Furniture is an important element not only in the apartment, but also in other rooms. It is used in offices, educational and medical institutions, etc. Today the choice is quite large. Products differ in design, size, materials from which they are made, and more. Thus, choosing the option that you specifically need will not be difficult.
Based on what material is used in the manufacture of furniture, its cost is determined. If we talk about inexpensive products, they are mainly made from chipboard. This material is quite durable and wear-resistant. Excellent for furniture production.
But its interior does not look entirely aesthetically pleasing. To hide this, additional actions are carried out, which are called edging. They consist of installing special decorative panels on the end side. Various types of synthetic plastics cope well with these tasks. For example, melanin, PVC, etc.
Melamine edge with glue: advantages
The choice of edge materials that can be used in furniture production is large. If we talk about which one is the most popular, then this is melamine edge. Basically, this is what they prefer. This is not surprising. After all, it has a lot of advantages. The main one is the cost of the product. It is low enough that it is accessible to everyone. In addition, it is worth noting the simple technology of use. To carry it out you need simple tools, which are found in almost every home. At the same time, to perform edging with this material, no special skills or knowledge are required. Everyone can do it.
In addition, it is worth noting such advantages as reliability and practicality. It is resistant to moisture and other unfavorable conditions. Perfectly protects furniture from them. At the same time, its choice is huge. Different textures, colors, etc. will help you choose it for any type of chipboard.
Of course, like any other material, this one has its drawbacks. Firstly, it is very thin. Secondly, the drawing does not hold up well. Thus, you should not count on its long service life.
Melamine tape with glue: features of edging
Before you get started, you need to decide which tools will help you get the job done. If melamine tape is chosen for edging, an iron is required. It is better to give preference to a small device. It is important that the sole is thick and free of damage and stains. An iron that was produced 30-40 years ago is perfect for such purposes. These products meet these requirements.
Another tool you will need for this job is a knife. But an ordinary kitchen one will not work here. It must be a shoemaker's or stationery's. You can also use a planer knife. There are also special tools that are designed for these purposes. Such knives are produced by Virutex.
And, of course, a block of sandpaper. You can purchase it or make it yourself. If the second option is chosen, then you need to glue sandpaper to a block of a certain size. In this case, you can use different grain sizes. Glue paper on all sides of the block. The most suitable grit size is 150 units for these purposes.
How to glue melamine edge?
The process of gluing the melamine edge is simple. Therefore, there is no need to turn to the experts for help. You can do it yourself. You can see how to do this in the video below.
The quality of edging is influenced by various factors. The first and, perhaps, main thing is how the chipboard slab is cut. There are a number of requirements for the end that it must meet. So, it should be smooth, without steps or other defects formed after processing the sheet under the saw blade. Only in this case will the adhesion of the tape be strong and reliable.
When choosing an edge, you should give preference to the one on which glue has already been applied. You can find it in many construction stores. It is presented in the form of a bay of 200 pm. But this does not mean that you need to buy everything. You can take the size that you need.
Process steps
To glue the tape, you need to place the part correctly. That is, vertically. In this case, the end that is being processed should be at the top. Provide a stable position for the sheet so that it does not move. In this case, you can use a special device.
Then prepare the required piece of edge. To do this, it is carefully measured and cut from the general tape. Moreover, its length should be 3-5 cm longer than the side that is being processed.
You need to start gluing from the middle. The tape is laid on it, and the edges should be as smooth as possible. Then, holding it with one hand, iron it with the other with an iron that is preheated. You choose its temperature experimentally. As practice shows, a high one can lead to the appearance of bubbles on the edge, and a low one does not ensure adhesion.
Do not put too much pressure on the iron, as this may cause the edge to move out of place. As a result, the gluing will be crooked. But if you press weakly, it will not stick. Moderate force must be applied.
The quality of gluing can be determined during the process. When ironing the surface, the glue should be squeezed out from under the tape. Particular care must be taken at the ends of the product and the place where it comes into contact with the surface that is pre-laminated, since these areas adhere less well than others.
Now you need to leave the edge to cool. At this time, you need to smooth the surface with a rag. This way, the tape will not peel off when it cools. The duration of this procedure is short. As soon as the base reaches a temperature of 50 degrees, you can remove the excess that has formed around the edges.
Start from the edges. The ends that end up remaining must also be removed. Since the material has become hard, they break off easily. Then take a block of sandpaper and sand them down. This will give the timber an attractive appearance.
If you approach this work responsibly and carefully, the quality of its implementation will be at a high level. Moreover, it will be impossible to distinguish the result from the one obtained when using special edging equipment.
Why else do they edge furniture?
Where should edging be done?
Edge materials
Edging the open surfaces of furniture can be done using various decorative elements, differing in the quality of the material, appearance and, accordingly, cost.
How to glue an edge with an iron
You can learn more about the process of gluing edges on chipboard in the video below:
Gluing the U-shaped profile to the end of the chipboard is somewhat easier. We have already discussed this method earlier. This edge is much stronger than melamine, bends quite easily and reliably protects against damage.
Edging chipboard, of course, is best done in the factory. In production, you can order tape from any materials, including plastic, PVC and other modern composite materials. Edging on a machine will ensure ideal evenness and accuracy of application of decorative cladding, but it requires certain costs. If the main task is to meet a predetermined small budget, applying melamine tape with your own hands will allow you to combine acceptable quality and the minimum price.
Making furniture with your own hands brings considerable savings cash. Basically, laminated chipboard, a material glued together from sawdust, is used for this purpose.
The main task of furniture edges is lining the end surfaces of laminated chipboards.After cutting, its edges have an unattractive appearance and require further processing.
The tabletop is the most vulnerable element of furniture, and its edge must be given special attention.
On at the moment There are several ways to give the ends of the tabletop an aesthetic appearance. Only 2 of them are suitable for making edges at home:
Applicable edges
Modern technologies make it possible to produce various edges. However, not all are suitable for gluing at home. Melamine tapes are produced in widths of 19-54 mm. With a thickness of 0.2-0.4 mm, they allow you to refine the edges of tabletops of various shapes.
A large assortment of decors, which, in terms of color, closely match the chipboard.
A PVC strip of the same width may be slightly thicker. For gluing the ends of the tabletop, edges are produced with or without an applied adhesive layer.
PVC plastic obtained by extrusion is able to withstand temperatures from minus 10 to plus 50 degrees.
Tools
If you decide to glue the edge yourself, check that you have the tools. Prepare before starting work:
To fix the PVC edge, you can use a clamp and wooden block. If possible, use a hand router to finish the edging.
The router is expensive and it is not profitable to buy it for one-time pasting.
Prepare your workspace, taking into account the space for turning the tabletop. And, most importantly, buy the appropriate melamine tape or PVC edge.
Choose a ribbon that matches the color of the countertop.Melamine tape
The cheapest and most accessible way to improve edges. Does not require the purchase of glue or specialized tools. Everything you need can be found in any household, and the process will take a few minutes.
The edge processed in this way looks very neat.
Should be used for finishing hard-to-reach edges of table tops. At the same time, do not forget about dampness, which will penetrate under the edge and destroy the material.
The gluing technology looks quite simple.
PVC strip
A more progressive and aesthetically pleasing way. True, its implementation requires some skill, but after practicing on scraps, you can master this method.
The edge, resistant to abrasion and moisture, will ensure long-term use of the tabletop in any interior.
When gluing the PVC edge, follow the following sequence.
A properly selected and glued edge will give the tabletop an attractive appearance, and it will serve you for many years.
You can also get such a smooth and neat edge yourself.
VIDEO: Gluing furniture melamine edges with an iron.
50 original types of countertops:
Furniture edging is an edge material that performs a protective and decorative function. These products are used to decorate the uncoated part of furniture facades and prevent minor mechanical damage and swelling caused by high air humidity.
Our offer
In the online store of the 21st Century company you can buy edge tape for furniture at reasonable prices. We sell this material wholesale and retail, providing discounts for large orders. Melamine edges are available in our catalogue. These products are paper tape impregnated with melamine resins. Hot-melt adhesive is applied to their reverse side. Edge tape can be purchased for lining furniture for the kitchen, living room, bathroom and other rooms. As a rule, it is used in the manufacture of laminated chipboard cabinets.
If you want to buy an edge or another furniture fittings in our online store, simply add the selected products to your “Cart” and fill out the online application. If you have any questions regarding the assortment, current prices and terms of cooperation, call our company managers at the numbers listed in the “” section.
Why edge chipboard is done and how to glue the edge with an iron
Chipboard is the most suitable material for the production of reliable and high-quality inexpensive furniture. In order to hide the not very aesthetically pleasing internal structure of the product, edging is performed on the end side - the installation of special decorative panels made of melamine, PVC or other available types of synthetic plastics.
Why else do they edge furniture?
In addition to the most obvious goal - to provide an elegant appearance, edging furniture performs several more equally important tasks:
- Moisture protection. It is known that when wet, chipboard swells and loses its original shape and strength. The plastic edge prevents moisture from penetrating from the ends. This is especially true for rooms where there are constant flows of water - kitchen, bathroom, dining room, etc.
The edge, in addition to giving the furniture a finished look, performs several other important functions.
Where should edging be done?
Furniture manufacturers often edge only the visible parts of the end surfaces. From the point of view of economy, this seems quite understandable, but taking into account the above facts, this approach can lead to certain problems - the protective edge must be present in all places where there is an open internal structure of the chipboard.
If you purchased furniture with unprotected edges, you can easily do their edging yourself at home. To do this, you do not need to have any special equipment - the edge can be glued regular iron.
Don’t be lazy to spend a few minutes on this operation - you will reliably protect yourself and your furniture and significantly extend its service life. Next, we will look in detail at how to properly glue the edge tape with your own hands.
Edge materials
Edging open furniture surfaces can be done using different decorative elements, differing in the quality of the material, appearance and, accordingly, cost.
- Melamine tape. The simplest and cheapest edge. It is used in budget products and can be destroyed by moisture or mechanical stress. The main advantage of such a tape is its price and ease of application.
Advantages and disadvantages of melamine edging
How to glue an edge with an iron
In production, edging is done using tape with a clean base. The adhesive composition is applied to it during installation when high temperature ensuring the formation of a thin, even layer. In order to glue the edge, several rollers are used, pressing it tightly to the base of the chipboard. Then special cutters cut the tape to the size of the part, remove any remaining glue and base material, and sand the joint until a smooth and beautiful surface is obtained.
You can also glue the edge at home. To do this, you need to use tape with an adhesive composition already applied. Further, the process largely repeats industrial edging, since it is performed in a similar way:
- Melamine tape can be glued with a regular household iron. To do this, you need to cut off a piece of edge with a margin of length and width, place it on the end being processed and carefully smooth it with an iron. After passing the iron, the heated surface must be pressed using a wooden block or any other object capable of transmitting the necessary load.
When heated, the adhesive firmly adheres the edge to the chipboard
The knife used to remove excess edges must be very sharp.
You can find out more about the process of gluing edges on chipboard below:
Gluing the U-shaped profile to the end of the chipboard is somewhat easier. We have already discussed this method earlier. This edge is much stronger than melamine, bends quite easily and reliably protects against damage.
The presence of microgaps between the U-profile edge and the front surface of the chipboard does not allow gluing it in the kitchen or bathroom, so edging with this material is mainly used for office furniture.
Edging chipboard, of course, is best done in the factory. At the factory, you can order tape from any materials, including plastic, PVC and other modern composite materials. Edging on a machine will ensure ideal evenness and accuracy of application of decorative cladding, but it requires certain costs. If the main task is to meet a predetermined small budget, applying melamine tape with your own hands will allow you to combine acceptable quality and the minimum price.
The edge is used to protect the end edges of parts made of MDF, chipboard, PVC from abrasion, moisture and impact. This finish serves a decorative function, and also gives the edges and corners of the furniture strength and protects people from harmful influence a substance such as formaldehyde, used in the production of compressed wood boards.
If the border is damaged or peels off, urgent repairs are required. And in this case, the primary task is to select the material and glue for the edges made of PVC, melamine paper or other material.
Varieties of edges
From the variety of edges you have to choose the most suitable one.
Melamine
Made in the form of a self-adhesive tape made of decorative paper, which is impregnated with melamine resins. Typically used for interior decoration furniture. This is a budget option for edges for chipboard, not characterized by high quality. It has a short service life, is susceptible to moisture and often falls off on its own over time.
Undoubted positive attribute The advantage of melamine edging is that it is easy to glue; you can do this at home yourself using a regular iron. The second advantage is the absence of a side, a curb protruding above the edged surface, which sometimes irritates when it gets under your hands when working with the keyboard, and also interferes with sweeping away small debris, for example, crumbs from the dining table in the office.
It is a flexible tape with curved edges that form a side. This edging is made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride). Types of edging differ in width and profile: in cross-section, the edge resembles either the letter “t” (T-shaped) or the letter “p” (U-shaped).
The latter is easier to attach, but less reliable; craftsmen do not recommend using it on surfaces that are often subject to friction: on the seats of stools or benches, on the front edge computer desk, which is constantly in contact with the forearms.
PVC edging increases the durability and wear resistance of furniture parts, and reliably protects edges and corners from damage.
The edging is similar to the previous type of edging tape, but is more environmentally friendly. Made from chlorine-free plastic. Has found successful application in furniture production, thanks to heat resistance and impact resistance.
How to glue melamine edge
Update if desired old furniture and at the same time save money, use a melamine edge with glue. It’s easy to stick it, for example, on a tabletop:
- Cut a piece of tape with a margin of about two centimeters.
- Place the adhesive side to the tabletop and press with a hot iron or heat with a hair dryer.
- Hold until the glue words melt.
- Move the iron along the edge gradually, preferably no more than 0.5 cm at a time.
- Immediately after warming up and removing the iron, press the edge strip with a dry cloth and hold to fix it.
Advice! An iron or hair dryer will also help you remove the old edge tape. Just warm it up and remove it with a knife or thin spatula.
Fastening PVC and ABS edging
Plastic edging tapes, theoretically, can simply be fixed to the edge of the furniture, but this is extremely unreliable. Additional fixation with glue is preferable.
To attach the T-shaped profile, you will have to lay a recess along the entire edge to be processed. The easiest way to do this is milling machine. If you have the skill, it will be replaced by a drill with a circular attachment. However, in general the profile is intended for professionals.
To fix PVC or ABS edges at home, use PVC glue, as well as universal compounds “Moment” and “88-lux”; it is advisable that they be marked “for PVC” or “for ABS”.
Professionals use hot melt adhesives, which are part of a range of thermoplastics. When heated, they become highly elastic, and when cooled, they instantly turn into a solid state. The high fluidity and drying strength of the adhesives is due to the ethylene polymer with vinyl acetate they contain. The main disadvantage of hot melt adhesives, of course, is the need for appropriate equipment for the job.
When working with any border, try to calculate the sequence of pasting so as to avoid joints. Go around the corners with a profile - preferably they should be rounded. If the corners are normal, a thick (PVC or ABS) profile will not go around them, and the melamine edge will most likely break. In this case, you will have to make joints at the corners, which must be sanded at the end so that they are smooth. If you run your hand along the edge of the part, the roughness should not be felt.
Advice! You can get rid of excess edge tape with a very sharp knife, and cut off the ends first. Be careful not to accidentally damage the corners of the furniture. The direction of the knife should be towards the inside of the part.
If the factory edge is damaged or partially fallen off, remove it and replace it with a new one. A little effort and the table is like new!
When making or repairing furniture, craftsmen have to finish the edge of the product. For this purpose, a special PVC end edge is most often used. Several popular methods of gluing the specified frame to chipboard are described below in this article.
How to install self-adhesive PVC edge
PVC-based edgebanding is sold in two versions. In the first option, a layer of glue is applied to its lower part at the factory. In another version, the edge is sold without it, and you have to apply the glue yourself.
If the material has an adhesive layer, it should first be heated. After heat treatment, the glue will become sticky and the edge will easily stick into place. This is done using an iron, which needs to be switched to “synthetic” mode.
The edge is placed against the end to which it must be glued. In this case, the edge completely covers the end of the workpiece. Then carefully, using an iron, the edge is heated. But you shouldn't do it directly. It is better to iron the product through a layer of newspaper.
It is easy to glue this material. As it heats up, the glue dissolves and as soon as this happens, the iron moves further. The edge itself is pressed well against the workpiece and smoothed. This continues until the edge is glued to the part along its entire length.
Installing an edge using a heat gun
By the way, you can glue the edge without an iron. Sometimes it is more convenient to use a hair dryer. To do this, the edge needs to be heated on the back side, where there is a layer of glue. When the glue becomes sticky, the edge is put in place, pressed and smoothed.
How to glue PVC edge to "Moment"
If the product does not have an adhesive layer, you need to take “Moment” and apply it yourself. But before applying glue, you should check the end of the workpiece for quality. There should be no debris, dust or sawdust here. The end must be clean and strong.
The glue is applied to both surfaces at once. That is, on the edge of the PVC and on the end of the workpiece. However, there is no need to rush. You need to wait until the glue begins to set and only after that the edge can be properly glued into place.
When gluing the frame, it is pressed firmly against the workpiece and smoothed out. It wouldn't hurt to roll the edge with a hard roller.
How to remove excess edge
If the edge is properly glued the first time, you can proceed to the final stage. If not, repeat the procedure. You need to apply more glue to the problem area and press it firmly or roll it with a roller.
How to remove excess? The fact is that the frame is usually wider than the workpiece itself, so its excess width must be removed. This is done using a regular file by carefully chopping it off.
The file is taken with both hands and pressed with the flat of the file on the protruding edge. At the same time, it breaks off and becomes flush with the workpiece. The frame should be split towards the workpiece, and not away from it - this way there is less risk that the edge will be damaged. However, if the PVC edge was glued well, it rips perfectly and this part of the work never causes any special complications.
Final sanding of the material
To finish the job of gluing the PVC edge, you need to take fine sandpaper and sand out any imperfections, if any. All! The frame is glued and ready to use.
The end of a chipboard covered with melamine edge looks no worse, and sometimes even better, compared to gluing on an inexpensive machine. Today we will figure out how to glue melamine edge. Look detailed instructions step by step.
This furniture end tape is made from papyrus paper impregnated with melamine resins to protect it from external influences. The thickness of the furniture edge depends on the number of layers of paper used and is no more than 0.4 - 0.6 mm.
Edge width from 15 mm to 45 mm. The most popular sizes are 19/0.4 (mm) and 40/0.4 (mm).
On what parts should I glue?
The sides of cabinets, cabinets, tables, as well as the internal shelves of any home and office furniture are trimmed with melamine tape.
- On parts that have contact with the floor, but are not subject to wet cleaning,
- Internal parts (shelves, internal parts of drawers),
- Elements that will not be subject to direct physical and mechanical stress.
Required tool:
- Coil with end tape,
- Iron,
- Knife cutter,
- A damp cloth or piece of felt
- Sandpaper coated block,
- Part holder.
Preparation
In order for the melamine end edge to stick efficiently and evenly, you need an iron with a flat and thick sole. The best option There will be a Teflon coated iron. Also, its surface must be clean and smooth.
For comfortable work It’s better to take a sharp knife with a thin handle or find an old knife blade and make a cutter out of it. You can use a spatula.
An ordinary chipboard piece with sandpaper glued to one side (grit size P120) is suitable as a block.
The melamine end edge comes with a pre-applied layer of adhesive. If it suddenly turns out that it does not have an adhesive layer, then it must be applied to the part.
For this operation, we will also need a part holder, which can be made from the remains of chipboard. It looks like this:
Let's start gluing
We unwind the edge tape from the coil (it’s more convenient to unwind from the inside) and apply it to the end of the chipboard, first leaving a margin for trimming.
Its standard width is 21 mm, and the chipboard is 16 or 18, leaving a margin for trimming and rubbing. In order to avoid the need to cut on both sides, it is better to immediately align it on one side, and on the other side it will overlap.
After we have applied it, we begin to heat it right along the end and iron it with an iron. You need to iron the edges of the ends especially carefully.
Short parts can be ironed entirely, and if the part is long, we warm up 40 cm sections one by one. After that, cool the end with a slightly damp cloth.
The temperature of the iron is adjusted depending on the quality of our tape. It should glide quickly, easily and without friction, without scratching the surface or resisting movement.
High-quality heating will be indicated by uniform spreading of the glue under the edge. If it overheats, bubbles will appear and it will deteriorate, therefore, monitor the temperature and do not overexpose the iron in one place.
If you suddenly damage the edge, it will need to be replaced. Using heat with an iron and a knife, remove the old one, clean the end of any glue residue and start all over again.
The edge will stick well only after it has completely cooled. ONLY after the end has completely cooled can you begin trimming and finishing the edges.
In order to cut off the excess efficiently and evenly, you must first bend the edge with your finger, tap along the edge and rub it several times with a block until you see a white chamfer (this is the paper backing). And you can start cutting off the excess.
Video: how to glue furniture edges to chipboard
Another video from home handyman- pasting furniture edges with your own hands:
(chipboard) the edges of parts without processing have an unsightly appearance. To put them in order, furniture edges and profiles are used. It’s more convenient to work with them using special equipment, but you can also achieve good results with your own hands at home.
Types of furniture edges
One of the most popular materials for making furniture is chipboard. Its disadvantage is the unsightly edges that remain when cutting the part. These edges are masked by the furniture edge. They make it out of different materials Accordingly, it has different properties and prices.
Paper or melamine edges
Most cheap option— edges made of paper with melamine impregnation. The paper is taken of high density, impregnated with melamine to increase strength and glued to papyrus paper. Papyrus can be single-layer (cheaper) or double-layer. To prevent the melamine coating from wearing off, everything is covered with a layer of varnish. To make it more convenient to edge the parts, an adhesive composition is applied to the back side of the melamine furniture edge. When working, you just need to slightly warm up this composition and press it well against the end.
Paper or melamine edge is the cheapest, but also the most short-lived option for finishing the ends of furniture
The thickness of paper edge tapes is small - 0.2 mm and 0.4 mm are the most common. There is no point in making it thicker, and it will be expensive.
This type of edges is distinguished by the fact that it bends very well and does not break when bent. But its mechanical strength is very low - the edge quickly wears out. Therefore, if it is used, it is only on those surfaces that are not subject to load. For example, on the back of shelves, tabletops, etc.
PVC
Received in lately Polyvinyl chloride is also widely used in the production of edges for furniture. A ribbon of a certain width and thickness is formed from a mass painted in a certain color. Its front surface can be smooth, monochromatic, or it can be textured - with imitation of wood fibers. The number of colors is large, so it’s easy to choose the right one.
PVC furniture edging is the most popular material used by both home craftsmen and professionals. This is due to the relatively low price and good performance properties:
PVC furniture edging is available in different thicknesses and widths. Thickness - from 0.4 mm to 4 mm, width from 19 mm to 54 mm. The thickness is selected depending on the expected mechanical load or spring-like, and the width is slightly larger (at least 2-3 mm) than the thickness of the workpiece. There is a furniture PVC edge with an adhesive applied, and there is one without. Both can be glued at home (more on that below).
This type of edging material also has disadvantages: not very wide temperature regime: -5°C to +45°C. For this reason, furniture cannot be left outside in winter, and when pasting with heat, you must be careful so as not to melt the polymer.
Made from ABS plastic
This polymer does not contain heavy metals and is highly durable and durable. The disadvantage can be considered the high price, therefore it is used extremely rarely, although it has excellent properties:
This type of edge can be matte, glossy or semi-gloss. There are also options that imitate various types of wood. In general, this material is more convenient to use and more durable to use.
Veneer edge
Veneer is a thin section of wood, colored and shaped into a strip. This furniture edge is used in production for gluing sections of veneered products. Working with this material requires certain skills, and the material is expensive.
Veneer is not the most popular material for edging
Acrylic edge or 3D
Made from transparent acrylic. On back side stripes are applied. The layer of polymer on top gives it volume, which is why it is called a 3D edge. Used in the production of unusual furniture.
Profiles for processing furniture edges
You can trim the edge of furniture not only with edging tape. There are also furniture profiles that are attached mechanically. They are available in two sections - T-shaped or U-shaped (also called C-shaped).
For T-shaped furniture profiles, a groove is milled in the edge being processed. The profile is hammered into it with a furniture (rubber) mallet. The edges are cut at 45° to make the angle look attractive. It is brought to perfect condition with fine sandpaper. This type of profiles is produced from PVC and aluminum; with the same installation method, they look very different, and the differences are significant.
In width they are available for laminated chipboards of 16 mm and 18 mm. There are also wide ones, but they are much less common, since they work less with such material.
C- or U-shaped profiles are most often mounted with glue. They coat the edge with it, then put on a plastic profile, press it well and fix it. These PVC profiles are soft and hard. Hard ones are harder to bend and it’s difficult to paste them over curved edges. But they have great strength.
If you still need to “plant” a rigid C-shaped furniture profile on a bend, it is heated with a construction hairdryer, then given the desired shape and secured with masking tape until the glue dries.
We glue furniture edges with our own hands
There are two technologies for gluing furniture edge tape. The first is for those that have glue applied to the back. In this case, an iron or construction hair dryer. The second is for gluing tapes without glue. In this case, you need a good universal glue that can glue plastics and wood products and furniture roller, a piece of felt or a soft rag so that you can press the edge well against the cut.
A little about what thickness of edge to glue on which parts. Those edges that are not visible, according to GOST, do not need to be glued at all, but basically they try to treat them so that less moisture is absorbed into the chipboard, and also to reduce the evaporation of formaldehyde. Melamine tape or 0.4 mm PVC is glued to these edges. The edges of drawers (not the fronts) are also processed.
It is better to use 2 mm PVC on the front ends of the facade and drawers, and 1 mm PVC on the visible sections of the shelves. The color is chosen either to match the main surface or “in contrast”.
How to glue edging yourself with glue
The adhesive composition is applied to the melamine edge; it can be applied to PVC. If you choose PVC, it’s easier to start with thin ones - they are easier to process; any melamine ones are easy to glue.
We take an iron and a fluoroplastic nozzle on it. If there is no nozzle, thick cotton fabric will do - so as not to overheat the tape, but to melt the glue. A hair dryer is also suitable for this purpose. We set the iron to about “two”, while it is heating up we cut off a piece of tape. The length is a couple of centimeters longer than the workpiece.
We apply the edge to the part, level it, smooth it out. There should be small pieces hanging off both sides. We take an iron and, using a nozzle or a rag, iron the edge, heating it until the glue melts. It is necessary to heat evenly over the entire surface. After the entire edge is glued, let it cool. Then we start processing the edges.
The edge can be cut with a knife, both with the sharp and blunt sides. Some people use a regular metal ruler, while others find it more convenient to use a stainless steel spatula.
So, take the tool you have chosen and cut off the hanging edges of the edge. They are cut close to the material. Then cut off the excess along the part. Melamine and thin plastic are easily cut with a knife. If the PVC edge is thicker - 0.5-0.6 mm or more, difficulties may arise. Such edges are possible if there is one. This guarantees good result V short time. The processing will take longer if you use sandpaper, but the result may not be worse.
One important point: when gluing thin edges, the cut of the part should be smooth, without protrusions and depressions. The material is plastic, which is why all defects are visible. Therefore, first go over the cuts with sandpaper, then thoroughly remove dust and degrease. Only after this can you glue.
Edging with PVC tape (no glue on the back side)
With this method of gluing PVC edges yourself, you need universal glue and a piece of felt or rag. We read the instructions for the glue and carry out all the steps as recommended. For example, for Moment glue, you need to apply the composition to the surface and distribute it, wait 15 minutes, and firmly press the surfaces to be glued.
Apply glue and wait - no problem. To press the edge tightly to the cut, you can use a wooden block wrapped in felt. Instead of a block, you can take a construction float and also attach felt to its sole. As a last resort, you can collapse thick fabric in several layers and press the tape to the surface.
The selected tool is pressed against the laid edge, pressed with all its weight, pressing it against the surface of the chipboard. The movements are stroking. This is how they iron the entire edge, achieving a very tight fit. The part is left in this form for some time - so that the glue “seizes.” Then you can start processing the edges.
