Pro Handyman Blog

Some carpentry jobs are odd. Take for example a counter top edge that has become damaged like laminate or even melamine shelving… Even the edge of a wood grained board. These can all be repaired using the correct adhesive backed strips and an old clothes iron.

Instead of buying solid wood, woodworkers can buy laminated veneer plywood. This sheet looks like a piece of solid wood until you look at the edges. At the edges it looks like typical plywood. You can buy strips of the veneer that have an adhesive backing on them. They are usually ¾ inch thick, so you may not have to shave them down or you might have to if you are using a thinner stock.

Heat up the iron hot enough to activate the glue and run the iron along the top of the strip. The heat will cause the adhesive to melt and the strips will stick to the edge of the plywood. Once you heat up the strip of wood and while the glue is still somewhat pliable, use a roller and press the veneer strip down onto the plywood edge. You want good contact with no gaps. If you wait too long, you risk allowing the veneer to lift off of the edge and create a gap.

This process can be used for some laminate countertop edges and also melamine shelving.