Can you "roll up" formica?

Posted by Dan on September 18, 2007, 9:33 pm

I need to buy a 4'x8' sheet of generic "Formica" from Home Depot. Trouble
is, I have no way to get it home, except my wife's Subaru Impreza wagon.
This material is somewhat flexible, and I'm wondering if I could roll it
cross wise into a tube of about 3' diameter by 4' long without it cracking.
This would fit into the hatch of the Subaru. Alternatively, maybe I could
bend it into a "U" shape lengthwise & get it in there without cracking.
Anyone know if this is possible? If I try this, does it matter which side
is on the outside of the curve? Seems like it should be the top surface.

TIA

Dan

Posted by docmill on September 18, 2007, 10:10 pm

> I need to buy a 4'x8' sheet of generic "Formica" from Home Depot.
> Trouble is, I have no way to get it home, except my wife's Subaru
> Impreza wagon. This material is somewhat flexible, and I'm wondering
> if I could roll it cross wise into a tube of about 3' diameter by 4'
> long without it cracking. This would fit into the hatch of the Subaru.
> Alternatively, maybe I could bend it into a "U" shape lengthwise &
> get it in there without cracking. Anyone know if this is possible? If
> I try this, does it matter which side is on the outside of the curve?
> Seems like it should be the top surface.
>
> TIA
>
> Dan
>
>

From this website

http://www.truetex.com/formica.htm

Let me add a few tips I learned about working with Formica laminate.

Formica laminate comes in a lot of different sheet sizes. Home Depot and
Lowes seem to stock only 4 x 8 sheets, and a small number of colors. By
going to the local distributor, instead of those retail stores, I was
able to get 3 x 10 sheets that avoided having to seam the material. The
distributor is oriented towards the trade, but is happy to sell to do-
it-yourself'ers. The one in my area also had a lot more colors and
styles in stock, and better prices.

It wasn't obvious to me, until I saw the crew at the loading dock of the
Formica distributor's warehouse, that you can roll up a 10-foot sheet of
Formica on about a 2-foot diameter and tape the outside that way for
transport. That makes it much easier and more secure to move around.

Posted by Dan on September 18, 2007, 10:30 pm

>> I need to buy a 4'x8' sheet of generic "Formica" from Home Depot.
>> Trouble is, I have no way to get it home, except my wife's Subaru
>> Impreza wagon. This material is somewhat flexible, and I'm wondering
>> if I could roll it cross wise into a tube of about 3' diameter by 4'
>> long without it cracking. This would fit into the hatch of the Subaru.
>> Alternatively, maybe I could bend it into a "U" shape lengthwise &
>> get it in there without cracking. Anyone know if this is possible? If
>> I try this, does it matter which side is on the outside of the curve?
>> Seems like it should be the top surface.
>> TIA
>> Dan

> From this website
> http://www.truetex.com/formica.htm

Doc-Thanks for the quick reply. I'll check out the site you mentioned.
Sounds like rolling up a sheet is ok, I thought I'd seen it done but wanted
to be sure. In my case, I'm buying the material to use as the surface for
an outfeed table I plan to make for my cabinet saw, so CHEAP comes before
LOOKS! ;-) Though actually, I thought $45 for a generic white 4x8 at HD was
a bit more than I would have guessed. I'll check the local phone book
(Seattle area) for a distributor also!

Posted by dpb on September 18, 2007, 10:48 pm

Dan wrote:
...

> ...I'm buying the material to use as the surface for
> an outfeed table I plan to make for my cabinet saw, so CHEAP comes before
> LOOKS! ;-) Though actually, I thought $45 for a generic white 4x8 at HD was
> a bit more than I would have guessed. I'll check the local phone book
> (Seattle area) for a distributor also!

For cheap if looks aren't a concern, look for the local salvage freight
or similar outlets, not the name-line distributors. There's a lot of
bargains to be found in those places as ends, etc., particularly if you
can stand a seam or two -- which shouldn't be a problem simply for an
outfeed table...

--

Posted by Steve Barker LT on September 18, 2007, 10:23 pm

Yes, they have a device for rolling them up even.

s

>I need to buy a 4'x8' sheet of generic "Formica" from Home Depot. Trouble
>is, I have no way to get it home, except my wife's Subaru Impreza wagon.
>This material is somewhat flexible, and I'm wondering if I could roll it
>cross wise into a tube of about 3' diameter by 4' long without it cracking.
>This would fit into the hatch of the Subaru. Alternatively, maybe I could
>bend it into a "U" shape lengthwise & get it in there without cracking.
>Anyone know if this is possible? If I try this, does it matter which side
>is on the outside of the curve? Seems like it should be the top surface.
> TIA
> Dan
>

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