Hot cookware can leave permanent burn marks on many countertop surfaces including laminate. That's why we always recommend using a protective barrier such as a trivet or a hot plate as a final resting place for oven- or stovetop-fresh pots and pans.
Spray-painting your countertop is not only fast; it produces a smooth finish that brush- or roller-painting cannot match. Spray-painting works well for laminate countertops and other surfaces that can be scuffed down with sandpaper. Go with a matte finish spray paint since glossy paint shows scratches.
Instead of putting hot items directly on your wood or laminate countertops, use heat-safe objects to protect the countertop surface and avoid heat damage – a simple heat pad or trivet made of cork, bamboo, silicone, or ceramic, for example, will do the job nicely.
If rubbing alcohol is left on the surface of the laminate countertop for a long time, it can cause the finish to fade and dull. In addition, you should also make sure that no puddles of rubbing alcohol are left on the countertop for too long because it can damage your laminate countertops.
For Formica® HPL and DecoMetal® Metal Laminates, we recommend disinfecting with: 1) Quaternary Ammonium which is the largest group (198 listed) of EPA approved disinfectants. Examples of Quaternary Ammonium products include: Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes, Lysol®, Virex®, Caviwipes®… 3) Sodium Hypochlorite or Bleach.
Counters are made of a variety of materials, so you can't indiscriminately aim a can of Lysol at laminate the same way you would granite, or approach cleaning butcher block in an identical fashion to stainless steel.
If you've got laminate countertops you might be tempted to treat them the same way, but you shouldn't. The sharpened blade of a kitchen knife will do much more damage to a laminate surface than it will butcher block, leaving your previously spiffy countertop marred with slice marks. Grab a cutting board instead.
L, Formica can be coated with many paints or clear finishes as long as it is absolutely clean and is very slightly sanded... 220 grit paper would be the roughest that should be used. Since you want to maintain the appearance but just lower the gloss, you could try a water-based polyacrylic coating.
When it comes to cleaning, vinegar can be a solid workhorse. Vinegar can clean laminate countertops, ceramic sinks and toilets, and sink drains—but it should not be used to clean everything.
To make the countertop shine, spray them with a vinegar solution. Mix 2 cups water with 1 tablespoon vinegar in a spray bottle (Image 1 below). Spray the countertop down, and allow the solution to sit for 2 minutes (Image 2 below). Finally, wipe the counter clean.
To use car wax to make laminate countertops shine, it should be applied in circular motions across a clean countertop and left for around 10 minutes. Then, with a clean cloth, excess wax should be buffed away. Car wax not only gives a shiny, granite-like finish to Formica countertops, but it acts as a protectant.
One of the most heat-resistant countertop materials available today is granite. This natural stone requires extremely high temperatures and high pressure to form. You can place pans straight of the stove or oven on a granite countertop, and you won't see any marks or stains on the surface.
Apply a layer of white toothpaste to the scorch mark and allow it to set for several minutes. Scrub the area lightly with either a scrub brush or toothbrush. Wipe the area clean with a soft cloth and water. If the stain remains, apply some Soft Scrub using the cloth and allow it to set for several minutes.
For small burn marks, cut out the damage and apply a filler product, such as Seamfil or FormFill. For larger areas, cut out the damage and insert a Surface Saver cutting board or trivet. For countertops with straight or beveled edges, resurface over the existing laminate with a new piece of laminate.
Several experiments on scrap material later, I settled upon a non-yellowing, clear acrylic. A small eight-ounce can of Polycrylic by Minwax (which you can buy on Amazon) was enough to make my 30 square feet of countertop appear new again.
When looking to update or overhaul a countertop, use a resin, acrylic or polyurethane coating that's specifically labeled for use as a laminate countertop sealant. Polyurethane coating or a resin laminate sealer will provide shine and a protective coating.
However, you can clean and polish laminate with a product like Gel-Gloss, a milky white cleaner/polish much like automotive wax. With a little rubbing, Gel-Gloss will remove most stains and discoloration with its mild abrasive and solvent cleaner.
Plastic laminate is surprisingly easy to cut. You can do it with a circular saw, a jigsaw, a router or even some hand tools. Cutting a sheet laminate by itself is best done with tin snips or aviation snips, provided you're cutting it oversize and will trim it later.
To cut through laminate countertops, you can use a hand saw, but a circular saw makes the job much quicker. Because a circular saw can produce jagged edges and chip the laminate, your best bet is to lay the laminate face-side down and cut from the back to the front.
Simply put, the Festool Laminate 48-tooth saw blade is one of the best blades you can use for cutting laminate. These blades are made specifically for cutting laminate, and they will do the job on even the most robust types of laminate.
Dish soap: When you're doing regular cleaning tasks like wiping down a kitchen counter, it's best to use gentler soap to avoid degrading the surface (or its sealant) that you're trying to clean. Dish soap is a perfect candidate for this kind of task, and, conveniently, you likely already have some in your kitchen.
Baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and the likes are most suitable for treating light-coloured laminate benchtops because of their bleaching effect. Microfibre cloth dipped in soap solution or even just plain water will be enough for cleaning dark-coloured materials.
To look after your countertop surfaces, you should wipe up any food residue, liquid or grime as soon as they appear. To clean your countertops, we would recommend a strong antibacterial cleaner such as Lysol® All-Purpose Cleaner.