandwich then I would consider using an angle grinder and cutting wheel as there are no teeth to potentially chip the formica.

What knife do you use to score a grizzly?

Your best bet is to do what Roscoe suggested, get a https://www.grizzly....ing-Knife/H4207 (carbide tooth scoring knife), run it against a wooden straight edge to score it, and snap it off.

How to cut Formica countertop?from sawshub.com

Position your corded or cordless jigsaw on your countertop’s edge and start cutting into the Formica. The best approach is starting from the back, making way to the front. This way, it will be easier to get a smooth and straight cut. The lip on the front edge of the countertop could cause problems for your jigsaw blade if you start from the front.

How to make straight cuts in Formica?from sawshub.com

Make Straight Cuts in Formica with a Jigsaw. The first step is to mark out precise cutting lines. If you are replacing a set of countertops, you can use them as a template to sketch the layout of your cuts. Once your layout is measured, stick blue tape or masking tape on the areas where the cut lines will go.

How to cut a jigsaw with a shoe?from sawshub.com

Position the jigsaw on the end of your first cut, with the blade at the waste side of the cutting line. The shoe snug should be against the guide fence. Start the jigsaw and let it run to speed.

What is Formica made of?from sawshub.com

Formica is different from wood materials as it consists of high-pressure laminate with melamine resin. The material has a high heat tolerance. Therefore, it requires special tools to cut. The biggest challenge associated with cutting Formica is its tendency to chip.

What is Formica countertop made of?from sawshub.com

Formica is made of several layers of special paper impregnated with phenolic resins and heated under pressure. This makes Formica products both soft and hard, with an approximate thickness of 1–2 inches.

Why use Formica laminate?from wikihow.com

Using Formica allows a homeowner to customize an area with a laminate that is durable and easy to clean. Learning how to cut Formica correctly can save a lot of wasted time and money as sometimes the laminate will want to crack or flake.

Why do you need tape on laminate flooring?from sawshub.com

Tape: You will need tape to prevent chipping on the thin, finished laminate surface. The tape will do the trick by creating a barrier between the surface itself and the blade. A quality duct or masking tape is good in this case.

What Kind of Blade Do You Use To Cut Formica?

As carpenters know, the more teeth on the circular saw blade, the finer the cut. The teeth are smaller, and if sharp, will give you a clean cut. You can minimize the potential for chipping if you use a finish blade with lots of teeth, making sure the sharp is keen.

What is Formica laminate used for?

Formica brand plastic laminate is commonly used to cover kitchen countertops, and a utility knife would work for that purpose. Heavy-duty construction scissors with sharp blades could also be used.

How to prevent chipping on a knife?

You can further reduce the chance of chipping by using masking tape along the cut line and cutting through the tape.

How deep should a blade be for a saw?

A blade depth of 1/8th inch will be sufficient, so set the saw for your cut. Slow and steady wins the race, so to speak. The goal is to make an accurate cut without chipping, and slow and steady will help you reach it. The guide will help keep the saw on line; but, if you are not using one, not to worry.

Is Formica a stone?

Formica is not stone. Rather, it is a laminate and cuts differently than does granite and quartz. Laminate countertops require a greater degree of care in cutting to size for a proper fit.

Can laminate countertops be cut?

Laminate Countertops. Laminate countertops are layers of paper that have been glued together and finished with a resin topping. It is not necessarily difficult to cut, but it is easily subject to chipping, and in the trimming of the edges can also be worn down.

Can you cut Formica countertop without chipping?

If you follow these simple suggestions for cutting your Formica countertop without chipping the laminate, you’ll make the job easy to attack. The finished product will serve you well and give your kitchen a clean and fresh look. Whether it’s a new kitchen installation or a kitchen facelift, you’ll be pleased with the results.

How to cut Formica for countertop?

The fastest way to cut Formica for countertop edges, cabinet faces or door edging is by using the hand slitter. The second choice would be cutting them on a table saw.

What blades do you use to cut Formica?

These guillotine blades work great for cutting Formica strips off to length. We have used them for years when resurfacing kitchen cabinets. For example, if you were re-laminating a cabinet face, you would stick the stiles first. Then, the top and bottom rail pieces would get cut to length using the guillotine paper cutter.

What do you need to make a formica board?

All you need is a long straight board, two clamps and a high-speed laminate router. Mark the sheet of Formica where it needs to be cut and clamp the board into position. Cut the strips with the router.

What is the best tool to cut plastic laminate?

The most accurate tool for cutting plastic laminate edges for cabinets or countertops is called a laminate slitter. Some people use table saws for making the thin edging pieces. At times a straight edge board in combination with a router is used for milling the plastic.

How wide is a Formica cut?

The smallest cut is about three quarters of an inch and the widest is three inches. There is an adjustment knob to accommodate the different thicknesses sizes of Formica. There is also a sliding fence to adjust the size of the Formica strips. Once the tolerance of the cutters is set correctly, you simple push or pull the plastic through ...

What is a scissor cutter?

These scissor like cutters work great for making any kind of cuts on sheets of plastic laminate. The only thing you need to be careful of is tearing the Formica. Also, the left side of the cut is always the clean edge. Usually the right sides gets small chips in the surface of the plastic and is not in acceptable condition to be used.

What is the edge of laminate countertop?from formica.com

When you purchase laminate countertops, you have three edging options: Classic flat edge. Your laminate countertops will have the traditional 90-degree flat edges that show a brown line between the top sheet and the edge.

What is edging treatment?from formica.com

Edging products allow you to upgrade from flat edges to a variety of other edge profiles – and they hide the brown lines. Edging treatments are easy for DIY’ers to install.

What is ideal edge?from formica.com

It’s available in two edge profiles: Ogee and Bullnose.#N#Ogee#N#The Ogee edge is a sculpted edge that's designed to give any laminate an elegant finish.

What is laminate made of?from formica.com

Laminate is created from combining brown paper with plastic resin. The laminate is then glued to particle board to create a countertop. The brown line you see on laminate countertops is the brown paper layer.

Can laminate countertops be flat?from formica.com

In the past, laminate countertops only came with flat edges and exposed “brown lines.” Not anymore! Now you can give your laminate tops an upscale look and feel with specialty edges.

Do post-formed countertops have a brown line?from formica.com

You’ll still have the flat edge, but no brown line. Post-formed with specialty edge. These are the drop-in-place laminate countertops available at most home improvement centers. Your post-formed countertop is manufactured as a single piece with no seams or corners, and often includes a backsplash and a specialty edge instead of a flat edge.

How to make laminate corners smooth?from woodtoolspro.com

With a laminate roller, the users must press all the air pockets to ensure the perfect seal. After that, using a handsaw file or jigsaw, cut all the corners to make all the edges smooth and flawless. Repeat the same procedure to install the scrap piece in the countertop corner consequently.

How to make a round edge?from woodtoolspro.com

After that, they need tack cloth to remove the sanding dust from the desired surface accordingly. Sanding down the desired surface makes the round edge and gives it a perfect shape.

How to protect laminate from chipping?from doityourself.com

Once your cut line is drawn, you need to apply masking tape directly over the cut line. The masking tape will protect the laminate and prevent chipping while you are cutting, so the side of the laminate you are keeping is not damaged by the saw or other tools. Redraw your cut line on top of the tape so that you can clearly see it while cutting.

Why trim laminate countertop?from woodtoolspro.com

Trimming in the countertop is important because it gives a perfect laminate shape and provides smoothness. If you think about ideal trimming in any imperfection edge, then a trim router with a fair bit is enough for you. Besides, knowing the proper method on How to Trim Laminate Countertop Without a Router is also beneficial. You just need to ally the procedure in the right place to take out the best outcome.

How to clean contact cement?from woodtoolspro.com

With the help of a wet cloth, remove all the excess cement. When the unneeded cement gets hards, users need to use nail polish remover to clean those items. It will clean all the unnecessary things thoroughly. Then they need to wait until the contact cement gets drier as like file down the countertops.

Can you paint laminate with cement?from woodtoolspro.com

After trimming the laminate sheet, they need to paint on the layer of contrast cement. On the countertop surface as well as on the backside of the laminate sheet. To line up the corner of the counter, the users need to work as a team. Contact cement works perfectly with the plastic laminate.

Can you use a laminate trimmer to cut a countertop?from doityourself.com

If you have access to a laminate trimmer, you can simply and easily trim your laminate to the desired size. Simply roll the laminate trimmer over the edge of the countertop and the trimmer will create the perfect, smooth cut for you.

How to make straight cuts in Formica?

How to cut angles on Formica?

Cutting angles on Formica is closely similar to cutting straight lines. All you need to do is adjust the line and work on finding your desired angle.

How to cut a jigsaw with a shoe?

Position the jigsaw on the end of your first cut, with the blade at the waste side of the cutting line. The shoe snug should be against the guide fence. Start the jigsaw and let it run to speed.

What is Formica made of?

What is Formica countertop made of?

Why do you need tape on laminate flooring?

What is the best tool to cut Formica?

The jigsaw is by far one of the most convenient and cost-effective tools for cutting Formica. There is a myriad of other options you can employ to cut and customize Formica as well. These include:

What to use to trim Formica?

Use a jigsaw with a fine blade to trim the Formica and make any rounded cuts.

How to cut Formica with a circular saw?

To cut formica with a circular saw, start by measuring the area you want to laminate with a tape measure and mark the cutting line on the formica with a pencil. Then, put masking tape on the cutting line, lay the formica on a flat surface, and cut along the lines.

Why use Formica laminate?

What knife do you use to cut narrow strips?

wikiHow Staff Editor. Staff Answer. If you need to cut narrow strips, you can use a laminate slitter or scoring knife. The laminate slitter is probably a better bet if you need to cut lots of strips or if they need to be long.

How thick is a Formica sheet?

1. Purchase the size of Formica sheet that fits best for your project. Formica sheets are between 1/16 and 1/32 of an inch (.15 and .08 cm) thick. Sheets can be 3, 4, and 5 feet (.9, 1.22, and 1.52 m) wide and 8, 10, and 12 feet (2.44, 3.05, 3.66 m) long.

What kind of scissors do you use to cut laminate?

You can cut it with tin snips or special scissors that are designed to cut laminate. Regular craft scissors or kitchen shears likely won’t be strong enough.

Can you remove masking tape from circular saw?

Remove any masking tape used for the larger cuts with the circular saw.