Formica: Advice needed, please.

Poignard

Poignard

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The Formica in the galley area is 40 years old. It has come unstuck in many places, it has lost its shiny surface and has burn marks on it. It's got to go! I have considered alternatives such as tiles, s/s, varnished wood but decided that what has lasted 40 years can't be bad, so I will fit new Formica.

Question 1: How do I safely remove the old Formica without destroying the plywood on which it is mounted? As well as the counter top and hatches there are plates/cup racks and a small locker covered in Formica, i.e. a lot of small fiddly bits.

Question 2: Although contact adhesive is traditionally used by professionals fixing Formica in a hurry, why can't I use epoxy?

The pros would seem to be:-

1. The ability to reposition the Formica [with contact adhesive you don't get a second chance!]
2. Relatively slow setting
3. Good gap-filling properties.
4. No shrinkage.
5. I am used to working with epoxy [and I have plenty of epoxy in stock]

Are there any cons with using epoxy?
 
To remove use an iron and hot air gun. I think you can get different tack property contact materials, easier to just put it on wet.
 
I got a local timberyard to attach Formica to two sheets of exterior ply and took them out to the boat and used a jigsaw to rebuild the galley. Plenty of left over bits for shelves and even backing plates!
 
I've used epoxy thickened with colloidal silica to attach Formica and it seems to work well. As you say, in areas where the Formica has to be slid into place and/or re-positioned then contact adhesive can't easily be used. I'd guess that the epoxy method will prove more durable too.
 
I've just done all of that ... formica is sold in 8x4ft sheets at £60-80 per sheet so its not cheap and cutting it is not easy .. anyway, that said
1) use a sharp chisel or scraper to lift it off. some of the ply backing will come off but some plastic wood will smooth it back. keeping the surface reasonably smooth is important otherwise when you put the new formica back on, air collects in the pockets and can "bubble" it
2) once ready to fit, i didn't have any problem (although I thought i would) in getting it on using a decent contact adhesive. just smooth it out from the centre, clamp wooden battens at the edges & centre or put a heavy weight on it. you must get pressure, somehow, over the whole piece ...

cutting it was quite difficult. i scrapped one piece for each attempt ie used twice as much! the method i found which worked best was to cut it abt 10mm oversize and then use very sharp stanley knive to trim. trying to cut exact size from a much bigger sheet led to tears and cracks.

cutting internal bits out or very sharp bends etc, i used a scraper with a very thin, sharp, blade and pressed it into the formica - a gentl-ish tap with a hammer helped.

finished the edges off with sealant
 
Evo stick now make a contact adhesive which allows for repositioning without instant grab. Its thicker than the traditional kind.
Like others I would cut the formica oversize and form to the shape you want with a craft knife, file or surform.
 
As Parahandy says,it takes patience and care to cut but is straightforward.
I use a jigsaw with a fine tooth(metal cutting) blade and variable speed.
Make templates if necessary,mark out the cutting lines onto masking tape taped to the formica and cut just shy of the line and then use a small bodied wood plane(one with an adjustable throat is ideal) and trim nicely.Where you have internal corners etc,a metal file and or sandpaper on a wood en block will clean it up easily.The key is to support the formica when working it,if you let the offcut overhang or flap about and vibrate,it will start cracking..
Having written all that I suspect you already know how to 'work' it. Epoxy does not stick as well as contact adhesive.Hot air gun,good quality flat scrapers used in a slicing action between the old formica and the ply substrate will remove all,then clean up with methylated spirit..I like to spread the new adhesive around thinly and evenly using a notched scraper.You can always clamp flat offcuts of wood over areas where the new formica refuses to stay stuck initially.
So ,is the future Orange? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
A bit harder to explain than to do, but trimming is very easy with the right kit. Cut to a bit oversize, say 3 - 5 mm all round, and glue down. Trim with a high speed trim tool, which looks like a small router with its base plate removed, fitted with a 1/4 inch collet and a straight router bit with a ball-race on the end the same diameter as the bit.. (my trim tool came from B & Q). The technique is to put the ball-race against the edge of the substrate and work slowly against the direction of rotation. Same technique is used with the ball-race against the top and bottom surfaces to trim the edging used with kitchen worktops. In both cases care is needed working freehand, not to tilt the tool, but done properly this method is much faster and neater than any other.
 
If you've a router then there is a special bit(?) for trimming down formica once you've stuck it (providing you can get access. Has a roller guide and cuts perfectly to the shape of the plywood etc underneath. It's small diameter and so all you have to finish off afterwards is the bits left in the corners and as said above a very sharp chisel will clear these quickly.
Good luck
 
I've used a glue in the past called Thixofix that was a contact adhesive but still allowed you to position (slide) the item being stuck. It worked with Formica as well. Not sure where you might get it now as it was about ten years ago that I used it.
 
Adhesive...

I've had good results with Thixofix, a contact adhesive which is very easy to use. It's solvent-based, so you need very good ventilation unless you want to hallucinate.
 
Hi,
Where can you buy formica these days as it's not available in the local hardware shops? Also does anybody have information on thin plastic sheets similar to the ones sold for bathrooms but with no air gap between the sheets?
I'm thinking of refurbishing the heads.
Thanks in anticipation
Harry.
 
Just briefely looked at the replys here......so if I repeat anything please excuse me!

First of all as already mentioned A hot air gun should help you to remove the old formica, combined with using a thin wallpaper scraper.

There is no way in the world would I use Epoxy! It takes to long to cure also makes a job like this to permanent. Meaning if you had to replace in the future due to a damaged surface there would be problems removing the stuff if used on ply!

Yesterday I have just neatly....and with no problems cut awkward shapes for the toilet area in my boat, I used a 4" grinder with a 1mm thick cutting wheel! I have tried other ways and found this far the best method.

As for glue....me personally it has to be Evo-stick 528 (in the green can!) This glue I have used where other contact adhesives have failed.

Last of all...depending on what size sheet of formica you need, try the old type hardware shops. I purchased a square meter sheet for a fiver!

Hope that helps........
 
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