Working with Melamine

Go Beyond Basic White

White melamine is by far the most common, but basic colors, like black, almond and wood grain, can be special-ordered from most home centers or lumberyards that carry the white. Melamine comes in a wide range of thicknesses. Home centers not only carry 3/4-in. and 5/8-in. sheets for cabinet construction and shelving, but they often have 1/2-in. for drawer parts and 1/4-in. stock for backs and drawer bottoms.

Wear Gloves!

Gloves are a must when handling large sheets of melamine. We recommend a pair of Kevlar® gloves. Kevlar is designed to protect the user from slicing cuts. Surprisingly, they’re inexpensive ($5) and the rubber dots or stripes help you get a grip on the slippery melamine surface.

Stop the Chip-Out Monster

Chip-out on the bottom edge is a common problem when you use a general-purpose blade to cut melamine. Sometimes one rough edge doesn’t matter, but when you need a perfectly clean edge on both sides, you have a couple options. The first is to make a 1/16-in.-deep scoring cut on the bottom of the piece (see photo, below). Turn the saw off and crank up the blade to finish the cut. The result is a perfectly clean cut on both surfaces.

The second solution is a laminate-cutting blade (above), which gives you perfectly clean edges on both sides, without a scoring cut. If you cut a lot of melamine, these blades are well worth the investment.

Use Your Router To Drill Holes

Drilling for adjustable shelves can be a problem in melamine. A sharp brad-point bit will make a clean hole, but the melamine is hard on the cutting edges and a typical bit will quickly dull. Production shops use special carbide-tipped bits that are expensive and hard to find.

For the weekend builder, the best way to drill holes in melamine is to use a router. A simple jig and a plunge router with a 5/8-in. guide bushing is the way to go. Use a 1/4-in. carbide down-spiral bit for flawless holes.

The jig is simply a piece of 1/2-in. plywood with a series of 5/8-in. holes spaced at 2-in. intervals. Clamp the jig flush with the case side, set the bushing in the first hole and plunge. Repeat the process until all the holes are drilled.

A Tongue Makes Dado Joints Easier

Routers are great for cutting dadoes in melamine, because it assures a chip-free cut. Unfortunately, melamine is about 1/128-in. over 3/4-in. As a result, if you try to use a 3/4-in. router bit to cut a dado, it’ll be slightly undersized—not a pretty picture come assembly time. You can get around this by making a 1/2-in. dado and creating a 1/2-in. tongue on the ends of the shelf with a rabbeting bit.

Reinforce Joints with Melamine Glue

Typical wood glue won’t bond at all to melamine’s slick surface. That leaves you with a weakened glue joint where melamine meets particleboard. Fortunately, you can buy specialized glue that will bond melamine to a porous surface like particleboard. This is especially critical on more delicate joints, for instance, those used to construct a drawer.

Cover Unsightly Holes

The easiest way to cover exposed screw heads is with Fast Cap self-stick caps. These discs come in typical melamine colors and they’re a cinch to apply--just peel and stick.

Throw Away Your Iron

Melamine needs to be edged for a finished look. You can use iron-on edging, but self-stick edging is faster, easier and incredibly strong. Just peel, stick and give it a pass with a wood block or roller to push the adhesive into the particleboard. Maximum strength is obtained in a week.One swipe with a double-sided edge trimmer cuts the tape flush.

Flush-Fit Caps Appear Invisible

A flush-fit screw cap looks a whole lot better than the surface-applied caps. Plus, they are less prone to getting knocked off. The FlushMount carbide drill bit cuts a shallow 9/16-in.-dia. countersink for the self-stick cap. An adjustable brad-point bit protruding through the center of the carbide bit drills the pilot hole. Both bits can be adjusted for depth of cut. Just drill, screw and cover. The caps are almost invisible. The same system can be used on wood-veneered sheet stock.

Repair, Don’t Despair

Small nicks and gouges are easy to fix using SeamFil. It works just like wood filler but it’s designed for plastic. Just work a little into the wound and scrape it flush using a putty knife. After the filler dries, use a utility razor to remove any excess. It makes a quick, easy repair that’s only noticeable at close range.

Sources

(Note: Source information may have changed since the original publication date.)

All Safety Equipment & Supplies, AllSafetySupplies.com, 888-739-1080,  Kevlar gloves, #SS-GLK600PD2, $5. 

Woodworker’s Supply, woodworker.com, 800-645-9292,  Freud LU97 double-sided laminate blade, #117-386, $90. 

MLCS, mlcswoodworking.com, 800-533-9298, 1/4-in. spiral down-cut bit, # 5177, $14. 

Woodworker’s Hardware, wwhardware.com, 800-383-0130,  8 oz. RooClear melamine glue, #R8012, $4; 16 oz. Titebond Melamine Glue, #F4014, $7; 50-ft. roll of white 15/16-in. self-stick tape, #FCFESP 1516 50WH, $14; Double-sided hand edge trimmer, #VIAU 93, $13; SeamFil, 1-oz. squeeze tube:  white #K901, black #K914, almond #K941, $4 ea.

McFeely’s, mcfeelys.com, 800-443-7937, 52 white PVC peel and stick caps, #FCS-6100, $2;  FlushMount carbide drill bit, #FCS-6050, $40; 52 white PVC peel and stick caps, #FCS-6100, $2.

This story originally appeared in American Woodworker September 2004, issue #109.