Laminating walls/cabinets

[Mad-Bus]

We are getting ready to embark on attempting to add custom "Birds Eye Maple" laminate to the exisisting walls and cabinets. We have a friend in the cabinet business who is offering to help and ordering our materials at his shop discount. He has brought to our attention the possibility of a laminate shrinking/expanding with extreme temperature changes.

Does anyone know if there is a specific laminate that is better for this application?

Thank you nutty bus people!

[Lin]

I am guessing that the laminate walls on our 5a are 30 to 40 years old and are doing fine for the most part.  There is an area that is cracked just above a recessed electric heater, so I guess the heat may have caused a problem there.  When we got the bus, the PO had wallpapered over the laminate walls in the bathroom.  We peeled it off quite aggressively, but it did not scratch. I thought that was pretty impressive.

[Oonrahnjay]

I am guessing that the laminate walls on our 5a are 30 to 40 years old ...

    Lin, for clarity here, when you say "laminate" I would think that you're talking about "Formica" (or "Pionite) or a similar colored material that's usually glued onto a sub-surface.  Is that correct, or are we talking about some sort of laminated wood layer or plywood?
    Thanks for the clarification here.

[eagle19952]

I have a fair amount of laminate wall in my coach it has withstood everything we have thrown at it fome November in the Yukon to Summer in Death Valley....
there is one crack, but i think that it is the result of an install flaw, perhaps an edge chip when cutting/fitting....

the white/wood grained walls are laminate with radius corners, stuck like glue since 1992...

good luck

[Lin]

Yes, it is some Formica type, wood grain laminate. I was thinking after posting that the term "laminate" is used to mean different things these days.  For example, I doubt that the stuff laminate flooring is made of would stand the amount of scrapping we did to remove the wallpaper.

[Oonrahnjay]

I have a fair amount of laminate wall in my coach it has withstood everything we have thrown at it fome November in the Yukon to Summer in Death Valley....   

    Pretty, Don.  Yes, indeed -- still looks great!  Any idea of the brand (I've used "Formica" in some places and "Pionite" in others to get the color match I wanted)?

[Oonrahnjay]

Yes, it is some Formica type, wood grain laminate. I was thinking after posting that the term "laminate" is used to mean different things these days.  For example, I doubt that the stuff laminate flooring is made of would stand the amount of scrapping we did to remove the wallpaper. 

     Thanks, Lin, that's helpful.  As I mentioned in my reply to Don, I've used a couple of different laminates -- love it.

     To get back to the original post, my guess is that they type of adhesive is more important to the way that it lasts than the type of laminate but -- also my opinion -- everything has got to be right.  You'd have to have the right material as underlayment, it would have to be clean and properly prepared (smoothed, filled, etc.), the right temperature for gluing, you'd have to have fresh glue of the right type and temp, you'd have to apply it properly (smoothly, correct thickness, length of pre-drying time, if any, methods of getting bubbles out, etc.), the laminate would have to be clean and ready to apply, and you'd need to properly roll or clamp it, as specified.  It will all have to be right to get a good job.

[eagle19952]

    Thanks, Lin, that's helpful.  As I mentioned in my reply to Don, I've used a couple of different laminates -- love it.

    To get back to the original post, my guess is that they type of adhesive is more important to the way that it lasts than the type of laminate but -- also my opinion -- everything has got to be right.  You'd have to have the right material as underlayment, it would have to be clean and properly prepared (smoothed, filled, etc.), the right temperature for gluing, you'd have to have fresh glue of the right type and temp, you'd have to apply it properly (smoothly, correct thickness, length of pre-drying time, if any, methods of getting bubbles out, etc.), the laminate would have to be clean and ready to apply, and you'd need to properly roll or clamp it, as specified.  It will all have to be right to get a good job.

Mine (walls and cabinets) are  a birch ply substrate, finished 2 sides x 5/8" furniture grade. kind of a shame to "cover" it
the inside cabinet doors are done too, and no i do not know the brand, but if i had to guess i think the stuff is not .062 thik...