Can I veneer over Formica?

Question

I am retrofitting old cabinets, they have a thin formica on them.
I want to red Oak veneer over them, can I veneer over the formica & if so what do I have to do to the prep the old formica so the PSA veneer will attach & hold?

Answer 1

You don't have to strip the old plam as long as it is sticking properly. It is the same as adhering veneer to melamine. You sand it to remove the gloss so the adhesive has a better grip and you will be fine. I hate water based adhesive and I've been doing this for 27 years. If you prefer to strip it, go ahead but I have never needed to and have never had a failure. I've used Spray 90 right from an aerosol can and it works fine also.

I prefer to use 120 grit sandpaper but that is up to you. Any will do the job just fine.

You have a lot of opinions there so you'll have to choose the one that works best for you.

Answer 2

Well if it is water proof in the kitchen I guess it would be on the door. I am concerned about the edge of the door. The jam has to have clearance for opening/closing and water/sun would get moisture on the wood door edge below the Formica. I believe contact cement is water proof but water on the side of the door would cause the wood to expand and contract and may loosen the Formica edge. I would add a sealer to the edge of the door and renew it every 3 years to keep the edge water tight.

Answer 3

you can veneer ofer existing formica. just put a coat of laquer-based contact cement on the formika and on the veneer. wait 20 minutes, then aply the veneer to the formica. however, i recomend stripping the old formica first. you can do this easily with a putty knife and a squirt-bottle full of laquer-thinner.

Answer 4

You canveneer over the Formica as long as you first take the glaze off the surface. That is easily accomplished with a palm sander & 120 to 180 grit sandpaper. The contact cement will stick to the rough surface but will pull away from the glazed surface. I have done it successfully. I opted to use contact cement that was recommended for Marine applications because of humidity & moisture issues. After I had the veneer in place I used a rolling pin to go over the surface to make sure it was bonded evenly & firmly. Make sure the formica surface is dust free before applying the contact cement then proceed as normal.

Answer 5

You really need to see what the substrate is first. It might be just as easy to make the doors from scratch with MDF as it is cheap and easy to form. I suspect that the Formica covered doors have chipboard cores so in my opinion it is not worth the work stripping back. Veneering over will work but you may run into problems on the revised thickness of the door and the cabinet hinge throw, Whatever you do you must also veneer both sides of the door as all veneer work needs a balancer to avoid curves developing in the door.

You can buy special vacuum bags for veneering. This gives a constant pressure all over the veneer when gluing up. I would be inclined to buy pre veneered board and cut the doors from this. You can buy iron on edging and make a pro job quickly and cheaply.

DWD

Answer 6

you would be far better off lifting the formica and sanding back to a clean surface

Answer 7

I've been in the trades a long time and Dashes has the clues.

Mica in its properties is designed to be NON absorbent, meaning that even contact cement, which I just answered about, won't absorb into the substrate.

Since you seem to be a determined, even conscious DIY, I suggest go the extra mess and remove the old. Laquer thinner will aid in the process by dissolving old contact cement.

Once removed sand well, and try water based contact cement. I use it exclusively now. I think Dupont makes one.

The saying "You get what you pay for" applies here, both in time/energy and money spent.

Steven Wolf

Answer 8

Yes, as long as the stuff is adhering properly to the cabinets...i would scuff them with sandpaper and use construction adhesive