I've thought seriously about lightly sanding the old formica, and staining the countertops and then applying a sealant. Any ideas on products that would stand up to kitchen countertop wear? I need something that won't peel off in a year or two. Thanks!!!
2007-07-31 07:14:21 · 8 answers · asked by G.I. Jill 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
I've sanded a formica surface before and it can be turned into a mildly poreous surface, so I'm fairly certain staining is possible, it is the sealant that would be the problem if I went this route. I know it can be done as there are companies that do countertop "refinishing". It may be better though to put a laminate as some suggested. Thanks for all the great ideas thus far. Still waiting for that "oh, heck yes!!!!!" answer.
2007-07-31 07:42:25 · update #1
I learned about this a couple of days ago. You can have formica countertops resurfaced. Google it and you'll see quite a few companies who can do this.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=countertops+resurfacing
2007-07-31 07:19:48 · answer #1 · answered by zebedee 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Staining or painting countertops is not a good idea. Neither are meant for that type of use. The stain won't absorb into the formica and any top coat will peel off. You can get laminate pieces that look nice for a fairly inexpensive price and can be glued right over top of your existing countertop. Read up on it and maybe practice a bit, (the glue is pretty much instant stick so you have to be precise.) But it's not that difficult to do.
Edit: Expert wood refinishers will tell you staining formica is not possible. Formica can be primed and painted though any paint company will tell you to never do this on countertops.
2007-07-31 07:21:40 · answer #2 · answered by tnk3181979 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Haha - we have harvest gold in our rental! We looked into changing them out (on our own dime) because they are so hideous. I'm not sure how handy you are - but you can buy sheets of formica and all the supplies (edging, backsplash, etc.) at Home Depot and Lowe's. You use the current countertop as a template, cut it out, clean the current counter top really well, apply some adhesive and then lay the new top down. It's very easy - it's just a little time consuming and requires some tools (a saw, sander or sanding block, etc.). Anyways - stop by Home Depot or Lowe's - I talked to one of the sales associates at length about this and they were very helpful and knowledgeable. Our kitchen is small, so it was only going to cost us around $250 to do it, but we may be buying a house soon and didn't want to spend any more on our rental than we already have. Good luck!
2007-07-31 07:27:14 · answer #3 · answered by answers_anonymous 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You may be able to lay another laminate over your old counter,but the sink will have to be removed. Depending on the size and shape a new counter top may be a viable option.
Any painting or refinishing is bound to not hold up for long.Abrasive cleaners,hot pots,things slid along the surface etc. I would go with one of the two mentioned options.
2007-07-31 10:57:12 · answer #4 · answered by hotdogseeksbun 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Check out West System two part epoxy. I used it to seal a bar top. It worked great, and if it gets scratched you can sand it again and redo it. I'm not sure how well it would hold up to heat though. You can also add color pigments to the epoxy to cover the harvest gold.
2007-07-31 07:26:05 · answer #5 · answered by JMH 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
On those do it yourself/remodling shows they swear you can paint them (by first priming, painting, and then sealing with a marine grade sealant) but I don't personally know anyone that has tried this.
You should go to your local home improvement store for ideas, they usually have people in there that really know the different products and they can give you suggestions for options.
2007-07-31 07:41:05 · answer #6 · answered by MissChristy 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Paint your kitchen a color that looks good with harvest gold such as white or cream for your cabinets and a muted gold-on-tan paint treatment for your walls. Then don't call the countertop harvest gold anymore. Call it "dark champagne" or "gold rush" or "antique gold" or "Aztec". Lay some throw rugs down that have subtle stripes in shades of gold, beige, tan and yellow.
Hang cheery pale pale yellow curtains.
Love your harvest gold countertops!!
2007-07-31 08:15:38 · answer #7 · answered by martinmagini 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
That's easy! It was yesterday after I finished playing with...err... scratch that, there may be children watching... Oh, wait! I know! When I called a plumber instead of letting Mr Dawna do it himself and saved us money. lol
2016-05-19 00:15:58 · answer #8 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Would be cheaper and better to just get new preformed counter tops and replace them Allot less work and aggravation.
2007-08-01 12:24:50 · answer #9 · answered by Pengy 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋