Is the side "trimmed" with laminate edging? Or would the raw edge be OK.

I believe that laminate is designed to cut fairly simply with the proper tools and techniques.

The ends can be trimmed with the matching laminate trim, which is affixed with an adhesive that is activated by an iron on a low temp (from what I see on TV makeover shows. I have no first hand experience.)

I enlarged a drop-in sink hole in a laminate counter once. It was old school laminate with chrome trim. I used an electric jigsaw with a new blade and it was okay. Of course, I was covering up my cut so it might not have been THAT great! Ask the guys at Lowe's (they owe ya, right? :P) how to cut the prefab laminate--people do it all the time with that stuff!

On an unrelated topic (seriously--the sink was fine!) I did tile over a scuffed-up laminate bathroom countertop and tub surround and it held. I think it would be fine on a small patch of counter.

lavander_lass:

You can trim a laminate counter, but you're going to have to remove it to do a professional job.

If you're cutting off 2", make a test cut at the 1" mark to see how much chipping you'll get. Chipping can be minimized with saw blade selection (circular not jig saw) and tape.

If you want no chips, rough cut at 1 13/4", then pull a router down the edge guided by a straightedge at the 2" mark. Test cut for chipping at the front edge; sometimes you have to cut backwards to avoid it.

This post was edited by Trebruchet on Mon, Apr 14, 14 at 9:19

Doable----with the right tools and a steady hand.

I can't see how you're going to cut this in place when it butts against the wall. At least I'm assuming that's what you mean when you say it's "as is in the kitchen" - that it's installed on top of cabinets on one or both sides of your range, usually a range will be against a wall not in an island.

Pictures might help.

ajsmama:

It can be cut in place; I've done it. It takes lots of skill with a router or Rotozip freehand and an aggressive belt sander. There will be wall damage, but you can patch that easily enough.

Thanks for the responses! I'm still not sure if we're going to change the kitchen or not, but if we do...

Our kitchen has a 'desk area' that is around the corner and drops down from this other counter top. What I'd like to do is trim off the overhang and take off the desk area counter top...and lift it up to be even with the rest of the counters.

This would mean removing the lower counter top and putting new base cabinets in....then placing the top back on. I was hoping to trim off the extra counter top by the range, so that the previous desk area would fit against it.

If I do this, I'll also be cutting out the cooktop, to put in a range...which means I'm cutting both sides of this little counter top area. That's why I may just end up covering it with tile.