What’s the Best Way to Work with Melamine Sheets?

Melamine sheets are a frequent favorite of woodcutters – both the professional and DIY variety – for building waterproof cabinets, shelves, and other kinds of storage furniture. If it’s your first time to use them, here are several tips to give you an easier and safer time completing your hands-on project.

Explore your options.

Most people use white melamine sheets for their construction and assembly projects simply because it’s easy to match and it’s the color they’re most used to. Tradition is all well and good, but don’t you think it’s an unnecessary waste to ignore the range of options available to you? Visit any hardware supplier and you’ll see melamine sheets of various colors and thickness ready for your use.

Be safe and protected with gloves.

Melamine may be quite the flexible material but that doesn’t mean you can handle it with your bare hands all the time. As there’d be many instances that you will have to cut and shape melamine, it’s best to handle it with gloves. They’re quite affordable and if you purchase those designed by Kevlar, gloves could also give you a more secure grip on your materials.

Solve the chipping problem.

There is no construction material that’s entirely perfect and melamine is no exception. Indeed, one of the most common problems professionals and DIY builders have with it is the tendency for its edges to chip when you use a routine blade. Thankfully, you have two quick solutions to this dilemma.

First, you could consider using a laminate-cutting blade. Using this tool would not require you to make a scoring cut. If, however, you wish to make do with your all-purpose blade then you will need to make that scoring cut, after all. Make sure it’s no deeper than one-sixteenth of an inch. Afterwards, turn off your saw then continue cutting with your blade.

With that, clean, perfectly cut edges for your melamine sheets are guaranteed.

Use routers for drilling.

Melamine sheets may not be the most drilling-conducive material but this doesn’t mean you can’t expect to drill holes in it without availing professional services. You just need a change of equipment in most cases. Instead of the usual carbide-tipped routers used by pros, which are not just costly but also difficult to source, you could use a router instead with the usual jig. Make sure you set the bushing at 5/8 inches. Anything more or less than that might not produce perfectly shaped holes.