I used Ajax cleanser to remove a spot on my Formica counter and it has left a dull mark. Is there any way to get the original look of the counter back?
By beth bartlett from Prudenville, MI
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Try using car wax. When we got new countertops, the installer told us to use that periodically to protect the counters - might work for you!
A kitchen installer advised to use ONLY methylated spirits on bench tops and cupboards
Use Rejuvenate for Countertops sold at Home Depot for about $10. Or Magic counter from Wal-Mart shine will build up with use, but it is an aerosol. Ace used to sell a white kitchen o
I've read all the posts including the one saying car wax is not food safe. Food shouldn't be prepared directly on any counter surface. A counter is only a work bench no matter the material being Formica, stainless steel, granite or other. A cutting board or mat on a towel to prevent slipping is the standard to protect food, and tools. To restore a formica work bench use fiberglass boat restoration products, available at Walmart for 13 to 20 bucks. Oil or Mop and Glow products wash off.
No
Someone suggested using Mop N Glo. Thanks! It worked very well. The only thing that got my worn Formica counter top to shine again. Just follow the directions.
This will restore the shine but make sure you don't put anything really warm or hot on the counter-top after doing this or it will turn the wax from clear to white.
That might work but my experience is, from the floor anyway, that it builds up and becomes dull looking.
To say; "You can't restore a long-lasting shine to formica" is simply NOT true! Formica is like "plexiglass" or any other hard acrylic. As an aircraft mechanic, I've had to "restore" acrylic canopies.
In my hobby/business, I repair and restore mid-century modern (mostly "Atomic Age") furniture that incorporates a LOT of formica. Replacing that original formica would ruin the piece as a collectable/antique.
You have to start by filling in the voids (yes, some people actually cut up food directly on formica, imbedding particles of plastic in their food and ruining their counter-top and knife edges!).
Use the same products made for repairing auto windshields. The best and most effective are the Novus products unless you know all about abrasive slurries. After you polish your formica, protect it with a good, hard wax like carnauba and follow that with a soft, sacrificial wax like beeswax...and don't be cuttin' up food on the dang counter-top anymore!
For the 3 products you mentioned, do you have any favorite specific brands/types you recommend? If you can recommend some for me, I would be eternally grateful!!
Thanks, Rick!
Formica is no longer made from the same good material the old ones were made from. The material is horrible, and hard to keep from damaging and staining. I'm 56, and my parents still have the same, wonderful formica on their counters as they had when I was growing up.
I have a mid century home that is mint, the asbestos tile, on the floor, and the formica have several years of wax buildup that need to be removed, as well as the St. Charles metal cabinets. I bought Jubilee (there are no imperfections, just needs to be stripped & re waxed, please help! I can be reached @ kpera72@gmail.com
My dresser top has laminate Wood grain this kind of faded. It also has lighter spots
Help! My 50's yellow chrome table was left in the sun when I was working on the chrome. The sun bleached it to a grey colour.
Thank you, Rick. I have a '50s Formica table that could use a spritz up. I'll try the Novus Plastic Polish #2, unless there is a different specific product for windshields that you recommend.
what type of novus product. is it compound polish, just so i can ask novus
I am in the process of doing this to my Formica countertops. They're Wilsonart, white and 30 years old. It's a lot of work but boy do they look nice.
I need to restore a hazy formica surface on a Paul McCobb Planner Group cabinet piece. You recommend Novus for car windshields but they're glass and formica is acrylic (right?). I don't want to make a mistake. Could you give me a little more guidance?
My Formica countertops are 31 years old. Just through wear they have a few fine scratches. I have always polished them with Countertop Magic. But, its not working like it used to. I do not want to replace them. I love the color and have never seen anything I like. I am afraid to use car wax because Im not sure it would be food safe. I baby these countertops. Not sure what carnuba wax is.
Thank you! You confirmed I remembered what I thought Id forgot! I remember car buffer the fluffy one I think but again I dont remember but I makes sense lol
Thank you! You confirmed I remembered what I thought Id forgot! I remember car buffer the fluffy one I think but again I dont remember but I makes sense lol
Formica stains: First off, chorine bleach destroys plastics in the same way UV rays do. You should never use it to sanitize your formica countertops as it actually encourages crazing and stain deposits. I'm not a big fan of chlorine and I prefer a sulfur based kitchen sanitzer used in professional kitchens, brew houses and by wine makers - metabisulfites of potassium or sodium - aka - campden tablets dissolved in a spray bottle with a mild soap.
Natural stains, the most common being "rust" can be removed with oxalic acid which is sold as "wood bleach" or you can extract your own from rhubarb leaves, sorrel or from mature poke plants. This also removes rust stains from porcelain, like sinks and tubs, but it won't remove the mineral deposits. Cean your formica well with HOT soapy water removing all oils, waxes or grease. Apply the OA mixed in VERY HOT water to the stain with a brush, then cover with plastic wrap to prevent it from dying out. The rust stain should be gone in an hour or two.
Oxygen bleaches and, dare I say it - chlorine will remove stains made by man-made dyes such as food coloring.
As I posted earlier, you can bring back the gloss of old formica. You can also resurface your counters with the resins used to "imbed" things in bartops and tables... polish out as instructed earlier.
I hope this helps someone.
Please DO NOT use car wax, floor wax, mop 'n glow, etc., on your kitchen countertops. These products are not safe for food preparation areas. A periodic application of olive oil, buffed off, leaves a temporary, safe shine.
This looks like the best solution yet as there will certainly be food touching the counter and the other remedies were not food safe
I would love to be able to use a natural element but because I have bugs I'm afraid to use olive oil; can anyone suggest an alternative?
Thanks much!
-Juliette
olive oil on anything turns rancid with time....don't use it!
What did you use to buff it with. Could you be more specific please?
Mineral oil if you have it. Olive or other food oil will get rancid.
Ajax is an abrasive, and you have likely scratched off the shine. I would also suggest car polish; might work.
I just have a comment to make on whatever method you use on restoring your formica tops, be sure to careful what foods you place on counter then without something underneath it as perhaps the product you use is not food safe. Just thought I would add this as it wasn't addressed.
It seems that you have many remedies to bring the shine back to your counter tops, so I will tell you a couple things to avoid the damage that caused your problem in the first place. As another reader said."Never Ever cut things on your counter without a cutting board. And for those stains, just sprinkle a little baking soda on them and scrub with a cloth or a sponge. My counters are 16 years old, and were the inexpensive kind. I have a worn spot along the edge of the counter from use and cleaning, but the countertop itself is still stain free. I have removed coffee, food coloring, and beet juice, just to mention a few. You may have to repeat the process if the stains don't come up with the first application.
Harlean from Arkansas
My worktops in my Kitchen have marks all over how can i get to shine.?
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