linoleum counter top

[heartwood]

al, you're not hijacking...I find this very interesting...

the installers used heatguns in a failed attempt to get the lino and adhesive to bond a few days after the installation...I think the lino softens but, to create a bullnose corner would take a true craftsperson...I have in mind a one piece metal border...can you blame me for being hesitant to trust someone to install it correctly?

now that you mention it, I recall a desk in my dad's shop that had a linoleum top with a metal band...the stuff is tough, forgiving and wears well...

thanks for the comments......
...jade

[Al F. Furnituremaker]

@lovesickest - what do you mean by "straight of grain in plain weave"? I understand wood grain but have never heard that term.

I was thinking heat too, maybe along with a vacuum press, but not sure if the linoleum will form itself around the corner nice and smooth.

Also I do know that the linoleum used for counter top and desk top material is thinner than that used for floors.

I have "refinished" linoleum desk tops that have been in reasonable condition and didn't need replacing. I clean them with a strong solvent, acetone or lacquer thinner. It has to be done quickly or it will soften the linoleum. Then after it completely dried, I sand them if there are rough spots or shallow dents. Once smooth, I usually put coat(s) of linseed oil on them. Finally, if desired, they can be waxed.

Seems to work pretty good.

[Al F. Furnituremaker]

Jade, If you have enough linoleum you could put the bullnose on the edge of the counter with a piece of wood molding. Then it would be just a matter putting the glue on and rolling the linoleum over the edge. Probably using some heat since you will be using the thicker stuff.

I'd try it on some test pieces first though.

[lovesickest]

Hi alfort.

Cloth comes in all sorts of weaves - think of the twill denim (ie diagonal fine ribbing pattern) that your jeans are made from v.s. a herringbone tweed v.s. a satin. All of these weaves could be made from the same material - ie cotton or polyester - but the weave will affect the look, lustre and wear of the woven fabric. Fibre is what the fabric is made from, the weave usually describes the fabric which is why we say "Polyester satin" or "cotton canvas" for example.

A basic plain weave is broadcloth - ie what your white button down dress shirt is probably made from. It is a basic over and under weave that forms an even and smooth cloth.

WeaveConst.gif (11.84 KiB) Viewed 2299 times

If you take a piece of scrap fabric with a plain weave and tear it - it will most likely tear along the warp or weft of the fabric (lengthwise or crosswise). If you play around with non-stretch fabric you will notice that the fabric has more stretch and flexibility at a 45 degree angle to the grain. This is the bias. Bias cutting in clothing was used to create a clingy fit in the days before elastic fibres. Think of those pale satin gowns that movie stars wore in films of the 1930's - that were very clingy and thin. They were cut on the bias which made them drape and cling to the body.

Bias cutting is also used for things like upholstery. Piping is often cut on the bias as it rounds corners and curves more smoothly. For example, this chair has been upholstered in striped fabric, but the piping is made using the same striped fabric cut on the bias :

les-indiennes-striped-chair.jpg (85.09 KiB) Viewed 2299 times

[Al F. Furnituremaker]

Thanks lovesickest for the education on fabric. I took a upholstery course but they didn't get into the fabric details other than the bias cut for piping. There seems to be just as much or more to fabric as there is wood. Probably more since basically trees are all the same in their basic structure.

[Sacto Diane (WavyGlass)]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned it but the late Jane Powell has a book on linoleum where she also talks about linoleum counter tops.

http://www.amazon.com/Linoleum-Jane-Pow ... 1586853031

It looks like you can get the book pretty cheap now.

[phil]

the other option might be to go with wood for the edging? when i did my kitchen I used a strip of about 2x2 with a roundover and attached that to the edges of the doubled up plywod I used to make the top. This was instead of having a formica edge like they usually do and it enabled me to break the hard corner by using a roundover. I just didnt' like the options of the typical preformed countertops and stone was too pricey for me. ( so I used formica that looks like stone)

It was a bit finicky to get the thickness of the formica to be exactly the same height as the wood strip but it worked well in the end. I just set the wood strip so it was about .020" proud and then used a card scraper to level it out once I had the formica glued down. You are using lyno for the top but you could do it the same way if wood edging would be attractive? you don't need a lot so maybe you could use some nice black walnut or whatever nice hardwood you can latch onto.