How To Cut Laminate Countertop?

In this step, you need to find a proper workspace for your cutting process. An adequate place will secure your necessary tools and devices. Search for a place where you can keep your cutting related things safely. See for proper ventilation. It will prevent any damage from fire hazards.

While working, you can expect some weather changes at your place. Be prepared for any such changes. Get equipped with all the safety measures. You will be having many disturbances while working. Try to get a place where less crowd is there. This will provide you peace and concentration while working. So, get a safer and better place. It is better if it is near your home.

This step is all about the measurements for your countertop. You need to measure the counter space that you want to cover using the countertop. For this work, we will use a measuring tape and masking tape. For measuring the length and breadth of the space, we will use a measuring tape. While measuring, we need to mark all the measurements simultaneously. You can use a marker for this. If you do not have a marker, then you need to get a carpenter’s pencil for this work. This measurement work you have to do before buying the laminate countertop. Because there are many standard sizes, and you have to buy the right sized countertop.

If you already have a big countertop, then also you can use it. Just cut into small pieces. This may take some time to cut correctly. After marking, use masking tape if you have; otherwise, let it be as it is.
To cover some standard cabinets, we can use an ordinary-sized countertop. This size is 25 inches that are 64 cm. you can measure this for cutting. This will help you to have a slight overhang.

After the measurement step, you should buy a stock piece of a laminate countertop. Any countertop comes in several stock sizes. The sizes will vary from 4 feet to 12 feet in length. The breadth will be somewhere around 2 feet. You should choose the laminate with the correct dimension. It should be accurate for your counter spacing. This you can do with the help of your measurements. Sometimes it is difficult to find your desired size of a countertop. If you are getting it, then you are fortunate. But if you get it off some other size, then you need not worry. 

You can ask the shop owner to cut it with the required dimensions. You can also do it by yourself using a jigsaw or a circular saw. If you find that the counter space to be covered is exactly divisible by 2, then you need not cut the countertop. Otherwise, go for proper cutting. One important thing while purchasing countertops is to buy strips. 

You can find small matching laminate strips at the same shop place. You can buy them along with your countertop. These matching strips will be handy to cover up the exposed part of the countertop. After cutting, you may get some undesired exposed part in the countertop. To make them vanished, you can use these strips. They will not create any kind of disturbances in your other work. Many people do not know about these strips, and they find a way to hide these unnecessary parts. This will be very useful for you in such cases. You can also cut vinyl sidings and quarter rounds.

In this step, you need to mount your countertop. In the first step, you found a proper workspace. Now, you need to arrange an appropriate workbench for your cutting support. If you do find a workbench, then you can go for a sawhorse. Both are equally good. Collect all the necessary tools and devices, along with countertop. Place all of them in one fixed place.

After this, keep your important belongings out of your workspace reach. Otherwise, your things might get lost during cutting. So the workspace should contain only cutting related tools along with the countertop. Now place the stock section of your countertop that you have bought. 

Place it on your workbench or sawhorse. The part that you want to cut should be hanged off. Leave that part in a hanging position, in other words. If you’re going to get better stability, then you can use available clamps. This will hold your countertop with more excellent stability. You can use C-clamps for this additional stability. If we work without clamps, we can create some human errors.

We cannot keep our hands stable for a longer time. This technique is even much useful if you are working with smaller pieces. Lighter pieces move and displace easily than heavy objects. So, if you are working with lighter and smaller objects, then do use a pair of clamps.

After placing your workpiece firmly, you should come to this step. Here, you have to make and mark your cutting line. Using a measuring tape and a ruler, make a cutting line on the countertop. Start measuring from the part that you want to cut initially. Draw a straight line where you want to cut the countertop. Do the measurements from the maximum outline.

Do not leave any part of the measurement. You need to consider all the parts equally. After doing these measurements, you can place the masking tape on each marking. This will help you to see the marking correctly. For marking purposes, a carpenter’s pencil will be the best choice. Paste the masking tape widthwise on the countertop. This practice will also help to prevent the chipping of the countertop.

Note that the masking tape that you are using should be of at least 1 inch wide. Otherwise, it will not be able to prevent the chipping during the cutting process. 

Now, after these cutting marks, you need to draw the cut line on the masking tape. Do can do this using a marker and a ruler. Draw a straight line on the masking tape. This should be marked precisely where you are going to cut your countertop. Do this marking with verification. Make sure that you are keeping it correctly. This is the last chance to verify all the measurements before cutting the countertop. Now, measure the distance between your saw blade and the metal guard. Add 0.16 cm to the distance.

Then, clamp the wood breadthwise to the countertop. This will form a guide rail for the laminate. Now, set the right depth of the circular saw. The depth should be 0.32 cm more than that of the countertop. You will see that the countertop comes with a uniform thickness. But to see the maximum possible depth, you should check it once using any thickness measuring tool. You can even use Vernier calipers for this. 

Now, this is the last step in the cutting process. Here you need to use and follow your cutting lines. Cut along those lines with a wooden guide that we prepared in the previous step. Try to push away the countertop from you. This will help you to cut the whole countertop in one go. Otherwise, the grip will not be healthy. You may displace the cutting line if you do not push the laminate away from you. But this thing you have to do with a minimum force. 
In this process, try to get full speed at circular saw before cutting. This will ensure a smooth and fine cut.

Before cutting the actual countertop, try your circular saw on some small scrap piece. 
Now, after cutting your laminate countertop, you need to make its edges with complete finishing. You have to sand it using a grit paper. You can go about downward strokes to prevent any kind of chipping in the laminate. After you get a smooth edge, remove the masking tape. If you have cut along the straight line, then you do not need to use the sanding step.
We hope that you can cut the laminate countertop without any difficulty.