Preparation

• The existing countertop surface--whether it's bare wood frame or old laminate--has to be solid and free of gloss. If there's laminate on it now, and any of the laminate is coming up, glue it back down. Remove the sink and any other fixtures, and clean the counter top completely. Run over the whole surface with a power sander and 80 grit sandpaper, getting the surface as dull and gloss-free as possible. Don't sand through the laminate, but just take off the shine. Thoroughly clean up the dust.
  
  

Measuring And Cutting

• The laminate sheets must be cut into pieces slightly larger than each span of the counter top, then trimmed along the edges. Measure the top surface and the front edge, and mark out the corresponding lines on the back of your laminate sheets. Then expand the marks on each piece by 1 inch all around. Use a jigsaw to cut out the pieces. Cut from the back, setting the sheets on a workbench or table.
  
  

Contact Cement

• Laminate is installed using contact cement, which is a form of glue that is spread on both surfaces and allowed to dry to the touch. Even when dry; it binds instantly to other surfaces that have contact cement on them. Brush the contact cement on the backs of each laminate piece, and on the counter top surface. Once it's dry, start with the narrow front edge of the countertop, holding the piece in front of the area where it goes and getting it positioned exactly. Press it to the surface all at once. Run a laminate roller over it to secure it in place, then trim off the overhanging edges with a power router equipped with a laminate bit.
  
  

Setting the Top Span

• The trickiest part of laminating a countertop is getting the large top sheet right. It all has to be positioned correctly before you allow any part of it to make contact with the surface because it will bind instantly when it does. To get the piece properly positioned, lay 1-inch thick dowel rods over the surface of the countertop, front to back, and set the top piece on the top of the rods. Once it's in the right position, slide the rods out from the front one by one, pressing the laminate down to the surface as you go. Trim the edges as before.