I have just put formica on a counter top. It measures about 25" x 48".
For some reason one edge is not holding down. I have tried putting
additional contact cement under the edge and then clamping it but it
just wont grab. I do not even want to think about trying to lift the
entire piece up and starting over again.
i would appreciate any help and/or advice you may have.
Thanks;.

On Dec 8, 5:18 pm, trvlnmny wrote:
I have just put formica on a counter top. It measures about 25" x 48".
For some reason one edge is not holding down. I have tried putting
additional contact cement under the edge and then clamping it but it
just wont grab. I do not even want to think about trying to lift the
entire piece up and starting over again.
i would appreciate any help and/or advice you may have.
Thanks;.

Taking off the old isn't that bad. Remove the top and set in on
edge.Slowly pour in a bit of lacquer thinner in between the laminate
and the substrate...... and peel....slowly. Kepp adding a little bit
of fluid at the time.
Do this away from open flame...like outside.

Then clean off both sides of the old glue joint and start over.
Allow the contact adhesive to dry till tacky on both laminate and
substrate.
The re-adhere the two pieces.

If you are sure that you applied the proper amount of adhesive per
directions, you might try using a clothes iron. Lay a paper
grocery bag on the laminate and heat. It takes a great deal of
heat to reactivate the adhesive, but you must be careful not to
scorch the laminate.

--
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"trvlnmny" wrote in message
...
I have just put formica on a counter top. It measures about 25" x
48".
For some reason one edge is not holding down. I have tried
putting
additional contact cement under the edge and then clamping it
but it
just wont grab. I do not even want to think about trying to lift
the
entire piece up and starting over again.
i would appreciate any help and/or advice you may have.
Thanks;.

Robatoy wrote:
....

Allow the contact adhesive to dry till tacky on both laminate and
substrate.

The surfaces should actually be past "tacky" to "dry to the touch"
before bonding for best results...

--

dpb wrote:

Robatoy wrote:
...

Allow the contact adhesive to dry till tacky on both laminate and
substrate.


The surfaces should actually be past "tacky" to "dry to the touch"
before bonding for best results...

--

When you tap your finger onto the contact cement, your finger
should come back clean. If cement comes off on your finger,
it is not ready. Check in several places. If you place the
two surfaces together before it is ready, it will not adhere
and will not cure properly.

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX

Robert Allison wrote:
dpb wrote:

Robatoy wrote:
...

Allow the contact adhesive to dry till tacky on both laminate and
substrate.


The surfaces should actually be past "tacky" to "dry to the touch"
before bonding for best results...

--

When you tap your finger onto the contact cement, your finger should
come back clean. If cement comes off on your finger, it is not ready.
Check in several places. If you place the two surfaces together before
it is ready, it will not adhere and will not cure properly.

Ayup...isn't that "dry to the touch"???

--

When you tap your finger onto the contact cement, your finger
should come back clean. If cement comes off on your finger,
it is not ready. Check in several places. If you place the
two surfaces together before it is ready, it will not adhere
and will not cure properly.

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX

Contact adhesives do not actually cure - they only dry out all the
solvent present in the film.

It is possible to overdry the films before you put them together - if
you do that you will get a weak bond. There is an optimum point for
adhesion between the films to ensure you get the maximum grab between
the two films.

A number of contact adhesives can be used to bond whilst still wet as
long as one surface is porous to allow the solvent be removed from the
film. It does not give instant grab, but still sticks.

Regards,

Bryan

On Dec 9, 1:13 pm, dpb wrote:
Robert Allison wrote:
dpb wrote:

Robatoy wrote:
...

Allow the contact adhesive to dry till tacky on both laminate and
substrate.

The surfaces should actually be past "tacky" to "dry to the touch"
before bonding for best results...

--

When you tap your finger onto the contact cement, your finger should
come back clean. If cement comes off on your finger, it is not ready.
Check in several places. If you place the two surfaces together before
it is ready, it will not adhere and will not cure properly.

Ayup...isn't that "dry to the touch"???

--

Tacky mean a little tacky, one should be able to move your finger
across the adhesive without it sticking but still offering up some
resistance... feel your finger 'drag' a little. Never should the
adhesive stick to your finger...that would make it 'wet'.
Dry to the touch and TOO dry are indistinguishable from each other and
it should never be TOO dry. How do you tell if it is TOO dry?
Tacky is what the professionals, like myself, want.

r----- who has literally laid up thousands of sheets of laminate in
the last 30 years and hasn't had one lift in the last 29 years...and
that is laminate on doors, shelves, bathroom partitions, elevator
interiors, service counters and a thousand or so restaurant tables.
The word and concept is 'tacky'. Dust should be able to stick to it,
but not your finger.

*off my soap box*

dpb wrote:

Robert Allison wrote:

dpb wrote:

Robatoy wrote:
...

Allow the contact adhesive to dry till tacky on both laminate and
substrate.



The surfaces should actually be past "tacky" to "dry to the touch"
before bonding for best results...

--


When you tap your finger onto the contact cement, your finger should
come back clean. If cement comes off on your finger, it is not
ready. Check in several places. If you place the two surfaces
together before it is ready, it will not adhere and will not cure
properly.


Ayup...isn't that "dry to the touch"???

It is to you and I, but may not be to the OP. I had to
replace countertops for a guy that was letting the contact
cement dry OVERNIGHT before putting the laminate in place.
His was dry to the touch, but not tacky.

As for the other point about curing, when the solvent has
evaporated, it is cured. Maybe that is the wrong terminology,
but I am sticking to it.

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX