Plastic laminate question.

[Tony Bilello]

I want to cover some old plastic laminate with new laminate.
How much sanding should I do?
Do i just scuff it or do I remove all of the plastic surface?
I dont mind using contact cement as this will be on a vertical surface, but what other alternatives do I have?

Thanks in advance

Tony B

[Matt Ocel]

Pull the old stuff off.
Put on new.

I do it all the time. The old stuff usually comes off pretty easy.

[Tony Bilello]

If you never worked on/in a boat all I can say is that the simplest of tasks are usually major projects.
Most of the molding/trim on the boat is like a "U" that ends a plywood bulkhead. I'm trying to avoid replacing all of that molding.
Would be much easier to lam on top of it.

Tony B

[David DeCristoforo]

Well I've worked on boats a bit and I have some good friends who have worked on boats a lot so know what you are saying. But this is all the more reason to do the job right in the first place. Laying PL over PL is never a "good idea" and even less so under the kind of conditions you are likely to experience in a marine environment. Those moldings lip over edges for a reason, not just to cover but to protect and keep in place. Sorry but I think you need to do the extra work or plan on doing it over again very soon.....

[Matt Ocel]

Tony -

Where is it?

Backsplash?

I'd say going over the old stuff would be more difficult.

If your lucky, the old stuff might come off in one piece.
Then use it as a template.

[Bob Winkler]

I just did my daughter's kitchen this way. I sanded the existing laminate with 100 grit paper in my finishing sander. I didn't remove the color, just the dirt and grime.

Glued on the new laminate, which stuck very well. I used the traditional solvent based glue (love the fumes).

This was not a boat, and the old laminate was adhered well. I'm happy with the result and it saved time and effort.

Bob

[David Cramer]

The fastest way.......use 60 grit belt and sand away the top coating enough to make a gritty rough feeling when you run your hand over it. Then take acetone and clean it well.

Contact cement works because you glue both sides and the glue grabs the glue. If one side of the glue doesn't have a good bond, then shazam!, you have the dreaded de-lamination:eek::eek::eek::eek:!!!

If you use your finger nail and tap in different spots on a countertop, you'll hear a hollow sound when you have a bad bond....................aka, the dreaded delamination. That can also occur if there is not enough glue sprayed on. It can also happen in extremely humid situations where too much moisture has "camped out" on the glue while it dries.

My personal opinion, for what it's worth, never ever put laminate over laminate unless it is the only possible way to do it. It can stick for years and years, or delaminate in a very short time, depending on who did it and what's actually involved.

You can use your 3/4 inch particle board as your template and lay it on the cabinets and scribe it to the wall (not too tight;)) and cabinets. Then put your build up on the bottom, laminate the edge, then the top, route, file, clean, and away you go!!!!!

If you try to take off the old laminate and it's a bugger, use lacquer thinner or mineral spirits and squirt it under the laminate with a squezze bottle and a putty knife. Lacquer thinner is chemically similar to the solvent in the glue and will debond it quickly. Then you have to wait until it dries and sand it down. Obviously, :eek:no flames:eek: around when you are doing it.

Now do you see why I would rather make another one "fresh" with a $16 piece of particleboard versus taking off the old stuff? If it comes off easy, great, but if not, it's a little bit of work and in my opinion, sometimes its not worth it.

If it's possible, you can laminate 1/4 inch luan and glue that sheet with construction adhesive over what's already there. There are a lot of different ways to do it. Without a picture, that's the best I can do.

Hope my humble advice helps and good luck with your project Tony.

[Bill Wyko]

I use a product in the automotive industry called "Wax & Grease remover" it'll break down contact cement easily. Just let it soak for a while and it should loosen up easily. Once it's removed, let it air dry a little while and glue your new piece as normal. You can find it at automotive paint supply stores. It's around 15 to 20 bucks a gallon.

[Tony Bilello]

It looks like the laminate was manufactured on the plywood so I dont think it will come off.
In some areas, I plan on using Formica or similar product and other areas I will be using paper backed veneer.
I can always find a hidden area and sand down to the backing and see how much trouble that is. Was wondering if I had to sand down that far.
Also, I'm trying to avoid ripping out and replacing all of the teak molding.

Contact cement is all I have ever used, but never tried one lam over another.

What other products if any are available besides contact cement? I dont mind using Contact Cement just wondering what else would do the trick.

Tony B

P.S. Typically, a fiberglass boat is built in 2 or 3 sections.
First the hull is 'laid-up' in glass. Then all of the electrical, cabinetry,plumbing, motor and tanks are added.
Then after the 'bottom' half is completed, an overhead liner is added on top.
Then on taop of that, the upper outer shell is added. This is the deck, roof etc, all in one piece. Sometimes you may have to disassemble half of
an entire area to remove one small piece. This doesnt include the bulkheads which are the equivelant of load bearing walls, that are fiberglassed 'tabbed' into place. Removing these sections are not an option.

Tony B

[Matt Ocel]

Tony -

I have used tile mastic on occasion.