Formica (or similar) covered PLY - where to buy in the Solent Area please

Z

zambant

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 Jan 2010
Messages
430
Visit site
I am looking for a sheet of 3 - 6mm thick ply covered by Formica type laminate on one side.

Anyone any ideas where to buy in the Solent / Southampton area please?

Thanks

John
 
zambant said:
I am looking for a sheet of 3 - 6mm thick ply covered by Formica type laminate on one side.

Anyone any ideas where to buy in the Solent / Southampton area please?

Thanks

John
Click to expand...

I am sure around there will be a place that will laminate your plywood and formica, they use a big press. But not seen plywood with formica already on it. White melamine, yes.
 
Robbins Timber of Bristol do laminate covered ply, but it is very expensive at over £100 a sheet for 4mm on a WBP base. You may be better off, particularly if you only need a smallish amount buying your ply then getting a laminate off cut from a kitchen worktop manufacturer. I did this recently and a 600*800 mm roughly cost me a fiver - and matched the worktop in my boat.
 
Robbins

Robbins I know about thanks - never seen prices like it :confused: £100 a sheet - I'd want gold plating for that:p !!
 
Raw formica costs around £70 per sheet in the UK. ( I bought 5 sheets in greece for just about 1/2 that ) so getting a sheet laminated to 4mm ply for £100 is to be expected.

Depends what you are looking for.

I laminated my own formica to 4mm marine ply for some headlining boards up under the side decks. A good quality contact adhesive and a laminate rollre to pressure it up. Looks great.
 
There is a good value & quality wood / ply supplier in Poole, I'm afraid I can't remember their name - maybe someone can help with that.

I agree laminating it yourself is the only way to avoid funding someone's next holiday...
 
I was buying Formica at £44 a roll 10m long. Formica though is one of those secretive brands and they are difficult to get on with as they don't want anything to do with selling to the public. Arpa(Uk) at Stoke on Trent are a cheaper alternative.
 
zambant said:
Robbins I know about thanks - never seen prices like it :confused: £100 a sheet - I'd want gold plating for that:p !!
Click to expand...

As others have said, thats because of the high cost of Formica. There are however other brands, mostly German like the one I bought with a bewildering choice of colours/patterns.

Yellow Pages will find you a local supplier - there are 3 at least in the Poole area so almost certainly one nearer you. The one I bought from would have laminated as well, but I had some small fiddly panels to do - not difficult with a bit of patience.
 
When we needed some we found a local laminate supplier who supplies the kitchen trade etc and bought a sheet of laminate for very little then stuck it to our own plywood with evostick. Edges done with strips cut on a bandsaw and trimmed with a router. You can get plastic beading for the edges which you force into a slot cut with a router.
 
How about "wet wall"?

Sold in 8ft by 4ft sheets from any decent builders merchant.

It's about 6mm, or maybe a bit thicker ply with a plastic laminate of some sort bonded on one side and a backing on the other side.

I's intended for lining shower cubicles, so should be totally watertight, and it's about £80 per sheet in a good variety of colours and patterns.

Edge profiles are also sold for jouning internal and external corners, and finishing exposed edges.
 
maxi77 said:
When we needed some we found a local laminate supplier who supplies the kitchen trade etc and bought a sheet of laminate for very little then stuck it to our own plywood with evostick. Edges done with strips cut on a bandsaw and trimmed with a router. You can get plastic beading for the edges which you force into a slot cut with a router.
Click to expand...

Agree. When doing a small area get offcuts from a kitchen fitter/formica laminate supplier. I use Thixofix which is easier to spread than Evo-Stick, as it is thicker and easier to spread an even layer. Also cheaper!

Cutting needs a little skill: Cutting the formica by itself, use the same technique as cutting tiles or glass, scoring the cutting line then bending it so it snaps off. The deeper the scoring, the better the cut. It is possibly to score right through it and cut it that way.

Finishing - trim with a router, or I found Stanley flat planer tool worked well. Dont try to saw the laminated ply, it will tend to shatter the edge of the formica. If you must, use the finest tooth edged saw blade you can find to prevent shattering.

Quite a good idea to set up a piece of scrap to styart with to find the technique you like best, first.

However if you are wanting a formica laminated bulkhead, anything more than around a square metre or so, then I would get it done professionally with a proper press. 'Bubbles' where the laminate has not glued down properly stand out like a sore thumb on a large sheet!
 
I've used shower wall/mermaid board for galley worktops, but it is very expensive. Last quote was £185, thats why I laminate my own tops now. You just need two sheets of shuttering ply,as a laminating table and polythene membrane to stop any over squeeze glueing it all together. If you are feeling flush, you can laminate with slightly thickened epoxy, otherwise contact adhesive. You need to use some weights on the top ply. I used some spare wheels, though I have used gas bottles in the past.
 
Bobobolinsky said:
I've used shower wall/mermaid board for galley worktops, but it is very expensive. Last quote was £185, thats why I laminate my own tops now. You just need two sheets of shuttering ply,as a laminating table and polythene membrane to stop any over squeeze glueing it all together. If you are feeling flush, you can laminate with slightly thickened epoxy, otherwise contact adhesive. You need to use some weights on the top ply. I used some spare wheels, though I have used gas bottles in the past.
Click to expand...

For small areas see if your local supplier has any old samples, our for'd heads worktop was an obsolete sample, just the right size and a £1 in the charity box
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top