It feels great to be back with another video after being so busy with other projects the past few months! I hope you guys find this new episode helpful and that you're able to put this technique to use. I'm hoping to do another episode soon about how to scribe countertop as well. Let me know if that's something you are interested in. If you have any questions be sure to post them below. Thanks for watching guys!
@@gerardorivera7356 thanks. I had never heard of doing that before but several people including yourself have said it's the way to go. I'll have to try that next time. Sounds like a great method👍
Great video. Had just purchased two endcap kits at $20 a piece. Going to try this out on my sink cut-out piece before opening endcap kits as I'll be installing new countertops this Friday. I was thinning to myself WOW why are these stupid endcaps so expensive???
Good to see you back! Do yourself a favor and buy a Bahco scraper instead of using a utility knife to clean up the laminate, or any other used surfaces. I use them almost every day and will never go back! Much, MUCH more efficient and way safer! (Look for (625/650/665 Bahco scrapers, depending of your needs). Looking to seeing you more often in 2019 on YT. Keep up the good work :-)
Thanks. I actually have an older Bahco scraper that I used to use for removing dried glue squeeze out. I have used a cabinet scraper before to clean up the laminate too. I just got used to using the knife since sometimes that's all I have on hand if I'm working on site. Scraper would definitely be safer.
Dear Dan. Thanks for this download with some verry good tips for "how to do and how not to do". Specially liked the laminating of the sides with you handling your tools. Wish I would have seen this last year while building our own new kitchen. Have to persuade my wife now to restart laminating the sides of the kitchen isle. Whis me luck. Rgds from a verry cold Germany.
Thanks, I was wondering how long it would take for someone to make a beard comment😁 I used to have it and thought I would bring it back for a change. I need to see how good of a seal I can get with my mask though before I decide if I'm going to keep it.
Hi Dan, a great video, well produced, described and very useful, thanks. I will be installing a 10 ft post formed counter with two finished ends and I have two questions: 1) Is it common to order them with the finished ends installed and what is the proper term to use for the type of ends you just demonstrated? 2) Does anyone make a post formed counter but with a custom thicker backslash top, eg. 1 1/2" instead of 1 1/4"? The reason is, I have a very bad wall, and will be scribing the backslash from 0" to 5/8" so a thicker backsplash top will help diminish the visual difference after scribing. Thanks in advance.
Thanks Benjimin. Yes the most common way to do it is just order the countertop with the caps installed. When I'm doing a kitchen install I always order the countertops with the caps installed. The only time I would do what I demonstrated in the video is when I'm in a pinch. You can get countertop that has a 3/4" substrait rather than the typical 5/8" which makes the overall thickness 1 1/2". I'm pretty sure that the backsplash is also 1 1/2" thick on those tops. If you look up the website for whichever manufacturer you would be using or check with your supplier you could confirm that the backsplash is 1 1/2" thick. Hope that helps.
Nice explaining the steps. This is half of what I must do to fix a handymans poor job, First though, I must fix his wavy cut when he cut from the mother piece. which he followed by an extremely poor job of cutting, really botching, the end cap. I have made the endcap, but I must take off about 3mm of chips in the laminate and the aforementioned wavy cut from the countertop. Do I use a palm router and and double sided tape to afix a square to guide the router? I don't want to remove the top, but I have pulled the cabinet from the wall. Is there a better way? Thanks in advance, Dan
You could use a router and a straightedge. If a countertop doesn't have a backsplash, my tool of choice for making an end cut is a track saw. The other option is a power planer which is what I use to scribe countertop with.
@@DPShopTalk thanks for 5ge suggestion. I still haven't done it yet, too afraid to fail with someone else's stuff. But I'll give you'd metho a look se3. thanks Dan
All man wish I had see this a month ago before I put my sink cutouts in the trash. Oh well I won't be making that mistake again. Having rental properties tenants all ways find a way to trash my end pieces, great tip thanks a lot.
You certainly could cover for the overspray. I used to do this in a production environment in a countertop shop and taping for the overspray would take too much time. If you're not doing it production style though you could definitely cover things up to reduce overspray.
Happy New Year Alan! I have more video topics planned, the challenge is always getting the time to produce them in between jobs. It was good to finally get a chance to put this one together after a pause of a few months since the last one.
Great video. Maybe you can help me with my stalled project. My wife needed a thin insert into her sewing machine table to hold her work. I took quarter inch plywood, cut it to fit and then glued formica to form a clean, slippery surface to accommodate her handling of fabric without snagging. Everything worked well until I tried to trim the formica from the insert and realized that the bearing on my router bit did not have sufficient surface to ride on in order to allow me to trim the laminate. What can I do?
Hi Daniel, What is the best power tool for cutting through a counter top without removing? We have a peninsula that we will repurpose for a DIY island top... 😌 Thank you!
The dry time with contact cement is between when you apply the glue to when you put the two surfaces together. Once the surfaces are together it can be trimmed right away.
Dan, Great video. I need to replace an end cap on an installed countertop. Once its' installed, what's the best way to trim it since a trim router won't be able to get so close to the wall/backsplash edge?
I am adding or extending an existing counter top in my moms kitchen. All i would be doing is adding the counter, however there’s no cabinet below for any support. She wants it to look like once piece. My thought was to add support along the back and side of the walls by using 2x4. Measured accurately, I can sit the extended countertop on top of those support brackets I added that were drilled into the studs. Any other thoughts or advice. I would of course put some other supports underneath just wasn’t sure if there’s something else i should do.
@@DPShopTalk thanks for replying. I just happen to come across your channel now I’m binge watching your videos. Keep it up!! Also listen to Gary Vee, super motivational if you haven’t heard him before.
I was looking to see if you used the same technique I use and the only difference, is that I use a tablesaw to remove the laminate away from the substrate, quicker easier. Thanks for putting this video up.
Awesome! Thank you for your reply, I just bought a house to flip and (first one ) it has new countertops that I want to use but add to. And I could not find them. I just so happen to search on UA-cam how to make end caps for countertops and seen you video. I said hey that’s the counter top I need! And it was info I was looking for! Fan for life now. Again thanks for the info. My need more of your expertise in the next few weeks
I sure am. I just responded to your question about the table saw dust collection. Sometimes it takes me a few days to get to comments if I'm busy but I will always read and answer comments.
Good to know that the videos are missed when it's been awhile👍 I'm hoping to get another one out before too long. Things have just been so busy lately that there hasn't been time. A typical episode takes the better part of a week to write, shoot, edit and publish so I need a decent chunk of available time to get a new episode out. If you're interested in seeing what the latest is between episodes you can follow me on Instagram. I post there more often since it's a quick format. I'm hoping that I might get some time this summer though to get a new episode out.
The reason for the overhang is because contact cement is being used and you only get one shot at positioning the cap. With the overhang there is room for slight error in positioning. There have been times that I've had to remove and reapply a cap for different reasons and it's very difficult to get it positioned perfectly when it is already trimmed to size.
Unreasonable video - no comparison to what is on offer and what tool are in use. If you really want to teach such DIY stuff, consider what tools a normal DIYer would have and build your training on that. Thanks
Everyone has different tools available so it would be impossible to show it in a way that would apply to everyone but if you don't have a trim router you can just use a file or score with a knife.
You could certainly do that but it would take longer. When I worked in a countertop shop I did it production style and had a spray gun and sprayed multiple countertops and caps at the same time. It's a lot faster to give each countertop a quick wipe when you're done than deal with masking tape but if you didn't have lacquer thinner, tape would be a good option.
It feels great to be back with another video after being so busy with other projects the past few months! I hope you guys find this new episode helpful and that you're able to put this technique to use. I'm hoping to do another episode soon about how to scribe countertop as well. Let me know if that's something you are interested in. If you have any questions be sure to post them below. Thanks for watching guys!
I wish I saw your video 2 days ago using the router!!!! Took me all day to trim down 4 end caps carefully!!
This is exactly what was looking for, wanted to save money on the end cap kit and use scrap! Perfect! Great job and thanks.
I will try your way before using the end cap I bought for $45 at Home Depot. Thanks for your help.
Nice! Once you get the knife in the corner, squirt some lacquer thinner in between and it will come off super clean and easy!
I'll have to give that a try next time, thanks for sharing the tip👍
Hi Dan, I am a professional cabinet maker and the Lacquer Thinner is the way to go for production purposes.
@@gerardorivera7356 thanks. I had never heard of doing that before but several people including yourself have said it's the way to go. I'll have to try that next time. Sounds like a great method👍
Nicely done ! Very helpful, detailed , steps are easy to understand. Thank you
Excellent quality video, BRAVO!
Excellent video now I know where to get the material, thanks.
Nice shop Dan. Mine is full of sawdust, would scraps and chickens!
Thanks i never knew how to do end caps.
Great video. Had just purchased two endcap kits at $20 a piece. Going to try this out on my sink cut-out piece before opening endcap kits as I'll be installing new countertops this Friday. I was thinning to myself WOW why are these stupid endcaps so expensive???
Good to see you back Dan!
Good to see you back! Do yourself a favor and buy a Bahco scraper instead of using a utility knife to clean up the laminate, or any other used surfaces. I use them almost every day and will never go back! Much, MUCH more efficient and way safer! (Look for (625/650/665 Bahco scrapers, depending of your needs). Looking to seeing you more often in 2019 on YT. Keep up the good work :-)
Thanks. I actually have an older Bahco scraper that I used to use for removing dried glue squeeze out. I have used a cabinet scraper before to clean up the laminate too. I just got used to using the knife since sometimes that's all I have on hand if I'm working on site. Scraper would definitely be safer.
Dear Dan. Thanks for this download with some verry good tips for "how to do and how not to do". Specially liked the laminating of the sides with you handling your tools. Wish I would have seen this last year while building our own new kitchen. Have to persuade my wife now to restart laminating the sides of the kitchen isle. Whis me luck. Rgds from a verry cold Germany.
No questions but good to see you back. And digging the beard, too!
Thanks, I was wondering how long it would take for someone to make a beard comment😁 I used to have it and thought I would bring it back for a change. I need to see how good of a seal I can get with my mask though before I decide if I'm going to keep it.
- EXCELLENT job ! ! ! Thanx 4 the in depth info.
This is super clever!
Hi Dan, a great video, well produced, described and very useful, thanks. I will be installing a 10 ft post formed counter with two finished ends and I have two questions: 1) Is it common to order them with the finished ends installed and what is the proper term to use for the type of ends you just demonstrated? 2) Does anyone make a post formed counter but with a custom thicker backslash top, eg. 1 1/2" instead of 1 1/4"? The reason is, I have a very bad wall, and will be scribing the backslash from 0" to 5/8" so a thicker backsplash top will help diminish the visual difference after scribing. Thanks in advance.
Thanks Benjimin. Yes the most common way to do it is just order the countertop with the caps installed. When I'm doing a kitchen install I always order the countertops with the caps installed. The only time I would do what I demonstrated in the video is when I'm in a pinch. You can get countertop that has a 3/4" substrait rather than the typical 5/8" which makes the overall thickness 1 1/2". I'm pretty sure that the backsplash is also 1 1/2" thick on those tops. If you look up the website for whichever manufacturer you would be using or check with your supplier you could confirm that the backsplash is 1 1/2" thick. Hope that helps.
Great instructional video Dan!
Nice explaining the steps. This is half of what I must do to fix a handymans poor job, First though, I must fix his wavy cut when he cut from the mother piece. which he followed by an extremely poor job of cutting, really botching, the end cap. I have made the endcap, but I must take off about 3mm of chips in the laminate and the aforementioned wavy cut from the countertop. Do I use a palm router and and double sided tape to afix a square to guide the router? I don't want to remove the top, but I have pulled the cabinet from the wall. Is there a better way? Thanks in advance, Dan
You could use a router and a straightedge. If a countertop doesn't have a backsplash, my tool of choice for making an end cut is a track saw. The other option is a power planer which is what I use to scribe countertop with.
@@DPShopTalk thanks for 5ge suggestion. I still haven't done it yet, too afraid to fail with someone else's stuff. But I'll give you'd metho a look se3. thanks Dan
nice to see you posting again! keep them coming!
That's pretty slick Dan.
this is a genius idea
All man wish I had see this a month ago before I put my sink cutouts in the trash. Oh well I won't be making that mistake again. Having rental properties tenants all ways find a way to trash my end pieces, great tip thanks a lot.
Nicely done Dan keep the videos coming .
Enjoy your video's .... if you are looking for one to go with this one .... add making backsplash to kitchen counter.
Wow. Very clean. Well done.
Nice video! Could you use a Rotozip with guidebit for the initial trim instead of a trim router?
If it will take the same kind of bit then it should work
great into music, brings me back to the childhood years
nice work👍👍👍
Good video 👍 I'd use tape or cardboard though to cover the overspray from the contact cement
You certainly could cover for the overspray. I used to do this in a production environment in a countertop shop and taping for the overspray would take too much time. If you're not doing it production style though you could definitely cover things up to reduce overspray.
Thanks for sharing the great tip!
Happy New Year Dan. Great tip for renovating or just caught on a weekend and need to get the job done. Look forward to more videos!
Happy New Year Alan! I have more video topics planned, the challenge is always getting the time to produce them in between jobs. It was good to finally get a chance to put this one together after a pause of a few months since the last one.
Thank you
Great video. Maybe you can help me with my stalled project. My wife needed a thin insert into her sewing machine table to hold her work. I took quarter inch plywood, cut it to fit and then glued formica to form a clean, slippery surface to accommodate her handling of fabric without snagging. Everything worked well until I tried to trim the formica from the insert and realized that the bearing on my router bit did not have sufficient surface to ride on in order to allow me to trim the laminate. What can I do?
You could clamp some thicker material on the bottom side for the bearing to ride against or you can just file it flush by hand.
Hi Daniel,
What is the best power tool for cutting through a counter top without removing?
We have a peninsula that we will repurpose for a DIY island top... 😌
Thank you!
Do you mean cutting the countertop without removing it from the cabinets?
Hi Dan, I was wondering how long you waited for the contact cement to dry before trimming the laminate with the router. Thanks in advance.
The dry time with contact cement is between when you apply the glue to when you put the two surfaces together. Once the surfaces are together it can be trimmed right away.
Would a heat gun help remove the laminate from the particleboard?
Yes heat will help soften the adhesive a bit.
Dan, Great video. I need to replace an end cap on an installed countertop. Once its' installed, what's the best way to trim it since a trim router won't be able to get so close to the wall/backsplash edge?
In situations like that I usually cut the size of the cap so that there's less excess and then just use the laminate file to trim it flush.
I am adding or extending an existing counter top in my moms kitchen. All i would be doing is adding the counter, however there’s no cabinet below for any support. She wants it to look like once piece. My thought was to add support along the back and side of the walls by using 2x4. Measured accurately, I can sit the extended countertop on top of those support brackets I added that were drilled into the studs. Any other thoughts or advice. I would of course put some other supports underneath just wasn’t sure if there’s something else i should do.
If you aren't adding a cabinet under the extension then yes I would just add some cleats and framing to support the countertop.
@@DPShopTalk thanks for replying. I just happen to come across your channel now I’m binge watching your videos. Keep it up!! Also listen to Gary Vee, super motivational if you haven’t heard him before.
I was looking to see if you used the same technique I use and the only difference, is that I use a tablesaw to remove the laminate away from the substrate, quicker easier. Thanks for putting this video up.
I've never tried using the table saw to strip the laminate but that's a good idea.
An oscillating tool would be even better & safer
I'll have to give that a try next time. A scraper blade on the OMT could work well.
I've seen people use a heat gun to soften the old glue on old countertops, then peel off the laminate.
Nice project Friend! Thanks for sharing the video.👍😎JP
What time of contact cement spray did you use? What is the name of the tool to cut the edges of the end cap?
I use the Helmitin contact adhesive. The tool I used to trim the cap is just a small router with a flush trim bit.
What dremel bit can be used for the router ?
Dremel bits are too small to fit in a router with a 1/4" collet. I use a 1/4" flush trimming bit with a bearing to trim laminate.
Dan Pattison , where is that countertop from? I think it matches what I need!
That's a standard color called Butter Rum Granite. You should be able to order it at any countertop shop.
Awesome! Thank you for your reply, I just bought a house to flip and (first one ) it has new countertops that I want to use but add to. And I could not find them. I just so happen to search on UA-cam how to make end caps for countertops and seen you video. I said hey that’s the counter top I need! And it was info I was looking for! Fan for life now. Again thanks for the info. My need more of your expertise in the next few weeks
Hi Dan,
I am wondering how you'd go about cutting a 67.5 degree miter on a laminate countertop? 67.5 a.k.a. 22.5 .
Does the countertop have an integrated backsplash like the piece in this video?
Yes but I found a work around for now. I put a piece of black walnut in there he and butted up the countertop on either side.
Couldn't you use an iron to loosen the laminate piece versus cutting it loose with the knife?
The contact adhesive used on laminate countertops doesn't release with heat unfortunately.
What size router bit would you use to trim the counter end caps?
I use a 1/4" diameter flush trim bit. The cutting edge is about an inch long.
@@DPShopTalk is there one you use in particular? I am having trouble finding the 1/4" diameter
I use the one that Lee Valley Tools sells
@@DPShopTalk 1/4" diameter and 1/4" shank with 3/4" depth?
Yes
Hi Dan, are you still taking questions about dust collection?
I sure am. I just responded to your question about the table saw dust collection. Sometimes it takes me a few days to get to comments if I'm busy but I will always read and answer comments.
@@DPShopTalk Thank you...
Dan, where can I purchase the shroud for the table saw blade that you show in the video?
You can find the link for it in my blog article which I'll link to below.
www.danpattison.com/blog/2016/10/7/4-table-saw-dust-collection-upgrades
when I cut a sink hole i have this scrap, I would like a game board BUUTTT it is to thick. Can that piece of scrap be run through a planer?
Technically you could run it through a planer but particle board doesn't plane well and it would be hard on your planer knives.
Dan, I miss your videos, when will you be doing another one?
Good to know that the videos are missed when it's been awhile👍 I'm hoping to get another one out before too long. Things have just been so busy lately that there hasn't been time. A typical episode takes the better part of a week to write, shoot, edit and publish so I need a decent chunk of available time to get a new episode out. If you're interested in seeing what the latest is between episodes you can follow me on Instagram. I post there more often since it's a quick format. I'm hoping that I might get some time this summer though to get a new episode out.
What color please is that laminate?
If I remember right I think that is Butter Rum Granite.
You said a triming router it that mean that is a regular router?
Pretty much any router will work but smaller trim routers are the easiest to use and control for this application.
Why can't you just cut the shape to the correct size and then file? Why do we need the slight overhang?
The reason for the overhang is because contact cement is being used and you only get one shot at positioning the cap. With the overhang there is room for slight error in positioning. There have been times that I've had to remove and reapply a cap for different reasons and it's very difficult to get it positioned perfectly when it is already trimmed to size.
Couldn’t we just use a heat gun to loosen the laminate from the substrate?
I think contact cement is fairly resistant to heat so I don't think it would do much. Could give it a try though.
Gangsta
Unreasonable video - no comparison to what is on offer and what tool are in use. If you really want to teach such DIY stuff, consider what tools a normal DIYer would have and build your training on that. Thanks
Everyone has different tools available so it would be impossible to show it in a way that would apply to everyone but if you don't have a trim router you can just use a file or score with a knife.
... you should have just masked off the counter top before spraying the contact cement...
You could certainly do that but it would take longer. When I worked in a countertop shop I did it production style and had a spray gun and sprayed multiple countertops and caps at the same time. It's a lot faster to give each countertop a quick wipe when you're done than deal with masking tape but if you didn't have lacquer thinner, tape would be a good option.
Cost of tools a material, and labor, I just rather buy the end caps.