Laminate existing MDF cabinets

[rogers112869]

Hi all.....
I have heavy MDF board cabinets that have a paperlike woodgrain coating that is scuffed and scratched and looks outdated. At the pain and hassel of re-routing new wood I was thinking of just pulling out my cabinets, ripping up the carpet and put down loncoin flooring, then buying laminate sheets and glueing them to the existing cabinets and routing them to the cabinets. Does anyone know of the mm thickness I should use so I can put back on the rubber edge protectors? Also should I also do the inside cabinet or leave as is?

James

[billwilson]

Originally Posted by rogers112869

Hi all.....
I have heavy MDF board cabinets that have a paperlike woodgrain coating that is scuffed and scratched and looks outdated. At the pain and hassel of re-routing new wood I was thinking of just pulling out my cabinets, ripping up the carpet and put down loncoin flooring, then buying laminate sheets and glueing them to the existing cabinets and routing them to the cabinets. Does anyone know of the mm thickness I should use so I can put back on the rubber edge protectors? Also should I also do the inside cabinet or leave as is?

James

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ck my threads
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i am having a guy in spring valley build NEW real wood cabinets for my rig

Suprisingly affordable......

Will post more pics in a few weeks when the job done

bw
PM me for more details

[bluedog225]

I'm thinking of similar project. Although I may take them all out and only put back the countertop with a hinge and plastic storage bins with drawers underneath. That will allow me to take the container units out to pack and drop the counter if I want to haul something. Less weight. More storage flexibility. The drawers and cabinets in the original don't really work that well for me. And frankly, the counter is longer than I need it to be. I could use more vertical space.

Consider painting your countertop. I've seen some faux granite that look great. Seems pretty simple.

G luck.

Tom

[charlie56]

See if this article helps you.

http://www.wilsonartcontract.com/pro...e/HighWear.doc

VGS laminate is recommended for vertical applications and is 0.71mm thick.

[mmocken]

I was concerned as to adhesion of the laminate in hot weather and possible delamination.

So instead I sanded, primed and painted in a satin ivory color replacing the faux woodgrain. Looks great and gives a nice makover updating the interior.

Since my SMB is now 15 years young, I hesitate to spend too much on it and painting is the lowest cost

[stiggs]

how is the paint holding up, what kind did you use? the PO of my van did some customizing to the cabinets and subsequently there are screw holes all over one section. I was thinking of repainting but wasn't sure if paint would stick to the panels

[mmocken]

Paint is holding up fine, but I'm not trying to test it. Can't be worse than the old woodgrain laminate that was scuffed all over.

I used Krylon satin ivory with automotive grade primer(rust o leum). 220 grit sandpaper on vinyl woodgrain and the primer. I also tested on the backside as I was concerned the vinyl woodgrain would dissolve or peel off... it did not for me. I made sure all panels were in the sun to fully dry/cure.

I wanted it use Appliance Epoxy, but they were sold out of Almond color. I assume epoxy would dry tougher and hold up better on a hot summer day... Krylon worked fine on a 90's day in the sun in the smb.

You can fill the holes with spot putty and sand smooth. You need to countersink the holes prior to putty as the mdf/paper does not sand well and tends to look like scuffed cardboard.

I removed the edging, which was pulling out in several areas. I used a paintbrush to added carpenters glue to the edge slot. The glue was watered down about 3x water to glue. My goal was to reinforce the slot, not glue the edge permanently on. I put edging back on while wet and the edging is holding nicely dry

I'll post pictures as it really looks great compared to old all fake wood.

http://paint-and-supplies.hardwarestore ... 65033.aspx

I also painted the old brass pulls with a hammered metalic silver... looks sweet.

Originally Posted by stiggs

how is the paint holding up, what kind did you use? the PO of my van did some customizing to the cabinets and subsequently there are screw holes all over one section. I was thinking of repainting but wasn't sure if paint would stick to the panels

[SuperSuz]

OK. Let's see those pics. Thanks, Suz

[SuperSuz]

THis thread is useless without pics. Anyone else care to post their laminate replace pics?

Dude! Such a tease!

SS

[SheepShagger]

If you have the skills, just chuck the MDF away. MDF doesn't belong in vehicles for cabinets, only sub woofer boxes. It's heavy weak and very prone to humidity changes, probably why your cabinets have delaminated. decent ply is stronger and lighter. It will pay for itself in the long run as it doesn't have the short life time of laminated MDF (in a vehicle) and since it's lighter it will save a lot in MPG, also give you more space since you can use thinner material.