An ordinary kitchen countertop, used in most kitchen sets, is a sheet of chipboard covered on top with a special wear-resistant plastic. The bottom and ends of the tabletop do not have such a coating. If the bottom of the tabletop is hidden from view and should not have any special coatings, then the ends of the tabletop need to be treated for several reasons: protection from water, strong heat (from hob), decorative function. The ends are processed in two ways: by gluing a special edge for the table top, or by installing a metal end strip. Let's consider the second method in detail.
Tools and materials needed to install the end strip:
- Phillips screwdriver No. 1.
- Metal drill with a diameter of 8 mm (if necessary).
- Metal drill with a diameter of 4.5-5.0 mm (if necessary).
- Hacksaw for metal.
- File with fine notches.
- Transparent silicone sealant (colorless).
- Self-tapping screws 3.0x16 mm (3 pcs. for each end strip).
To correctly install the end strip on the countertop, firstly, you need to choose the right end strip itself. The end strips differ in height, that is, the thickness of the tabletop for which they are intended (28 or 38 mm), the radius of the overhang (3 or 6 mm) and the type of plank coating (matte or glossy). Sometimes there are “left” and “right” end strips for installation on the left and right end of the tabletop, respectively (nowadays almost all end strips are made universal, installed on any side). Below in the photo you can see the entire simple process of installing a universal end strip on a 28 mm thick tabletop. The main thing is to thoroughly treat the end of the tabletop with silicone sealant, similar to treating the cut of the tabletop with.
Step 1. Cleaning the end of the tabletop from dust, applying silicone sealant.
Apply silicone sealant to the end of the countertop. Cover the entire end with an even layer.
Step 2. Applying silicone sealant to the end strip, fastening the strip with self-tapping screws.
Apply a strip of sealant to the L-shaped edge. We apply the plank to the end of the tabletop, align the plank flush with the front overhang of the tabletop (the protrusion of the plank is allowed no more than 1 mm) and press the plank down so that the side is pressed tightly against the plastic of the tabletop (the sealant should be squeezed out from under the side).
If the holes on the end plate have insufficient countersink width for the screw head (this is usually the case), then you need to carefully (using a drill with a diameter of 8 mm) expand the countersink so that the screw is recessed flush. We tighten all the screws one by one, making sure that the bar does not move from its place.
We fasten the bar with 3.0x16 mm self-tapping screws.
If end strip is installed on a tabletop of smaller width (less than standard 600 mm), then it is necessary to drill additional (new) holes in in the right places drill 4.5-5.0 mm, followed by countersinking.
Step 3. Trimming the plank, finishing.
Using a hacksaw, cut the strip flush with the back overhang of the tabletop. We process the cut with a file. Use a clean cloth to remove excess sealant from all sides.
(chipboard) the edges of parts without processing have an unsightly appearance. To put them in order, furniture edges and profiles are used. It is more convenient to work with them on special equipment, but you can also achieve good results with your own hands at home.
Types of furniture edges
One of the most popular materials for making furniture is chipboard. Its disadvantage is the unsightly edges that remain when cutting the part. These edges are masked by the furniture edge. They make it out of different materials, accordingly, she has different properties and price.
Paper or melamine edges
Most cheap option— edges made of paper with melamine impregnation. The paper is taken of high density, impregnated with melamine to increase strength and glued to papyrus paper. Papyrus can be single-layer (cheaper) or double-layer. To prevent the melamine coating from wearing off, everything is covered with a layer of varnish. To make it more convenient to hem the parts, on reverse side An adhesive composition is applied to the melamine furniture edges. When working, you just need to slightly warm up this composition and press it well against the end.
Paper or melamine edge is the cheapest, but also the most short-lived option for finishing the ends of furniture
The thickness of paper edge tapes is small - 0.2 mm and 0.4 mm are the most common. There is no point in making it thicker, and it will be expensive.
This type of edges is distinguished by the fact that it bends very well and does not break when bent. But its mechanical strength is very low - the edge quickly wears out. Therefore, if it is used, it is only on those surfaces that are not subject to load. For example, on back side shelves, countertops, etc.
PVC
Received recently wide use Polyvinyl chloride is also used in the production of edges for furniture. A ribbon of a certain width and thickness is formed from a mass painted in a certain color. Its front surface can be smooth, monochromatic, or it can be textured - with imitation of wood fibers. The number of colors is large, so it’s easy to choose the right one.
Furniture PVC edge- the most popular material used by both home craftsmen and professionals. This is due to relatively low price and good performance properties:
PVC furniture edging is available in different thicknesses and widths. Thickness - from 0.4 mm to 4 mm, width from 19 mm to 54 mm. The thickness is chosen depending on the expected mechanical load or external appearance, and the width is slightly larger (at least 2-3 mm) than the thickness of the workpiece. There is a furniture PVC edge with an adhesive applied, and there is one without. Both can be glued at home (more on that below).
This type of edging material also has disadvantages: not very wide temperature regime: -5°C to +45°C. For this reason, furniture cannot be left outside in winter, and when pasting with heat, you must be careful so as not to melt the polymer.
Made from ABS plastic
This polymer does not contain heavy metals and is highly durable and durable. A disadvantage can be considered high price, therefore it is used extremely rarely, although it has excellent properties:
This type of edge can be matte, glossy or semi-gloss. There are also options that imitate various types of wood. In general, this material is more convenient to use and more durable to use.
Veneer edge
Veneer is a thin section of wood, colored and shaped into a strip. This furniture edge is used in production for gluing sections of veneered products. Working with this material requires certain skills, and the material is expensive.
Veneer is not the most popular material for edging
Acrylic edge or 3D
Made from transparent acrylic. A design is applied to the reverse side of the strip. The layer of polymer on top gives it volume, which is why it is called a 3D edge. Used in the production of unusual furniture.
Profiles for processing furniture edges
You can trim the edge of furniture not only with edge tape. There are also furniture profiles that are attached mechanically. They are available in two sections - T-shaped or U-shaped (also called C-shaped).
For T-shaped furniture profiles, a groove is milled in the edge being processed. The profile is hammered into it with a furniture (rubber) mallet. The edges are cut at 45° to make the angle look attractive. It is brought to perfect condition with fine sandpaper. This type of profiles is produced from PVC and aluminum; with the same installation method, they look very different, and the differences are significant.
In width they are available for laminated chipboards of 16 mm and 18 mm. There are also wide ones, but they are much less common, since they work less with such material.
C- or U-shaped profiles are most often mounted with glue. They coat the edge with it, then put it on plastic profile, press and fix well. These PVC profiles there are soft and hard. Hard ones are harder to bend and it’s difficult to paste them over curved edges. But they have great strength.
If you still need to “plant” a rigid C-shaped furniture profile on a bend, it is heated construction hairdryer, then give the desired shape and secure with masking tape until the glue dries.
We glue furniture edges with our own hands
There are two technologies for gluing furniture edge tape. The first is for those that have glue applied to the back. In this case, an iron or a hair dryer is needed. The second is for gluing tapes without glue. In this case, you need a good universal glue that can glue plastics and wood products and a furniture roller, a piece of felt or a soft rag so that you can press the edge well against the cut.
A little about what thickness of edge to glue on which parts. Those edges that are not visible, according to GOST, do not need to be glued at all, but basically they try to treat them so that less moisture is absorbed into the chipboard, and also to reduce the evaporation of formaldehyde. Melamine tape or 0.4 mm PVC is glued to these edges. The edges are also processed drawers(not facades).
It is better to use 2 mm PVC on the front ends of the facade and drawers, and 1 mm PVC on the visible sections of the shelves. The color is chosen either to match the main surface or “in contrast”.
How to glue edging yourself with glue
The adhesive composition is applied to the melamine edge; it can be applied to PVC. If you choose PVC, it’s easier to start with thin ones - they are easier to process, any melamine is easy to glue.
We take an iron and a fluoroplastic nozzle on it. If there is no nozzle, thick cotton fabric will do - so as not to overheat the tape, but to melt the glue. A hair dryer is also suitable for this purpose. We set the iron to about “two”, while it is heating up we cut off a piece of tape. The length is a couple of centimeters longer than the workpiece.
We apply the edge to the part, level it, smooth it out. There should be small pieces hanging off both sides. We take an iron and, using a nozzle or a rag, iron the edge, heating it until the glue melts. It is necessary to heat evenly over the entire surface. After the entire edge is glued, let it cool. Then we start processing the edges.
The edge can be cut with a knife, both with the sharp and blunt sides. Some people use a regular metal ruler, while others find it more convenient to use a stainless steel spatula.
So, take the tool you have chosen and cut off the hanging edges of the edge. They are cut close to the material. Then cut off the excess along the part. Melamine and thin plastic are easily cut with a knife. If the PVC edge is thicker - 0.5-0.6 mm or more, difficulties may arise. Such edges are possible if there is one. This guarantees good results in a short time. The processing will take longer if you use sandpaper, but the result may not be worse.
One important point: when gluing thin edges, the cut of the part should be smooth, without protrusions and depressions. The material is plastic, which is why all defects are visible. Therefore, first go over the cuts with sandpaper, then thoroughly remove dust and degrease. Only after this can you glue.
Edging with PVC tape (no glue on the back side)
With this method of gluing PVC edges yourself, you need universal glue and a piece of felt or rag. We read the instructions for the glue and carry out all the steps as recommended. For example, for Moment glue, you need to apply the composition to the surface and distribute it, wait 15 minutes, and firmly press the surfaces to be glued.
Apply glue and wait - no problem. To press the edge tightly to the cut, you can use wooden block wrapped in felt. Instead of a block, you can take a construction float and also attach felt to its sole. As a last resort, you can roll up thick fabric in several layers and press the tape to the surface.
The selected tool is pressed against the laid edge, pressed with all its weight, pressing it against the surface of the chipboard. The movements are stroking. This is how they iron the entire edge, achieving a very tight fit. The part is left in this form for some time - so that the glue “seizes.” Then you can start processing the edges.
I searched the Internet for a long time for an answer to this question, found something, and tried to do it. But I made a huge number of mistakes before I developed my own technology, which I will now share. I hope this experience will save someone time and money.
We will need:
1) tabletop with an even cut;
2) 3d edge;
3) glue "Moment No. 88";
4) express glue for polystyrene foam and wood;
5) household gloves or rag;
6) metal scissors, or any saw;
7) a file, or a whetstone for sharpening knives, or a nail file as a last resort;
8) something metal profiled with acute angle, I alternately used a chisel, a file and a galvanized angle 50*50;
9) linoleum trim.
1. Preparing the tabletop - the evenly sawn edge must be cleaned of dust.
To do this, I put an ordinary household rag glove with small blue rubber pimples on my hand and ran my hand along the cut for several minutes, first back and forth, and finally in one direction, since the chipboard began to crumble. I planted a few splinters, so I suggest using a double glove.
2. Preparing the 3d edge. You need to unroll it from the roll and try to straighten it slightly. To do this, they heat it with a hair dryer, but I didn’t have that, so I didn’t heat it, but twisted the edge in the opposite direction. There was dirt on the glued surface - I removed it with solvent 646, I don’t recommend doing this, you can dissolve the drawing itself. It’s better to use an alcohol wipe, but don’t hold it for too long and don’t press too hard.
3. Primer the countertop.
The Quintol Lux adhesive recommended on construction forums is not so easy to obtain, but Moment No. 88 impregnates the chipboard very unevenly, as a result the edge does not stick well - you need to prepare the end to help the glue adhere better.
In a store near my house I found “express liquid nails” for polystyrene foam - transparent glue, 90 kg/m2, initial hardening time 15 minutes, properties like transparent plastic. You can take any high-quality express glue for polystyrene foam - there is no need to be afraid that it will not work, since it is not intended for hard plastics, which include edges - we will use it only to impart the desired properties to the chipboard cut.
A tube for a gun, but I simply pressed it with a file, squeezed the “worm” onto the cut and immediately, until it hardened, coated it with my finger, pressing deep into the material.
After 15 minutes, of course, he was still not quite ready. Dried for three hours. I removed the excess with my fingernail, not without difficulty. The cut turned out to be quite durable.
4. Gluing.
We cut off the edge with metal scissors (or saw off with a saw) so that 5-6 millimeters hang over the edges and do everything according to the instructions for glue 88: coat (with a thin continuous layer first the edge, since it does not absorb glue - it will take longer to dry, then tabletop on top of a hard layer of express glue), wait 15-20 minutes, combine and press firmly over the entire area.
After this, you need to let the glue harden for 24 hours (I waited 10).
To ensure that the edge does not move away during this time, but, on the contrary, sticks even better, it is advisable to fix it in a pressed position. For example, you can place a tabletop with an edge on a floor covered with linoleum - perfect option. You can borrow a piece of linoleum from someone for these purposes; everyone still has them after the renovation.
5. Trimming and milling.
Where more than 2-3 mm hangs down, draw a line from below with something sharp (this spoils the 3D edge pattern and the line becomes very noticeable) and cut it obliquely from above, obliquely - so as not to damage the material. If less than 2-3 mm, we do milling:
It’s better not to even try to cut with a knife - the edge is very strong, the result is very bad. But if you turn the knife 90 degrees and in this position scrape the edge along the entire joint - like scraping a carrot to peel - the result will exceed expectations. I didn’t even use a knife, but a file, the edge of a chisel and the edge of a galvanized angle in turn. The angle needs to be gradually changed: first we cut it flush, then we make a beautiful chamfer, changing the angle from 0 to 90 degrees. At the same time, we clean off the excess glue that has come out.
6. Finishing touches.
If gaps, cracks, or chips form, they can be filled with polystyrene foam glue.
I advise them to miss the mark bottom part countertops, especially where there is no drip tray and where, accordingly, water can get in.
We process the corners with a file or whetstone.
Everything is so, in general, not very difficult. Available. Just. In some ways it’s worse than on a machine (not as smooth until your hand is full), but in some ways it’s better (the machine doesn’t impregnate or prime anything - the protection from water is worse).
What terrible mistakes have I managed to make here?
1) impregnated it with drying oil - the chipboard absorbed half a bottle of drying oil and swelled in the area of impregnation, and the smell lingered for several days;
2) heated it with an ordinary hair dryer - it is ineffective - you need to blow for a very long time on one point so that the edge becomes pliable, and when you move to another point, the first one has already hardened, so you can ruin the hair dryer, but you cannot lay the edge evenly;
3) he heated it through a sheet of paper with an iron - completely in vain, the adhesive seam lost its strength, it didn’t give anything else;
4) I cut it by melting it with a soldering iron for polypropylene - a terrible stench and a very slow process at 250 degrees, and at 300 my tabletop caught fire from below.
Hello!
In this lesson we will look at how to glue an edge to a table top or to parts with chipboard. The point will be the same - do it right.
- blunt knife (must be well sharpened);
- skin;
- roller for wallpaper seams;
- iron (or hair dryer). The principle will be the same;
- melamine edge.
Which edge for chipboard is better?
It is perfect that PVC edges are many times better than melamine. Because it is more reliable. Since paper wears out faster, and it feels different to the touch.
Operating procedure
Before starting work, you need to choose the optimal heating temperature for the iron so as not to overcook it and not re-glue it. We will glue the edge according to the finished one, which we discussed in the previous lesson.
In those cases where you need to process 2 or more sides, it is advisable to do everything together. But first, I recommend gluing the edge on each side separately.
Now we will process the edges on which we will glue using sandpaper. This is necessary in order to remove any irregularities that might remain after cutting. After that, measure the length and start gluing.
When you use the iron for the first time, take the roller and press it firmly onto the part.
In the next step, we cut off the edges that hang down using a knife.
The scheme will be like this: holding the knife at an angle, run along the edge, slightly bending the newly glued edge to the laminate and carefully cut it off. The next step is to sand the edges. To get rid of burrs and achieve perfectly smooth edges.
Since the color of the cut edge may differ from the actual color of the part, you can treat it with stain.
This material is devoted to waterproofing the ends of laminated chipboards. To a greater extent, it is relevant for protecting the countertop from water, but when assembling furniture for the bathroom or kitchen, it would also be useful to treat the ends of the parts that make up the box.
As can be seen from the structure of the laminated chipboard, the part most exposed to moisture is the saw cut unprotected by the laminate. When water gets on it, sawdust swells and the part becomes deformed. I will say right away that moisture-resistant laminated chipboard (green polymer sawdust is visible on the cut) is not a panacea - for an experiment, throw a piece of such chipboard into a bucket of water... So for it, waterproofing issues are just as relevant, although to a lesser extent.
So, let's look at various protective techniques - their advantages and disadvantages.
1. Edge banding(often kitchen countertops are sealed at the edges with simple PVC or melamine). To be honest, this technique does not greatly protect the chipboard from swelling - water penetrates into the joint between the edge and the laminate and does its dirty work. Not suitable as a waterproofing agent(see photo 1).
2. -
due to the fact that the edging has overhangs that extend slightly onto the surface of the laminate, the joints, which were so defenseless in the previous version, become more closed, therefore provides better waterproofing. But isolated, that is, without the use of sealing compounds, its effectiveness is clearly insufficient.
3. Silicone sealant - can be used both in isolation and in
in combination with other techniques (processing the ends under edging or decorative end strips).
In addition, you can coat the ends of the laminated chipboard in the boxes with sealant in the places of the ties (those that are not covered with an edge); after tightening the joint, it is necessary to remove the squeezed out excess sealant with a rag - after the silicone dries, the box will be more airtight. Silicone should be used sanitary, that is, with protection against fungus. A “sausage” of sealant is squeezed out of the tube onto the end, and then smeared with a spatula or finger.
I would also like to note that the edge does not stick to silicone, and if it does, it doesn’t stick for long!
4. Treatment with Aquastop - An excellent alternative to sealant. Apply with a brush twice. After complete drying, it forms a layer on which you can even glue the edge (according to furniture makers - I haven’t tried it myself).
5. Paraffin treatment - this is old-fashioned, but nevertheless, extremely effective method waterproofing. The method looks like this: we put the part on the end, masking tape is glued to both sides of the laminate (so that the end looks like it has sides), then we take a candle and use a hairdryer to melt the paraffin, pouring it into the resulting groove so that it spreads in an even layer over the surface of the end ). And we continue to warm it up. In this case, paraffin will be absorbed into the chipboard like water. Processing is carried out at least twice. After this, we pour paraffin on the end, but do not fry it, so that it hardens, forming a protective layer. Excess is removed with a knife. A cross-section of the laminate shows that paraffin penetrates into the material to a depth of at least 3-4 mm, which provides excellent, but again not 100% waterproofing.
The main disadvantages of this technique are the labor intensity and, again, the impossibility of gluing the edges.