Section 5.2 Lamination - How to Reface - Refacing Cabinets

Now that you have finished prepping the cabinets it is finally time to start laminating. You will start by measuring the sides and if applicable bottoms of the cabinets. Measure a little large where you need to have overhang. This will give you room for error or last second adjustments.

Carefully open the roll of laminate. Make sure not to cut through the backer. You don’t want to scratch or scuff the laminate during cutting. We suggest using the cardboard from the shipping box to make your cuts on. Start cutting your rough pieces. It helps if you use a straight edge for pieces fitting against walls, joints, or other areas needing an exact fit. In this demonstration we used a metal yard stick. It’s always a good idea to dry fit your pieces before you peel back the backer. This way you will see if your cuts were accurate before you stick laminate.

To start you will only want to peel back a half inch to one inch of the backer. The Peelstix adhesion is strong. Line up and stick the edge at the desired starting point. Make sure to firmly press down on all surfaces being laminated working your way from top to bottom or side to side. This will eliminate the possibility of air bubbles under the laminate. It is recommended that the backer be pulled off 6 inches or so at a time to allow all air to escape and to allow for pressing of the laminate to the surface of the structure. If you run into a situation where you need to pull the laminate back off be sure to do it right away. After a few minutes it will be extremely hard to remove. Continue laminating until the entire piece has been firmly applied.

Use the Band-it trimming tool as well as a utility knife with a good blade to trim off all excess laminate. In places where two laminate joints come together it is especially important that you have a good trim line. If you lay the utility blade flat against the structure you will create a trim line that is completely smooth to the touch and that won’t need to be sanded. After laminating the sides continue with the faces using the same method.

Had this been an upper cabinet that needed laminating on the bottom you would have laminated that first, then the sides, and finally the faces. The cabinet faces are always last. Once the faces have been laminated use your utility knife to rough cut the holes. It is easier to use your utility knife on smaller holes as the trimmer doesn’t allow for cutting into inside corners. Make sure to take your time with trimming. You do not want to leave any laminate overhang as this could cause places where the laminate could be snagged in the future causing delamination.

You are now ready to hang the doors.