Laminates can be ordered from most hardware stores already cut to your exact requirements. But with a little care and the correct tools, it is easy to cut standard sheets to size yourself. If you have little experience of handling laminates, it is a good idea to practise first on a small off cut and try out the different methods to see which is most successful.

[edit] Cutting with a knife

Small pieces of laminate under 500mm in length can easily be cut to size using a knife and a metal straightedge. The idea is to score the material and then to break it cleanly along this line almost as you do with glass. The laminate must be well supported during cutting, so place it on a flat surface such as a table; keep the decorative side upwards at all times to avoid damaging it when you snap the sheet.

Fig.1

Fig.2

Fig.3

Fig.4

Measure and mark the line to be cut with a pencil or felt tipped pen, remembering to allow a 2mm overlap all round for trimming (fig. 1). Place the straightedge along the line and then use a handyman's knife fitted with a laminate cutting blade to score along it.

Draw the blade towards you a number of times, scoring the line repeatedly until you feel it reach the core of the sheet (fig. 2).

Once you are convinced that the laminate has been thoroughly scored, particularly near each end, hold the straightedge along the line and grasp the waste piece with your other hand (fig. 3). By pulling the laminate upwards in one confident movement, a clean break can be made.

Cutting with a saw: Small or large cuts can be made in laminate using either a hand or power saw, but in both cases the blades must be sharp and preferably tungsten tipped.

The best hand saw to use is a fine toothed tenon saw (backsaw), though you must take great care not to damage the decorative face of the material as you cut it.

Mark the line as above and make sure that the laminate is supported on both sides of the line so that no part of it bends during cutting.

When sawing along the line, hold the saw at a shallow angle to prevent the top of the blade from striking the sheet and damaging it (fig. 4). And as you come to the end of the cut hold the laminate securely to stop the material breaking before the cut is completely finished.

When you are cutting longer lengths of laminate or fitting out a kitchen where many cuts have to be made, it is best to use a circular saw. Ordinary models cut on the upward movement of the blade, so place the material decorative face downwards to avoid damaging it.

But bench circular saws revolve in the opposite direction, so in this case keep the decorative face upwards as normal

[edit] Fitting around obstructions

It is often necessary to cut around obstructions such as pipes or cup­boards when you are fitting laminate sheeting and this must be done properly if your work is to have a neat, well tailored finish with no unsightly gaps round the obstacle.

Pipes:

Where a pipe runs vertically down the face of a wall, you must cut a semi circle or more out of the edge of the sheet and the first step is to mark accurately where this falls against the edge of the sheet.

Do this by laying the sheet, as yet not cut to size, in position and mark the place where the middle and the sides of the pipe meet the edge of the laminate sheeting. Then remove the sheet and measure how far the pipe protrudes from the wall.

After transferring this measurement accurately on to the face of the sheet, drill a hole in the laminate using a circular hole saw or cutter. Finally, use a tenon saw to cut from the edge of the sheeting to meet each side of the hole exactly. The pipe can then be made to fit comfortably into the cut out by rubbing gently around the edges with abrasive paper as it is tried for size.

Square shapes:

With care, square shapes can be cut out of laminate sheeting to accommodate items such as cupboards, but it is difficult to do this without fracturing or splitting the material. An alternative is to cut three separate pieces one for the centre and two to fit into the gaps on each side of the cupboard. Take care to measure and cut the sheets correctly, as they will be butt joined to each other and any gaps will be more obvious.

[edit] Cutting Holes

It is common to want to cut an internal opening out of a surface covered with laminate such as for a sink in a vanity unit. But this must be done with care and should only be attempted once the laminate has been glued in position cutting the hole beforehand can result in splintering along the edges.

Start by making an accurate template of the hole from thin plywood or hardboard, then place this in position on top of the laminate and mark around it with a pencil or felt tipped marker pen.

Next, drill a hole through the laminate from the underside, inside the marked out area but as close to the proposed edge of the hole as possible: this will require careful measuring and marking underneath the base to find the correct spot. Afterwards, use a padsaw or a power jigsaw to cut the hole back to the marks on the top surface. Finish off around the inside of the hole with a fine-toothed file and abrasive paper mounted on a block.