In article , "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:

Seriously, thanks for the spray primer/enamel suggestion.
I didn't like it at first, but the more I think about it,
the more it makes sense.

I am the paint god. :-)

Well, after all that, I've gone with a no-paint solution.

I bought a sheet of Formica this morning together with a
pair of laminate shears. The shears work great; you've
just got to take your time and resist the temptation to
rush it (as with most tasks).

I already have most of the Formica cut with a very decent
dry fit. Obviously, I'll glue it later after the other
work is done but that should be fairly simple. Hopefully,
just one day of fumes from the adhesive.

It should result in a very durable and easy to clean
surface that looks great.

If anyone else is contemplating Formica but scared of
the cutting issues, I'd encourage you to invest in a
pair of laminate shears and give it a shot. It's *much*
easier than I feared.

Selection of Formica grade/pattern is very limited at
the usual places (Lowes, Home Depot). For a bigger job
I would special order but, for this task, I found
something suitable available off the shelf at my local
Lowes.

Your suggestion of lining the cabinets with pre-painted
plywood set me thinking about the Formica approach again.
I'm glad I did; I think it will work out marvellously.
Thanks again.

--
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| Malcolm Hoar "The more I practice, the luckier I get". |
| Gary Player. |
| http://www.malch.com/ Shpx gur PQN. |
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