If the laminate countertop in your cottage kitchen or bathroom has seen better days, here are three options for reviving the surface without a full-blown countertop replacement.
1) Filling scratches and gouges
Liquid filler, available in limited colours, works for scratches and small gouges. If your laminate is multi-coloured or the scratches are small, you may not need a perfect colour match, but chances are you’ll have to custom mix a couple of colours together. Apply a small quantity of your mix to a piece of paper, then let it dry to check the match. Use rubbing alcohol to degrease areas before you apply the filler.
2) Painting
This is for countertops that are too far gone for fillers. Some countertop paints create mottled stone-like effects, and these will hide imperfections best. To prep, scrub well with soapy water, rinse, and wipe dry. Then let the surface sit for several hours for all the water to evaporate. Countertop paints dry to the touch in less than a day, but they take three to four days of curing for full strength and durability.
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3) Peel-and-stick covers
Applying these wallpaper-like rolls, usually made of thick vinyl, requires more precision and care than filling or painting, but they can make your countertop look new. While they must be applied at room temperature, they do hold up well in an unheated cottage through the winter. They don’t, however, hide major faults in the laminate below—gaps and the texture of the substrate will telegraph through to the surface. But if the laminate below is just loose, glue the flap down first with weatherproof wood glue. Once dry, clean and degrease the surface, then cut the material a couple of inches larger all around than you need. Peel a small amount of backing from one corner, then slowly pull more backing off from underneath as you press down the material. Accurate fitting does get tricky around sinks and taps. Some people take a shortcut by covering right overtop the sink and then trimming with a sharp utility knife. You’ll get much cleaner results, though, by removing the sink and other hardware first, laying down the sheet, and then replacing the fixtures.
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This article was originally published in the Winter 2023 issue of Cottage Life magazine.
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