Odd size laminate countertop

I'm having a hard time finding a source for a laminate countertop (more like an island, really) - the dimensions are 76 x 48 - I'd like to avoid any seams - there will be a sink, too. My budget can't accommodate granite or solid surface. Any suggestions? THANKS!

Reply to
Texas Yankee
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Look in the yellow pages for counter top suppliers. They will make most any size you would like.

Craig

Reply to
cm

That is going to be a custom size.

Laminate is sold in a 4x8 or 4x12 size so seams won't be required.

Colbyt

Reply to
Colbyt

Here's a crazy idea. Call a place that makes countertops. Radical, I know, but you will be successful in your quest if you do this.

Reply to
Doug Kanter

I guess the reason I posted is because my limited experience with buying stuff like countertops is to go to one of the big box stores and get an estimate and pay someone to do the work - there aren't too many reliable independent remodeling folks that I can find here in my locale - I have no idea about how to contact the companies that actually make the countertops, but I don't imagine that they'll sell to individuals - my expertise is with business software, and people pay me to handle that for them - stuff that I don't know about, I pay people to do it - if I can find someone - at any rate, if you felt that my question wasn't up to standards, you have my apology sir.

To those of you that offerred an answer without the sarcasm - thanks!

Reply to
Texas Yankee

countertops,

The big-boxes don't directly employ any installers. They also don't make the special-order countertops. All that is subbed out. If your town isn't big enough to have a custom countertop fabricator, the nearest larger town will. They may or may not be listed in the yellow pages, but should be listed in the white pages, if you can find out the name. The guy at the big-box store may or may not wanna give up the names, since they get a cut when you book the job through them. Ask around amongst co-workers and neighbors- the local go-to guy usually isn't a big secret, since word-of-mouth is their best advertising. Custom counters are usually sold installed, but that is more true for solid or stone than simple formica. Suppliers don't want the callbacks from amatuer install jobs, or the bad pr when a botched install is linked to their name. An island that big, you will want help with anyway- even in formica, that sucker will be heavy. Off the top of my head, not sure formica even comes that wide- you may have to live with a joint down the middle, especially if you want a molded edge. A hardwood edge with formica center may be easier and cheaper to fabricate.

aem sends...

Reply to
ameijers

Hi TY,

I sell custom laminate furniture, so I can speak to this. This sounds like a island, so I'll make that assumption for my response, meaning all sides finished and no backsplash.

Call a custom cabinet shop, most of them are capable of working with laminate, and it won't be a lot of money. Avoid home stores, even the independent ones. For this, you want to talk directly to the fabricator or you may well end up with seams where you don't want them to be. Laminate is available in 4x8 or 5x10 sheets. To best avoid seams, you'll want bullnose sides, but not all shops are set up to do this, and it will require a 5x10 sheet, which is sometimes a special order and takes a couple of weeks to get.

If you don't want bullnose sides, and go with flat edges, you'll have at least two seams along the side. A 5x10 should yield two seams, a 4x8 should be six (if a second sheet is used then it will be three seams). Again, if you go direct to a fabricator you can discuss where approximately to have the seams put for best appearance. Make sure you tell him what you're using this for and what the support is, if he thinks its a table top he may build it differently than for island that takes a sink.

S
Reply to
mrsgator88

You'll get seams in the side.

S
Reply to
mrsgator88

Commie, pinko.

>
Reply to
mm

Even after what Doug said?

If you can learn to make enough money to pay people to do things, you can learn more about the phone book, and the business-to-business yellow pages (which often doesn't require you to be a business to purchase, and never requires you to be one to get a copy of the directory) and the One Book, I think it is, the competing yellow pages in many areas (a book I despise, but which does have the advantage of covering large areas that are 10 or 30 or more miles outside of town), and yp.yahoo.com .

What is possible, maybe likely, is that they won't want to spend much, maybe not any, time discussing what would look nice where, and what shape it ought to be. They'll give you a stack of their colors and patterns, and tell you their limitations, like the size limitations someone mentioned, and expect you to tell them what you need in detail, and they'll make it for you.

So come prepared.

The last time I bought something at a wholesale place, a 4x8 sheet of some sort of white plastic type stuff, it was only 28 dollars and they did spend quite a bit of time with me, and she volunteered that she was waiving the small order charge, but I have a very nice personality when I'm not on the net. It comes natural because I actually do like talking to ...almost everyone.

Reply to
mm

I really think it would be worth the time (and gasoline) to drive quite a distance to get exactly what you want. Divide the expense by the number of years of enjoyment you'll get from the countertop and a classy looking kitchen, and it'll seem like a very small investment.

Reply to
Doug Kanter

I just noticed this. That's simply wrong. Any countertop place will be happy to take your money. If you *do* find a place that seems hesitant to deal directly with homeowners, it's probably because they're afraid of building something for an experienced person who may not measure correctly, and then end up being a service nightmare. I recently visited a custom curtain store where the manager said exactly that. They won't take orders for certain types of window coverings unless one of their installers comes to your home to double check your measurements. There are certainly other ways of getting around this.

Reply to
Doug Kanter

I know. My phones are being tapped ever since I told my son to check the yellow pages to find skateboard dealers.

Reply to
Doug Kanter

Thanks for the guidance !

Reply to
Texas Yankee

I think that you will find that any "top shop" will build anything you want. Contact any cabinet shop in the yellow pages and ask them if they will build the top for you or ask them who they use, some shops will use someone else to build their tops for them. Also there may be a listing for a company that just builds laminate tops. Check more than one company, there is usually a lot of variance in prices between them. You should also want to go to their shop and look at their work. We had a company that built tops for us, their work was poor and too expensive for what they provided. Mainly the poor quality of work is what drove us to start building our own tops. It's difficult to provide a quality product for a customer when it looks like crap with radiused ends looking they were cut out around two different size coffee cans then beltsanded by a blind fabricator. cc

Reply to
CC

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