Laminating drawer fronts on cargo boxes?

[CharlieS]

I have a Landshark Reef dual cargo box system that comes in unfinished baltic birch. I threw some vinyl wrap material I had kicking around he shop on the drawer fronts as a temporary covering, but want to do something more permanent.

Has anyone here tried laminating a sheet goods to the surface? Kind of like how I imagine you might laminate wood for a counter top - maybe contact cement the drawer and the sheet stock, once it sets up attach the sheet stock, use a hard roller to press it down, and then, once it cures, use a router with a guide bit/laminate bit to clean up the edges?

If you've done this, can you share any tips? Recommend materials? Share pictures?

 

[chalice]

Contact cement with dowels and roll them out as you use a brayer. Then a flush trim bit on a router should work real well if it's thicker lam, could also use a nice sharp chisel.

Orrr you can grab a sheet of HDPE in your color of choice, mount via handles or counter sunk screws and use a flush trim bit.

 

[Lester did that]

Please do not use contact cement. It will fail and start to peal. I don't think anyone wants a long winded lecture on adhesives. Contact cement is a rubber like product. It does not do good with wild temperature swings like inside a vehicle. Nothing near freezing temps nothing over 100 f. It is cheap garbage that DIYers use because it is easy to apply and use. I have seen so many issues with folks using that stuff. It will start to peel on the edges.

Use regular yellow glue like Titebond on an unfinished surface to laminate. A caul and clamps is all that is needed. Permanent. Will not peel.

What are your thoughts on the material you want to use to cover the DW face? Let me know and I will tell you exactly how to to do it. (I'm a furniture maker)

 

[CharlieS]

Thank you. I'd like a solid black plastic or plastic-like hard surface. I'm not sure what kind of material this would be called.

 

[Lester did that]

Thank you. I'd like a solid black plastic or plastic-like hard surface. I'm not sure what kind of material this would be called.

Ok. I took a look at the Landshark website with the Reef 40's. Does it have 4 flat large washers that protrude a bit on the DW face? Or is the DW face completely flush?

 

[CharlieS]

They have four large head screws that (if I recall correctly) go into regular drilled holes. And you are correct, they protrude. I would imagine the laminate going under the screw heads.

 

[kcjaz]

I haven't made my drawers yet but was thinking of using a spray on bed liner paint of some kind. I never thought about laminating like a cabinet or kitchen counter. Eager to see how this turns out.

 

[CharlieS]

It might be a bad idea, who knows... might be worth a try though...

 

[Lester did that]

So just the DW faces? Or do you want to do the the entire face? Here is where I'm going with this. Your going to need something about a 3/16" - 1/4" to cover those caps protruding on the DW face. Your going to have to go a little thicker with the laminate so those caps don't telegraph. What that means is once you put the laminate on the DW face only the DW will no longer be co-planer to the face. But if you have a small router you can put a 45 degree bevel on the DW face. Or do The entire face so all the material is the same thickness. That is a lot more work. Or if you can adjust the stop depth on the drawer its a mute point....

 

[MechE30]

Any other option would be a “bar top” epoxy resin. That stuff is durable. Or more lightweight I’m a big fan of polycryllic. Dries clear and doesn’t yellow the wood. Is t super UV safe but those drawer fronts wouldn’t get too much sun.

 

[1world1love]

You could go with something like formica:

https://www.formica.com/en-us/-/media/formica/north-america/document-library/installation-guides/installing-laminate.pdf?rev=a8d33c07397c4f2c9f522706f24b2608

and you would use the same technique that Lester describes. There are lots of similar, non-wood, solid surface materials you could consider.

I would think about your use a little. If you laminate something on, you may eventually have to deal with broken or peeling corners and edges unless you round over the edge a little This is a a reality of the kind of use that drawers tend to get in our trucks. Even with a round over, you may get edge breakage over time.

 

[CharlieS]

So just the DW faces? Or do you want to do the the entire face? Here is where I'm going with this. Your going to need something about a 3/16" - 1/4" to cover those caps protruding on the DW face. Your going to have to go a little thicker with the laminate so those caps don't telegraph. What that means is once you put the laminate on the DW face only the DW will no longer be co-planer to the face. But if you have a small router you can put a 45 degree bevel on the DW face. Or do The entire face so all the material is the same thickness. That is a lot more work. Or if you can adjust the stop depth on the drawer its a mute point....

If possible, I'd like to do the whole vertical surface. I do have a router. I was thinking that I could also potentially countersink the screws into the ply of the drawer face (with a forstner bit), so the laminate sits flush across the face.

 

[Lester did that]

It might be a bad idea, who knows... might be worth a try though...

Not really. If you have a router and a few clamps it's no big deal. If you change your own oil you can do this one.

 

[1world1love]

It might be a bad idea, who knows... might be worth a try though...

I don’t think it is a bad idea at all, but beware that if you use something like titebond (which you should), there will be no going back and it will not just come off like it would with contact cement. Titebond will be stronger than the original wood fibers and it will be permanent.

Any reason why you would prefer a separate surface rather than a paint on type finish?

 

[Lester did that]

If possible, I'd like to do the whole vertical surface. I do have a router. I was thinking that I could also potentially countersink the screws into the ply of the drawer face (with a forstner bit), so the laminate sits flush across the face.

Yep your on the right track. Counter sinking those posts are exactly what I was talking about. I'll poke my head around the shop tomorrow for something that will work. Right now my thought is industrial flooring like they use in a hospital. It is very hard, durable, stain proof and self healing for cuts. Can be polished as well.

If you use the correct adhesive it will not peel.

 

[CharlieS]

@1world1love In general, I hate painting, so I have low confidence in my ability to make it look decent. A laminate seems like it would give a very clean professional looking surface.

 

[1world1love]

Yep your on the right track. Counter sinking those posts are exactly what I was talking about. I'll poke my head around the shop tomorrow for something that will work. Right now my thought is industrial flooring like they use in a hospital. It is very hard, durable, stain proof and self healing for cuts. Can be polished as well.

If you use the correct adhesive it will not peel.

For normal household applications like a table top or edge, I agree, but for drawers in an over landing rig, the potential for chipping and breaks is perpetual. Maybe not for a wood veneer, but for a synthetic surface bound to a wood face, I’m not as confident as you. To Be fair though, I only Have experience with wood veneers.

 

[1world1love]

@1world1love In general, I hate painting, so I have low confidence in my ability to make it look decent. A laminate seems like it would give a very clean professional looking surface.

I get you man. I’m not a huge fan either, but there are some really great cabinet paints these days that are incredibly durable and very easy to get great results with. There are oil modified latex/enamel paints that brush on well and produce a durable finish. With with a simple sanding schedule and a good brush, you can get close to spray-on quality.

You can also consider a stain with a durable top coat.

 

[NCMTNsCruiser]

I have a Landshark Reef dual cargo box system that comes in unfinished baltic birch. I threw some vinyl wrap material I had kicking around he shop on the drawer fronts as a temporary covering, but want to do something more permanent.

Has anyone here tried laminating a sheet goods to the surface? Kind of like how I imagine you might laminate wood for a counter top - maybe contact cement the drawer and the sheet stock, once it sets up attach the sheet stock, use a hard roller to press it down, and then, once it cures, use a router with a guide bit/laminate bit to clean up the edges?

If you've done this, can you share any tips? Recommend materials? Share pictures?

If you can pick up a sheet of high pressure laminate, it's very tough and I would laminate it with PUR glue. you can use contact cement to varying degrees of success. I sell wood machinery for a living and most customers who use high pressure laminate (hpl) will use contact cement as a primer and then once dry use another glue which could be eva, pva, or pur to apply it to the panel. HPL is easy to cut and would make the fronts extremely durable. the rest of your process is spot on in terms of using a small router bit to clean up the edges. I wouldn't use it on the top, only the front.

 

[chilibit]

I would bolt or screw 1/8 or 3/16 aluminum plate on. It can be cut easily and shaped with a router. It will "look" right as it ages and strengthen the drawers. It will not fail.