renovating old formic galley work top

[catmandoo]

My boat is around 40 yrs old and has white formica in the galley which is looking rather tired particularly on the horizontal surfaces around the sink

I have several options

1 sanding and epoxy painting with a different colour . lot of sanding and finishing plus not sure how long it would wear as work top


2 cleaning the surface with baking soda not sure if totally effective

3 removing the laminate and replacing with new seems a lot of work and laminate only is not available in the Greek islands particularly in small quantities so would also have to remove the wood below and buy solid from local kitchen shops


So has any one recently done any thing similar on worktops in the Galley before; and do you have any advice on the method and durability after a couple of seasons use or longer ?

 

[Tranona]

In the process of doing this right now. My first attempt was to veneer American Oak direct onto the Formica, but the adhesive failed in places over the winter. I had finished it with a synthetic oil that I use on the oak worktop at home but that was not satisfactory.

So plan B is still to veneer but apply the veneer to 3mm ply beforehand which will be easy to glue down than the thin 0.6mm veneer. I am experimenting with different veneers and plan to use a satin finish polyurethane varnish specifically formulated for kitchen cabinets and worktops. Just applied a final coat to my trial panels. I shall obviously have to do something about the failed first attempt, probably removing the bits that have come unstuck then filling and fairing. I shall stick the panels down with CT1 which I have used successfully with thicker veneer panels elsewhere..

Lot of work and assumes you have access to veneers. Problem with domestic worktops is that they are thick and heavy, but if you are OK with that (probably not much different from the current if you take it out) and if well sealed is stable and hard wearing.

Photos give an idea of how it looked when first done. Just need to do it better next time so it stays looking like this!

 

[Roberto]

Hello,
I removed the formica and used bathroom tiles laid over the plywood; I used the same waterproof mortar they indicate for bathroom tiling.
Very, very practical: totally waterproof, you can leave very hot pans over it without damage, wash and clean it with whatever liquid or powder, brush it with stiff brushes, even use it as a worktop the only thing it might suffer is hammer strokes.
It's very easy to apply, the tiles come in squares about 30x30cm held together by a fiberglass netting, you cut the shapes you want, glue them to the surface, then apply filling mortar between the single tiles. The single tiles could also be cut in two, it would have reduced the white space you see to the right of the sink, but I did not bother.

 

[Sea Change]

If you look up Expedition Evans on the choob, they made their worktops from epoxy with a dye mixed through it to create a marble effect. Looked stunning. It was a lot of work though.

 

[john_morris_uk]

I removed all the old Formica worktops on our boat and I replaced them with new plywood that I’d stuck Corian onto. It was a lot of work though. I had to remove & refit the sinks and taps and fit new fiddled edging etc. The fridge top/lid was a particular challenge.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Hello,
I removed the formica and used bathroom tiles laid over the plywood; I used the same waterproof mortar they indicate for bathroom tiling.
Very, very practical: totally waterproof, you can leave very hot pans over it without damage, wash and clean it with whatever liquid or powder, brush it with stiff brushes, even use it as a worktop the only thing it might suffer is hammer strokes.
It's very easy to apply, the tiles come in squares about 30x30cm held together by a fiberglass netting, you cut the shapes you want, glue them to the surface, then apply filling mortar between the single tiles. The single tiles could also be cut in two, it would have reduced the white space you see to the right of the sink, but I did not bother.

View attachment 173348

I guess that full-size porcelain tiles would look good, but be more work to cut in round the basin etc. They come in a wide range of stone-like patterns, like marble. It can be done, though - I relaid the floor in my bathroom at home a couple of years ago, and the tiles had to be cut in round the base of the toilet and the washbasin. I did have help from a neighbour who is good at that sort of thing, and also have a tile-cutting machine with a circular diamond blade.

My main worry on a boat would be that the cement and grout would have to be flexible types to accommodate the movement of the boat, as well as being mould resistant. if they were rigidly mounted, they'd crack sooner or later. You also need to have enough depth to allow for the thickness of tiles - the total finished thickness must be around a centimetre. @Roberto used the small mosaic style tiles, which would resist cracking better, but (personal thing!) I don't like the look of those.

 

[Ammonite]

If the existing Formica doesnt look very nice but is otherwise flat and well adhered you could always add another layer on top or use a vinyl wrap intended for kitchen worktops. The latter are only heat resistant to something like 75c but are very cheap and easy to install / replace when you fancy a change and come in a myriad of effects (wood, marble, granite etc)

 

[Rappey]

I took an angle grinder with harsh disc to my old formica tops to provide a good key for using contact adhesive to glue another piece over the top. It worked very well.
In the heads i used a fablon type material and stuck it straight over the formica.

 

[Roberto]

My main worry on a boat would be that the cement and grout would have to be flexible types to accommodate the movement of the boat, as well as being mould resistant. if they were rigidly mounted, they'd crack sooner or later. You also need to have enough depth to allow for the thickness of tiles - the total finished thickness must be around a centimetre. @Roberto used the small mosaic style tiles, which would resist cracking better, but (personal thing!) I don't like the look of those.

Indeed I feared the surface would crack with the boat movements, but after 7-8 year it's still as new.
I had asked a price for a formica surface but as it's one very large single piece with lots of indents and cutouts they said I did not want to know, let alone Corian

 

[Iliade]

Corian is available in thin sheets (eg. 4mm) but the cost is scary.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

A very effective way of cleaning old formica is to pour an amount of household bleach onto the work top, wipe all over and leave overnight, there should be a noticeable volume of bleach on surface. All the dirt in the scratches lifts out. Wash and neutralise with clean, fresh water. The Formica surface will now look very clean.

 

[stone beach]

On my boat I covered over tired old Formica in galley with new Formica about a year ago. Thorough clean then good coarse sanding of old top then contact adhesive, seems to have worked well so far.
Thorough check of existing laminate's adhesion is obviously required before deciding what to do.

 

[Iliade]

I used the 'Pink Stuff' Asda sells to abrade the grimy layer off mine. It actually left a tolerable surface finish.