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Laminate on One Face of Melamine
Question
Forum Responses
From contributor R: If you are laminating a finished end that is attached to the cabinet you may be fine, although we don't even do this - if you are making doors and drawer fronts you are asking for trouble. What you are doing is creating an unbalanced panel, which is more or less likely to cup and warp depending on the climate where you fabricate and the climate of the building you are installing in. Here in New Mexico, where it is very dry, this is still being done by some shops and we did it for years with relatively few problems, but it doesn't meet AWI custom grade so we changed to balanced panels- also because we work in different parts of the country. We recently lost a project in Nebraska by about $30,000 - the low bidder installed casework with melamine backs and laminate fronts and every door cupped. I found the contractor someone to help him fix the problem and it cost the him a little more than the $30,000 he could have paid me. So you can get away with it, but you might not. It's better to make a balanced panel with color on one side and a white or almond to match the melamine on the other. If there is any quantity involved you can find someone to lay it up for you, often for the same or less than you would pay for the materials.
From contributor K: Yes, you will create an unbalanced surface but if it is melamine with 1/32 lam it will not warp and if it does it will be so minimal that no one will no. We did this for years on thousands of project's with no problems. I live in a very humid place and if it works here I think that it will work anywhere. It is better to build balanced panels, but like I said no problems ever. From contributor D: We have been laminating the face of two sided melamine for doors and drawer fronts for 20 years with no problems. Our shop is in Florida so it is a very humid climate. Be sure to scuff the surface with a belt sander or run them through a wide belt before laminating. From contributor J: If you had trouble with cupping then either the substrate wasn't sanded or not enough glue was used. As long as the substrate is sanded and an even coat of contact adhesive is used there shouldn't be any issues.
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