Cherry melamine

[nate858]

I have taken a job doing 4 large walk in closets, it is a spec home that the builder is running out of money, so melamine.  I have never worked with melamine, or Euro style 32mm system.  Also I have never done to much edge banding , I have been fortunate enough to work with mostly hardwoods.  So any tips, web sites that will shorten my learning curve would be appreciated.  It might be useful to know that I have the t55, mft3, domino, 1010, router table, kapex, and parallel extentions on the way. 

thanks FOGers

 

[woodshopdemos]

take yourself thru Home Depot or equivalent and look at the melamine that is precut and pre-drilled and edge banded. . If thisd is a low          cst job, the more you can use that stuff, the better. It is only in white.  Cherry mel would be a special order and costly...usually you have to buy 10 sheet min. If you need that, go to lumberyeard to order.

 

[VictorL]

Our local HD and Lowe's sell brown and white colored particle melamine coated boards, but quality is very low. 16" x 96" strip selling price is close to $16 or $20. At the same time they sell 4' x 8' cherry 3/4 plywood for $97 that looks MUCH better. 

Victor

 

[Daviddubya]

Cherry melamine?  I have never seen it.  Cherry plywood and cherry veneer with MDF core are available at sheet goods distributors.

Edge banding - the trick for small volume edge banding that works for me is to use a quality banding iron - not your wifes clothes iron.  Rockler sells a good, concentrated heat banding iron.  Apply plenty of heat and pressure roll it while still hot.  Get a trimming tool that trims both edges at the same time.  Touch it up with a sanding block.

For walk-in closets, Home Depot and Lowe's sell modular melamine cabinetry that works well.  They have special order finishes in colors and simulated grains.  Assembling modular units and customizing around them is a better way to build a closet in my experience.

 

[Chowman]

If you can use/afford laminate for this project look at Wilsonart Biltmore Cherry 7924-7. Used it many times for backing panels in displays. There is a different code number for use in vertical applications - little heavier gauge. Find a dealer. They can roll it up and send UPS for just a couple sheets. Price wise, it's about middle ground between HD melamine and cherry veneer plywood.

Chowman

First time posting--been absorbing the considerable wisdom for a couple months and learning a bunch of great techniques and tips. Great forum!

 

[mastercabman]

Cherry melamine?  I have never seen it. 

What he's talking about is Melamine that has a "Cherry look"It's not real.
They also make melamine that looks like Maple,Oak,Pine,...    and with different finishes.
But you need to special order it and it might take a long time to get.
I also like to use HPL for this kind of cabinet making.

 

[Daviddubya]

What he's talking about is Melamine that has a "Cherry look"It's not real.
...

Thanks - I am familiar with melamine that simulates the grain of oak, maple, etc., as well as many solid colors of melamine.  I have never run across simulated cherry melamine.

 

[norwegian wood]

look for a cabinet shop in your area and see what they would charge you to rip and edge band how ever many sheets you need for the cherry melamine if you can not find it locally. any melamine from HD or Lowe's will be crap quality and you will have chip out city. if you go to a plywood supplier you can get mdf cherry melamine that will not chip out of you choose to but and rip it yourself. But before i set my shop up i often had my local cabinet guy rip and edge band material for me to use as closet shelving in homes. they can do it real fast if it is a good shop with a sliding saw and edgebanding machine and it will still save you money ripping it up yourself and ironing on edgbanding with a rockler iron then hand trimming the edges with a trimmer. in a couple hours a cabinet shop can process a skid of melamine for you and would be more then willing to supply it as well.

 

[Warrior]

You can get melamine in all kinds of simulated woods. They are looking better and better. I am doing a closet right now in figured anigre melamine.  The cant simulate the woods ability to reflect and refract the light. Last year I did some closets in a pear wood melamine.

Stay away from HD or any big box for getting your melamine. I get mine from a Plywood distributor. All they sell is sheet stock.