On Feb 12, 10:10 am, "Leon" wrote:
"Walter" wrote in message

.120...

I am building a router table top and had planned on using Formica for
surfacing the top and bottom. That is until I saw the $43 price tag on a
sheet of Formica! That's a lot to pay for a sheet of material I only need
about of a third of for my project. The only thing I found close at Lowes
was some wall board that appears to be hardboard with a white plastic
coating. 1/8" thick. Will I regret trying to substitue this for Formica? I
didn't see any other types of laminate. I plan to attach this stuff with
contact cement and flush trim the edges.

Thanks for any input.

-Walter

Check with a Formica/ plastic laminate supplier and ask if they have any
damaged pieces. I have paid as little as 35 cents per sq. foot for a full
sheet with a chipped corner.

That is a good suggestion. Make sure you ask for GP, not the post-form
grade.
A few years ago, I bought 100 sheets at $8.00ea. Many of the
discontinued colours were fugly. Many were nice enough to sell at a
healthy profit. All the fuglies were used as backer sheets. In
retrospect, that was a gloat.
Colours are discontinued all the time. Call your local distributor of
Arborite, Wilsonart, Formica, Nevamar.