Working with PLASTIC LAMINATE

Adding a durable, smooth, and colorful surface to your work

- Ken Burton

Plastic laminate gets a bad rap. Maybe it's because of all the avocado kitchens from the '70s, or the acres of faux woodgrain you come across in truck stop restaurants across the country. But the stuff has its uses. It's incredibly slick and durable-if you're making your own router table top, I'd definitely laminate it-and it comes in a wide variety of colors-perfect if you're making a set of nesting tables like those on p. 40. It also requires no finish, nor any real maintenance. In all, it is well worth knowing how to work with. In this article, I'll show you the basics along with a few advanced tricks so you can incorporate laminate into your work.

Purchasing laminate