Laminate / Formica

I find it at a local close-out yard, about a buck a sq ft.

-- Life is to short to own an ugly boat.

if you go to a big box store, look for broken sheets. They usually give you 50% off, even if its just a small piece out…

around here a full sheet runs about 46 bucks for the stone looking kind. Plain white was about 39

-- If you can't build it, code it. If you can't code it, build it. But always ALWAYS take a picture.

I usually get mine at Lowe’s. Like depictureboy says it runs $46.00 for a 4×8 sheet.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

I haven’t be able to find solid colors at Lowe’s. Do you have them order it for you? I really don’t that faux nasty looking marble or whatever it is they’re trying to simulate in the shop. Besides most of that stuff is very dark.

??

-- Chunk

Lowe’s can order whatever color you want, if they don’t carry it in stock.

I would also check into cabinet shop supply houses. From these you can order in a number of sizes that are sometimes more economical. For instance (as I recall but it’s been a while) you can order sheets of 25-inch wide laminate in 8, 10, 12, and 16 foot sheets. This worked great for residential counter tops.

Another source – but you need lots of patience and a smattering of luck! – is sites like Craig’s List. Look in the “Materials” category. Folks will many times have sheets of laminate up for sale. Normally, quite cheap. Just depends on the color meeting your needs.

Good luck! Cheers!

-- Dave; Lansing, Kansas

ooh also if you have a habitat for humanity store in your area…we do here, they have a leftovers store you can go and buy leftover material from builds…

-- If you can't build it, code it. If you can't code it, build it. But always ALWAYS take a picture.

Great tip depcitureboy. There is a HFH Restore south of here about 35 miles. I’ll check that out!

-- Chunk

I go to local cabinet shops and buy their scraps for cheeeep!

I bought a 4×8 sheet at lowes for $ 24

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

We have different lumber suppliers that sell cabinet supplies to the cabinets shops.
Different suppliers have distributorship’s for the different brands of laminates. There’s many different brands,
Formica, Wilsonart, Nevamar are a few. I would look up there websites and look for “locate a distributor”,
They all should have a distributor locater on their page that will give you the locations of companies that sell their product.
Prices vary depending on design; (solids, woodgrains, textures). Laminates also come in different thicknesses,
Standard (.048), Post Forming (.039) and Vertical (.028). Most, I think, use the Post Forming. The verticle is the thinnest and cheapest but not recommended for Counter Tops.
I usually pay about 1.30 sq. for woodgrains.

old laminate is often garbage.

-- Dan, Sterling Alaska, http://sullcon.homestead.com/ Before you criticise some one, walk a mile in their shoes...then you will be a mile away and you have their shoes!

The Lowes in my area does not carry laminate; HD says they don’t sell broken sheets (wonder what they do with them?). No cabinet shops within a 50 mile radius that I can find. Lumber dealer wants $3 / sqft. I haven’t tried Habitat for Humanities Restore – next time I take a trip to the city on Tues or Thurs, I can check there – closed all other days. I am planning on building a router table but it may be cheaper to buy a top than to pay $100 or so for a sheet of laminate plus all of the other materials!

JimC

Jim,

Did you check back in the cabinet dept at Lowe’s? The laminate is normally located back there. I can’t believe that they wouldn’t have offered to order it for you if they don’t stock it. A sales associate makes a higher commission on special orders, so it’s an incentive to take care of the customer!

-- Dave; Lansing, Kansas

I got a sheet of solid white (oh yeah) at Lowes this weekend for $30 +tax. I’ve been pricing solid colors, special order of course equals “special pricing” to boot, with price ranges from $70 – $170. When the guy told me the price for blue at $170 I asked him if were made of gold. He didn’t think that was too funny.

Chunk

-- Chunk