What is Edgebanding?
Whether you are a carpentry pro and want to tackle making your own furniture or just a homeowner looking to enhance the appearance of your existing furniture, edgebanding can help get the job done.
Edgebanding can come in a variety of formats, including the popular peel-and-stick kind. This is especially easy for those who are doing a woodworking project themselves and want to get the project done quickly and easily. Other types require primer, glue, hot melt adhesives or a household iron.
Edgebanding comes in a variety of sizes and finishes to match with your existing furniture or carpentry needs. It is available in a variety of materials as well, with popular options including wood, wood veneer, PVC and acrylic. It typically is sold in rolls at hardware stores and is available in different thicknesses to match your home project. You can find edgebanding to match perfectly with your furniture's color, grain and wood type. It's easy to change the entire look of your furniture by applying edgebanding to it- you can take a simple plywood table and turn it into a rich maple with the help of this product.
Edgebanding is often used to cover the exposed sides of lower quality materials like plywood, PVC or particle board. By replacing these surfaces with wood edgebanding, it gives the piece of furniture or item a higher quality appearance. People who make their own furniture also often use this product.
When applying edgebanding, there are a few things to take into consideration. First, you should make sure that the surface you are applying it to is clean and smooth. Any dust, moisture or residue needs to be cleaned off so that the strips will stick properly. Next, always start with a larger piece- this way, you can cut it down to fit perfectly as needed. Lastly, after the edgebanding is applied, carefully trim or sand the surface. The material is very delicate, so be careful to use a fine sandpaper and to not be too rough to damage the material.
If you are going to be using edgebanding often (especially at the professional level), it may be smart to invest in some proper machinery. Edgebanding machines and edge trimmers are just two examples of products that can speed up the process and make it easier as well.