In article , Alex wrote:
Hello,

We're converting our garage into a family room, and with this I hope
to convert a small 10x7 closet into a home office. Instead of finding
bulky furniture for the room, I'd like to cut counters and place on
two walls in an L shape, and top the counters with formica.

Two questions... what material is best to use for the counter tops
under the formica? I've seen people do this before, but I never
questioned what material they used. And second, how do i get the
formica to stick to the unfinished counter? I've heard of people
heating it, but i'd assume glue would be best.

I recently finished building some shelves and a countertop-
style desk in a childs bedroom and everyone is well pleased
with the results.

I used 3/4in oak ply. I just sanded and poly'ed the oak
surface for the undersides. The top surfaces and exposed
edges were all done with Wilsonart laminate (just another
brand of Formica).

It's probably more common to use particle board. It's
cheap and doesn't warp. But it's not as strong as ply
and it really hates water. Depending on the expected
loading and the size of your unsupported spans, you'll
likely need more than 3/4in thickness.

In my case, I felt I'd be able to do a better job of
cutting some required curves with plywood. And I wanted
to hold the thickness down to 3/4in.

The top surface laminate was fixed with contact cement --
that's the standard for laminates. But I fixed the edge
banding laminate with epoxy -- I really wanted to be sure
it would stay put.

You'll find contact cement in two main flavors -- solvent
or water based. The former probably sticks better but is
highly inflammable and smelly until dry. The water based
is safer and (a little) less smelly.

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