Laminate Worktop Sealing

[Lewis's Friend]

Hi all, I was hoping for a little advice.

I am fitting a piece of laminate worktop in my utility room. Three sides of the work top are up against walls, but all the of these sides have been trimmed and are bare chipboard.

I will be running a bead of silicone around these edges to finish them, but it seems wise to seal those cut edges.

I have trim straps I could fit, but this seems a waste of effort as they won't be seen.

What is the best material to seal bare laminate worktop edges?

Any thoughts appreciated.

[L1OFF]

Lewis's Friend said:

Hi all, I was hoping for a little advice.

I am fitting a piece of laminate worktop in my utility room. Three sides of the work top are up against walls, but all the of these sides have been trimmed and are bare chipboard.

I will be running a bead of silicone around these edges to finish them, but it seems wise to seal those cut edges.

I have trim straps I could fit, but this seems a waste of effort as they won't be seen.

What is the best material to seal bare laminate worktop edges?

Any thoughts appreciated.

I used a clear varnish that I had in the shed. Been there for nearly 8yrs without issue.

[OutInTheShed]

Several coats of whatever oil based paint or varnish which needs using up, that's always worked for me.

I think the 'recommended' thing is thick glue like contact adhesive.

The sawn chipboard is very coarse in the middle and won't seal with a single coat of paint.
As a DIY person, I can normally cut a worktop and give it a few coats over a few days, you can see why trades don't bother.

Maybe something like exterior acryllic frame sealant would do a good job quickly?

[finlo]

Rub some clear silicone into them as most kitchen fitters do.

[OutInTheShed]

finlo said:

Rub some clear silicone into them as most kitchen fitters do.

Silicone is a pretty poor sealant for bare wood, but I wouldn't expect much from 'most kitchen fitters'.

Other types of snot from a tube would be much better.

[Lewis's Friend]

Thanks for the advice. I'm pretty sure I have some manner of paint or varnish kicking about, so that would be a cost effective solution!