There are various types of edge treatments used in kitchen and bathroom cabinets and bench tops.

The main types are as follows.

Post formed edges

Post forming is the process of bending a laminate to a curved surface. It's called 'post forming' because the 'forming' process occurs after - or 'post' - the machining of the curved edge.

This method is commonly used on bench tops with a particleboard or MDF substrate.

The process is either carried out in a static post forming machine or an automated continuous machine.

The simplest method is to glue the laminate to the flat area of the bench top first, with an overhang where the rounded edge will be formed.

The bench top is then loaded into the machine and the area to be formed is heated to the correct temperature.

When the heat sensitive indicator shows that the temperature has been reached, a press is brought down to roll the laminate around the edge.

Hand rollers are used to finish off the process and the laminate is trimmed to size.

Edge stripping with laminates

Boards that are faced with melamine or a high pressure laminate are generally edge stripped on the visible edges with a matching melamine paper or high pressure laminate.

The substrate may be built up if required to provide extra thickness.

The edging is usually done in an edge banding machine, which applies the glue as it rolls the edging onto the board using pressure rollers.

The machine also trims the edges and snips the ends.

Boards with a timber veneer can be edged in the same way.

The edge tape can vary in thickness, depending on the function of the panel and the type of laminate specified.

Most cabinet carcases and doors use edging that ranges between 0.07 mm and 2.00 mm.

Note that the thickness of the edging will affect the gap between doors and drawers, so it's important to establish this thickness before these components are cut to size.

Edging with solid timber

Sometimes boards are edged with a solid timber lip, particularly if they're faced with a timber veneer.

The edge strip can be glued or nailed.

Painted finishes

The most suitable board for a painted edge is MDF, because of its smooth finish.

Doors and drawer fronts are often sprayed all round with a polyurethane lacquer.

The edge may either be left square or profiled to a shape.