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Can laminate countertops be waterproofed for outdoor use?

Kaido

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
I need to build a long, cheap countertop for my patio (10x10 concrete slab). Home Depot sells some really nice 10' laminate countertops for $107:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Hampton-...ountertop-in-Milano-Brown-472560T10/204766429

That plus some cinder blocks to hold it up should do the trick, but I need some way to waterproof it. Assuming it's particleboard, it's obviously prone to swelling. There are some tricks here:

http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Laminate_Tops_for_Outdoor_Exposures.html

Not sure how particleboard would handle deck waterproofer, but that would create some sort of vapor barrier, at least:

http://www.infotile.com/pdfFile/advicetopic/207201021211.pdf

It only needs to hold up for a year or two (moving again once I'm done with school), so I'm not overly concerned about UV fade or anything. Right now I'm using a plastic card table (small/cramped), but I bring it inside at night. So this would basically be the easiest method - it's not permanent & all I have to do is pick up some supplies from Home Depot:

1. 10' laminate countertop
2. Deck waterproofer
3. Cinder blocks
4. Powergrab glue to hold it all together
5. Tarp or cheap car cover to protect it from the elements

I don't want to put much effort into it, and I don't want something permanent, otherwise I'd go with a DIY concrete countertop. This would give me a large, cheap work surface for around $150. Aside from the rot, mold, swelling, fading, etc 😀
 
Depend on the weather in your area, you might be able to make it last two years if you seal it well enough. I wouldn't count on getting three though.
 
Greenman said:
Depend on the weather in your area, you might be able to make it last two years if you seal it well enough. I wouldn't count on getting three though.
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Hot summers, cold winters, and rain. We're set for about a foot of snow today. I think a simple car cover would do the trick to easily cover it:

http://www.amazon.com/Coverking-UVCC...dp/B000CIQ4VE/

If the base is cinder blocks (on top of concrete patio slab) and the countertop is raised up 36" or so, waterproofed with deck sealer, and covered with a car cover, I think it should be okay. I can get some jack screws to level it if needed. Powergrab seems to do a pretty good job for holding together most materials.
 
No. Laminate is too thin and susceptible to temperature changes and fading. If you're re-purposing laminate you could frame it in with treated lumber, stone, or tile for outdoor use. Tile would be easy if you've ever done it before.
 
Fritzo said:
No. Laminate is too thin and susceptible to temperature changes and fading. If you're re-purposing laminate you could frame it in with treated lumber, stone, or tile for outdoor use. Tile would be easy if you've ever done it before.
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Yeah I can do tile on top of treated wood, I guess. But a year from now, I want to be able to chuck it in the dumpster & move.
 
oldsmoboat said:
Do it anyway.
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I was thinking about doing it, kind of a built-in structure & leave it for the next renter. But it's like 2F out & I already have 3 freestanding grills (not built-ins), so it'd just be a countertop. Meh.

I would like to do it once I get into a starter house or something. I love concrete, you can do some crazy stuff with it!
 
I'd just grab a couple pressure treated 2x12's of appropriate length and call it good.
 
vi edit said:
I'd just grab a couple pressure treated 2x12's of appropriate length and call it good.
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Do those need deck seal or anything, or just use as-is? I have some pretty awesome faux staining techniques I could use. Found some nice ideas for using concrete blocks too:

http://theurbanhomestaed.blogspot.com/2011/10/dreaming-of-concrete-blocks-raised-beds.html

This one in particular:

http://i.imgur.com/wydGJ5a.jpg

I could wrap the concrete blocks in some pressure-treated wood as well & paint it to make it look nice.
 
For a year or two I wouldn't worry about treated lumber needing any sealing. It'll dry, shrink, and split a bit. That's what it does. Stain and paint doesn't stick to it well. But for a couple years it'll do just fine.

Another option is to look at a couple planks of composite decking. Then you can get it precolored and it's not as prone to splitting/splintering/warping. It'll be more expensive but would look nicer. It'll take a bit more work to get it locked down and secured than a couple big 12" planks.

If you wanted to go balls out on looks and durability get yourself some teak planks. That stuff is like $30 a plank though. :O
 
I guess we can assume you have something already in place to put the laminate countertop on.

My alternative suggestion:
Get some backerboard for tile (the concrete stuff) and make your counter out of that. $40.
Then, find a nice granite or marble or something that you like that's cheap - get the 12"x12" squares. Prices run from 99 cents per square foot on up. You can get something decent for $3 or $4 per square foot.

Use thinset to put down those tiles. Don't mix up all of it - save some of the thinset to use as grout. (Since this is a temporary 2 year thing).

Roughly the same price, don't have to worry about water, and it opens up all sorts of other options to make something that looks a heck of a lot nicer than a laminate countertop, which if outside, is (imho) going to look like a ghetto attempt at an outdoor counter.
 
vi edit said:
For a year or two I wouldn't worry about treated lumber needing any sealing. It'll dry, shrink, and split a bit. That's what it does. Stain and paint doesn't stick to it well. But for a couple years it'll do just fine.

Another option is to look at a couple planks of composite decking. Then you can get it precolored and it's not as prone to splitting/splintering/warping. It'll be more expensive but would look nicer. It'll take a bit more work to get it locked down and secured than a couple big 12" planks.

If you wanted to go balls out on looks and durability get yourself some teak planks. That stuff is like $30 a plank though. :O
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Nah, just cheap. I want a flat work surface. My only concern with the 2x12's and stuff is that it will have that gap inbetween the planks. I use stuff like thin cutting boards that really likes flat surfaces.
 
Kaido said:
Nah, just cheap. I want a flat work surface. My only concern with the 2x12's and stuff is that it will have that gap inbetween the planks. I use stuff like thin cutting boards that really likes flat surfaces.
Click to expand...

make your own surface with liquid casting resin? it'll be flat AND level without needing to shim.

Though, you move that cinder block 1/4" and it won't be level any more.
 
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