Galley worktop - can you glue formica to formica?

[sealegsjim]

The 'formica' galley worktop in my boat is a bit chipped and scruffy looking. I am looking to recover it in 'formica' and was wondering if it is possible to glue new formica on top and then route out the openings for the sink and fridge etc. Thanks in anticipation

 

[Graham_Wright]

Whatever the answer, if you need Formica, search out my post on cheap. Fantastic selection, nice people, no wait and you can look before you buy.

 

[Concerto]

Provided you make sure the original surface is clean, grease free and slightly abraded, then yes as long you use a good contact adhesive like EvoStik.

 

[bert49uk]

I got a piece of stainless cut for mine, Sikaflex it to the Formica

 

[sailorman]

Provided you make sure the original surface is clean, grease free and slightly abraded, then yes as long you use a good contact adhesive like EvoStik.

or with good cramping overnight use cascamite

 

[Hadenough]

Use Evostick! And yes it works fine as long as the existing laminate is stuck well. Clean it and abrade it, I did my galley worktop two years ago and it is still as good as new.

 

[rogerball0]

Score the old formica with a stanley knife or abrade with 40 grit and bond with something like pu adhesive, its quick and no hassle compared to contact adhesive, maybe get a notched trowel to spread the adhesive about & to give you the ability to push the new formica into something to help adherence.

 

[sealegsjim]

Score the old formica with a stanley knife or abrade with 40 grit and bond with something like pu adhesive, its quick and no hassle compared to contact adhesive, maybe get a notched trowel to spread the adhesive about & to give you the ability to push the new formica into something to help adherence.

Do you mean something like Gorilla Glue? It expands and needs clamping so that would be difficult

 

[Norman_E]

Evostick has the disadvantage that you have to get positioning spot on first time, which is not easy when fitting a large piece. I have to do mine when I can get suitable material in Turkey, and think that a two part epoxy adhesive which allows some adjustment might be better.

 

[sailorman]

Evostick has the disadvantage that you have to get positioning spot on first time, which is not easy when fitting a large piece. I have to do mine when I can get suitable material in Turkey, and think that a two part epoxy adhesive which allows some adjustment might be better.

use laths under it to support the laminate & remove them 1 at a time as you go

 

[rogerball0]

Do you mean something like Gorilla Glue? It expands and needs clamping so that would be difficult

Na Jim i was thinking more along the lines of PU18, when i altered the main bulkhead on my Centaur i used PU18 to go over the old Barry Bucknell formica with 4mm marine ply, had to use epoxy on the curved side as i needed a longer open time to fettle the ply round the curve.

I like PU 18 as its thin enough to push material flat onto the substrate you're bonding to but sticky enough to hold in place without mechanical grip plus its about £4 a tube on ebay. I used to use evostik by the vat load back in the day to laminate formica (and other sheet materials with), it is good but so messy as its as thin as water, even after years of using there was always alot of clean-up to do afterwards. That said PU 18 starts to skin after 10 mins so you need to be fairly quick.

Have used it on pretty much all the foam bulkheads in my boat that had a finish of ply to them, other PU adhesives are available saba, sika etc, also i hate gorilla glue, most of my chippy mates swear by the stuff, personally i cant stand the stuff; creates more mess and sanding than evostik ever did for the reason you mentioned.

Also come to think of it a good 5min pva works a treat way as theres no expansion but does tend to slide around a bit (until the glue kicks) whilst applying pressure to the laminate.

What ever you do keep a 4" roller handy to roll out bubbles and apply pressure to the laminate to help bonding or if you're fortunate apply vacuum pressure to it.

Good luck