The cement that I used recommended 25 psi (lbs per square inch). To really make the bond strong and permanent, you next need to apply pressure across the entire surface. Hopefully once you have all the dowels out, the desk top will be completely covered with laminate extending an inch or so beyond each edge. Carefully remove successive dowels from the center outward, making sure the laminate continues to drop down smoothly. Once you're all lined up, slide the center dowel out to let the laminate bow down and make contact. Take your time and make sure there's a good overlap over every edge (that is, the laminate will hang over each edge of the desk when dropped down). The clean dowels won't stick to the dried contact cement. This will allow you to float the laminate directly above the surface to which it is to be adhered. Get a bunch of dowels or other clean strips of material and lay them down on the desk top with a foot or so in between. Fortunately laminate is stiff enough that wrinkling isn't really a problem, so it's a matter of lining everything up right and then systematically dropping the laminate onto the desk top. Be very careful when setting this up, because you only get one shot - once the two pieces come into contact, there's an instant bond. Once the laminate piece and corresponding desk surface both have cement applied and have dried, you're ready to join the two pieces. This should dry quickly, but obviously wait for that to happen before proceeding. Once pieces are cut, clean the underside with mineral sprits, just to make sure there are no contaminants to weaken the cement bond. I've heard of people using circular saws, table saws, etc., but you run the risk of tearout and messy edges - the score and snap method is nice and clean. Use a box cutter with a NEW blade - blades are cheap, ruined laminate is expensive. By far the best way to cut laminate sheet is to score the top (plastic) side with a knife several times, then snap it. Unfortunately I didn't take as many photos here as I would have liked. Engage child for design and fabrication assistance. Important: Carton from laminate shipment should be made into a rocket ship or similar. You can leave less of a margin if necessary, but doing so will make it all the more critical to line things up perfectly later on. Try to leave yourself about an inch extra on each side, which we'll trim away later. Note that the product I received actually measured an inch longer on each edge, which provided a helpful margin.
LAMINATED POSTER BOARD AND COVER DESK HOW TO
I had worked out in advance how to divide up a single sheet to cover the three sections of my desk. It arrived in a roll but lay flat once I unboxed it. I ordered a 4' x 8' sheet of laminate from Home Depot (large US home improvement center) and had it delivered. 3" J-roller for applying pressure to the cement bond, alternately a small block of wood and hammer.Roller, brush, or applicator for applying the contact cement.Multiple dowels or similar clean strips of temporary support material.
I ordered a pre-glued, Melamine iron-on product which worked well
Definitely recommend getting a low-VOC product. Basically you want something pretty thin (0.039" for what I ordered), with a nice hard surface on one side and a grainy surface on the other for cementing. I ordered mine from Home Depot (Wilsonart) but there are lots of options. Look for laminate products that are meant for countertops, etc. A sheet of High Pressure Laminate (HPL - Formica, etc.).The results turned out better than I'd expected and only took about a day total, with a total material cost under $100 USD.
Knowing that trying to paint it would be a mess and probably not result in a tough enough surface, I opted to re-surface it in white plastic laminate. I had an old Ikea desk with a deep cherry finish, which while very strong and serviceable added way too much color to my already red/brown office.
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