Apply New Formica

[kamalbensra 0]

Dear All,

I'm glad I found this forum. Hope to achieve a little help. I want to

- remove the existing formica from my kitchen cabinets, and

- apply new formica

Can anyone help me? I guess I will need to know

- how to properly remove the existing formica,

- where to buy new formica,

- how to cut the new formica,

- how to stick on the new formica,

- what glue to use.

Thank you so much.

Bensra

[edenstrauss 3]

Hi Bensra,

u could get your formica from Jennings @ defu lane 10. Please take a look @ their contact details under this link:

http://www.jennings.com.sg/contactus.php.

Please note that they do not provide delivery of formica. Cash & collect from their shop.

U could hop by the following shop in the opposite block to purchase kangaroo glue for pasting your formica:

Lian Kim Yong Construction Pte Ltd

37 Defu Lane 10 #01-75 Singapore 539214

Telephone: 6-287-7467

Carpenters are professionals so they would have a special precision cutter for trimming the formica to the right sizes without fraying at the edges. It's quick & swift.

When we DIY-ed, we run very sharp pen-knifes through the formica using anything sturdy that could serve as a ruler. As for the gluing aspects, you will have to apply the glue very sparingly with either a spatula or something that you could use to smear the glue on the reverse of the formica.

Please do not mount the formica (with the glue applied) immediately. You've got to wait for a bit before mounting the formica onto the affected part of your cabinet otherwise, it might not cure properly & perhaps fall off.

hope this helps!

[gettome 0]

Dear All,

I'm glad I found this forum. Hope to achieve a little help. I want to

- remove the existing formica from my kitchen cabinets, and

- apply new formica

Can anyone help me? I guess I will need to know

- how to properly remove the existing formica,

- where to buy new formica,

- how to cut the new formica,

- how to stick on the new formica,

- what glue to use.

Thank you so much.

Bensra

It's not a diy job.

You will need a router to trim the edges after lamination, and you will need "F"-clamps to hold the sandwiched panels for 12 hrs until the contact adhesive firmed. You will also need to have new plywood panels.

[edenstrauss 3]

It's not a diy job.

You will need a router to trim the edges after lamination, and you will need "F"-clamps to hold the sandwiched panels for 12 hrs until the contact adhesive firmed. You will also need to have new plywood panels.

Hi gettome,

I don't think Bensra is opting for lamination which is of course not encouraged through DIY.

[kamalbensra 0]

Hi everyone,

Thank you for the detailed explanation. Appreciate it.

I don't know what lamination means. I want to remove the existing formica and put on new ones. Is this called

lamination?

Edenstrauss, so I'll just need to buy a normal penknife? That will do? How do i cut long straight lines?

What about the existing formica friends? How do i remove it?

Thanks.

Regards,

Bensra

[DouglasHoh 0]

Hi,

You will have a hard time cutting the Formica (laminates) using normal pen knife. If you really want to give a try you can visit a hardware shop and get a laminate cutter. Beware of you fingers.

[Mondy 0]

Ok, let me explain something here.

Formica is a brand of laminate, to be exact it's high pressure laminate aka hpl.

There was a time long ago, when Formica was THE LAMINATE, being the most popular brand here, hence the Chinese-speaking carpenters call all laminates as Formica.

I have to agree that it is not possible to removed laminate without damaging the panel, and it does not make sense (or dollars), as it will be cheaper to laminate a new panel. I think some people here could have been mislead by the photo on another thread which shows the "laminate" edge of a cabinet carcass being removed. I believes that was not a laminate strip, but instead a "pvc edging", which would explain the ease in being removed.

[edenstrauss 3]

I'm not from the reno industry so my idea of a lamination is more of a piece of paper-like sheet which is really thin, unlike formica.

During the time when we were scouting for a door supplier, I've been shown a book of laminates.

My hubby used a pen-knife to cut off the laminates. And becox the ruler isn't long enough, he used an electrical trunking instead... but please make sure that you place newspapers or cardboard on the floor before cutting, otherwise, your tiles would be badly scratched.

I'm not sure if you'll damage your door or cabinet when you remove the existing formica by force. The plywood might just tear off with splinters.