Installing "wood tape," commonly known as edge banding, is a process often done using an iron to adhere it to the exposed edges of woodworking materials like plywood or particleboard.
Here's how you typically apply iron-on edge banding:
Preparation
Before applying the edge banding, ensure the edge you are covering is clean, smooth, and free of dust or debris.
- Cut the Banding: Following the advice often given, stretch out the banding and break it off, giving yourself an extra inch or more than the length of the edge you are covering. This excess ensures full coverage and provides material for trimming.
Applying the Edge Banding
The process usually involves heat to activate the adhesive on the back of the banding.
- Position the Banding: Place the strip of edge banding along the edge you want to cover, ensuring it overlaps slightly on both ends.
- Apply Heat: Using a standard household iron set to a medium or medium-high heat setting (without steam), press firmly down on the banding. Slowly move the iron along the length of the strip. The heat melts the pre-applied glue, adhering the banding to the wood edge. Work in sections, pressing down to ensure good contact as the glue cools.
- Cool and Press: Once you've heated a section, quickly follow up by pressing firmly along the heated area with a wood block or roller. This helps create a strong bond as the glue cools.
Trimming and Finishing
Once the banding is applied and the glue has cooled completely, you'll need to trim off the excess and finish the edge.
- Trim the Edges: Use an edge banding trimmer, utility knife, or a sharp chisel to carefully trim the excess banding flush with the surface of the panel on both the top and bottom. You may also need to trim the excess length off the ends.
- Chamfer or Ease the Edge: Lightly sand the trimmed edges to remove any sharpness or burrs and create a slightly eased corner. Be careful not to sand through the thin veneer layer of the banding.
- Final Sanding: Give the entire edge a final light sanding with fine-grit sandpaper for a smooth finish.
- Apply Finish: The edge banding can then be stained, sealed, or painted to match your project.
Applying edge banding using an iron is an effective way to give a professional, finished look to raw wood edges.
