By now you should have completed your base and wall cabinets so let's take a look at how I make C-tops.  But first, let's go over my rules.   

• I use standard grade particle board

• I use quality laminates

• I ONLY use 3M's 30-NF contact adhesive

• I NEVER put laminate on the edges - I don't care who you are or how much you're paying me, I won't do it.

• I NEVER cut holes for sinks, cook-tops or whatever until after the cabinets are installed and the C-tops secured

That's it!  Let's move on.

Tools you'll need:

• A tablesaw - yes, you could cut the parts with a circular saw but a TS is faster and more accurate

• A 1/4" crown stapler capable of shooting 1 1/2" and 1 1/4" staples

• A brad nailer capable of shooting 1 1/2" brads

• An air compressor

• An air blowing nozzle

• A planer

• A try square

• A miter saw

• A hammer

• A pair of dykes

• A pencil

• A pencil sharpener

• Lighting

• Electricity

• A workbench

• A bottle of yellow Carpenter's glue

• A small dish

• An 1 1/2" chip brush

• A belt sander

• A paint roller handle equipped with a foam roller

• A roller pan

• A J-roller

• A dust brush

• 50 grit sanding belts

• A router with flush cutting and 45 degree chamfering bits

Before we go further I want to share a little word with you about the adhesive.  It has 3M's name on it so that means it's pricey but it's worth every penny.  It's latex, which means it is water-based and when dried it is like a rubber glove.  It really is tough stuff and sticks like nobody's business.  The "NF" means non-flammable   On the label you'll be instructed to clean whatever brushes, rollers and pans that contacted this adhesive with Pinesol.  My instructions are to ignore those instructions and throw the cheap foam roller away - it just ain't worth the trouble or the expense of Pinesol.  I do use a pan liner but I don't throw it away, I just keep reusing it until layer upon layer of rubber accumulates and begins to weigh somewhere around 20 lbs.  If I'm doing something small I use an 1 1/2" chip brush then throw it away.  After you pour an amount of adhesive into the pan close the container.  If you leave the adhesive out too long or the container open it'll film over - DO NOT pour it back into the container without first skimming off this film!  If you ignore what I just told you then the next time you pour some out there'll be rubber boogers.  Your roller doesn't know the difference and picks them up and then transfers them onto what you're gluing.  Now you get to spend a little while (generally 16-hours) picking them off.  If you don't, they'll telegraph through the laminate.  This adhesive can be used for other applications; I've used it to adhere paneling to drywall, pieces of metal, fabrics...it's fun stuff.  

Your first step is to determine what type of C-top you need and you should easily be able to determine this from your cabinet layout drawing (you do have one of those, right?).  There are four types:

• Finished end

• Non-finished ends

• Island

• Peninsula

Finished end C-tops come in two flavors; left and right.  Island C-tops are finished on four sides and Peninsula C-tops are finished on three sides.  I'm going to walk you through making a FER or finished end right C-top. 

Cut the particle board to size.  In this case we're going to make a C-top that will fit on a 4' long base cabinet.  I allow for 1 1/2" overhangs at the finished ends and along the cabinet fronts.  Right now this substrate is only 3/4" hanging over - don't worry, we'll get there.

The next thing to do is give your C-top the illusion of being 1 1/2" thick without making it heavy.  To do that I staple (be sure to use 1 1/4" staples here) 5" wide strips of particle board around the perimeter of the C-top.  Be sure to do the longest ones first then fill in the others.   Another reason for doing this comes when it's time to secure the C-top to the base cabinet.  Remember the corner blocks you installed and the holes you drilled in them?  Well, using a 2" long drywall screw there guarantees the screw won't blow through your finished C-top.

Here's where it starts to get pretty.  On all finished ends and visible edges I glue on strips of 3/4" x 1 9/16" matching the wood species being used on the face frames, doors and drawer fronts.  Cut the edging to length being sure to miter the corners.  Pour some glue into the dish, add a little water and mix it.  You want a consistency where it drips off your brush easily - you'll know if it's too thin.  Working one edge or end at a time, brush the glue onto the substrate making sure to saturate the particle board then grab the strip.  If you followed my directions, you should have milled the edging to 1 9/16" wide.  This is because I have found it's easier to leave the top and bottoms edges a little proud of the substrate and sand it down than it is to flush it, try to hold it tightly, nail it and hope it doesn't move.  Brad nail all the edging and wait about 30 minutes for the glue to set.

In the meantime, get out your belt sander and equip it with a 50 grit belt.  Take a pencil and make tick marks across the edging and onto the substrate - do so every couple inches being sure to place several of them at the mitered corner.

From this moment on you need to keep your woodworking game face on.  If you screw up any of the following steps you might as well start over.

Turn the C-top over so that the bottom is up and repeat the tick mark procedure.  These tick marks are your sanding guide and the purpose of them it to let you know when the edging is perfectly flush with the substrate.  When the tick mark disappears entirely then you best be moving the sander.  DO NOT sand from the edge - keep the bulk of the sander on the field.  DO NOT hold the sander in one place - keep moving it back and forth.  DO NOT stop at the corner, arc the sander around it.  Repeat for the top - sand the edging first then lightly sand the field to create a scuff.  Take your blower and in concert with the dust brush, brush and blow from one end to the other.

It's time for the fun part - gluing down the laminate.  Mill out some strips 1/4" x 3/4" by 28" long - you need one for every foot of run and set on your workbench next to the C-top.  Lightly sand the cut edges to remove any burrs.  Cut your laminate to size allowing one inch extra each direction.  You have to be careful with laminates over 4' wide - they are very tough through thickness but brittle along the length.  Pick wide sheets up along the longest edge using your fingers only...no thumbs.  Look at your hands...no, really, I want you to look at your hands.  Now, fold your fingers against your palms with your thumbs sticking out like your hitchhiking - that's the way you pick up laminate - between your fingers and your palms only.

Whether I cut laminate on the TS depends upon the length - anything over 6' I cut on the floor using a circular saw with cardboard lying on the floor.  The laminate is good side down so the cardboard protects it and protects you from cutting lines in your floor.  Be sure to set the depth of the blade properly.  You cut good side down to keep the laminate surface from chipping.  If you use the TS then cut good side up.

Put the laminate on top of the substrate glue side up.  Pour some contact adhesive into the roller pan and begin rolling it onto the laminate.  DO NOT get over zealous, do not press hard, do not roll fast.  If it foams up you're rolling too fast.  You have plenty of time with this stuff so take your time and make sure to coat the entire piece.  Move it aside but elevated on something so it stays out of sawdust but mainly to keep the adhesive on the edges from sticking.  Repeat for the substrate.

You are ready to put down the laminate when the adhesive dries to where you can place the back of your hand on it and it doesn't feel wet and doesn't stick.  In a warm shop it's about 20 minutes.  Now pick up your stickers and place them about a foot apart.  Pick up the laminate and lay it edge first on top of the stickers then carefully lower it down.  Slide the laminate back and forth until it's about 1/2" proud all the way around.  Gently lift up one end and slide the end sticker half-way towards the next sticker.  Using your hands, press down the end about mid-way to the sticker.  Get your J-roller close and set it down on the bench - using your other hand, pick up the laminate from the other end and remove all the strips, grab the J-roller and start rolling from the previously stuck end.  Roll it back and forth while slowly lowering the laminate.  When the last inch is down, roll the snot out of it, especially along the finished ends and edges.

Use a flush cutting router bit to trim the laminate to the substrate.  Keep the roller bearing free of adhesive or else the cut will be jagged.  I go over the cut twice.

Next, draw a 3" diameter circle on the corner and use the belt sander to knock off the corner.  The try square will let you know if you're not holding it straight up and down.  Sand to the line.  Outfit your router with the chamfering bit and run it along the finished edge and end.  I hand sand the chamfer but use the ROS for the rest.

I did these videos to show how you how to make your own countertops.