Laminate advice
I've been grappling with what to do with our counters. All original laminate, it has gotten very worn in the bathrooms and especially the kitchen counters.
Is there a way to recover them (ie remove old laminate, put in new?)
I am especially interested in the hall bath counter. I can refinish the sinks, but don't know how to handle the counter problem.
Does anyone out there have a good referral to someone who can do this work? It's beyond our time/skill level.
S
I am having the same situation myself, and will have to replace laminate soon. I'm interested in finding out other suggestions/advice. I know you can replace laminate over countertops after you remove the old. But personally I am not sure that it is the best way to go. I love the look of our white laminate, but I find that our counters take so much of a beating that laminate, as economical as it is, is perhaps not the best material for our family. I can't believe that the countertops were in such good condition when we bought the house!
I am considering some type of manmade product that would be a solid white countertop, like some type of corian. It would be very plain (no fake looking stone or granite), so that people would not notice the change in the overall look of the kitchen. I have a feeling that even corian would not stand up, probably suseptible to burns, etc., but it probably has to be better than formica.
Anyway, want to hear what other people have to say.
We had Corian countertops installed in 1996. You can get any color you want-- from solids, to cheezy fake stone, to "flecks" that look just like old fashioned linoleum.
We have found that the corian holds up extremely well. We do lots of cooking, and have never had a problem with burns or acid. Cleanup is incredibly easy.
We do have a couple of marks where I might have dropped a meat cleaver or two on the counter, but because it's a solid material these could be sanded out if I cared enough.
Overall, the countertops look just as good as the day they were installed.
-Andrew
When we remodeled several years ago, we refaced the original cabs with solid color laminate, and had new laminate countertops installed. For the countertops we used a medium brown tone that has a subtle stone-look pattern to it. At the time, we did not want to spend the $$ on Corian, especially after reading the warnings from the manufacturer "be careful not to put hot pots on it, or it can be damaged." If I wanted something heat proof, I think we might have looked at honed granite or soapstone. So with my laminate, I am careful not to put anything hot on it or to cut on it. After 6 years, it still looks new. That said, Corian is a great product --looks nice in Eichlers and is quite durable.
If you are still considering laminate, take a look at the many colors and patterns out there. There is no reason why you have to use something that matches the original white with the gold specks. While pretty, we found that the white does not age that well, since it stains so easily.
Cathye
Formica has rereleased a couple of their midcentury patterns including Boomerang (mostly kitchy colors unfortunately). However, their VirrVarr would work nice in an Eichler. I'm planning on using it in my master bath and perhaps the kitchen.
