How To Remove Laminate From a Countertop -[Complete Guide]

Laminate on the countertop is very functional to have in your house, including the kitchen and so many other places as well. But as useful it is, it’s going to get worn after extensive use.

That brings us to a question about how to remove laminate from a countertop. Well, it’s not that hard when you know the right method for it. Also, you’ll need to use some tools to be able to do it in the right way as well.

To help you with that, let’s go over everything you need to know about removing laminate from the countertop down below.

How to remove laminate from a countertop?

You should know that it’s not that hard to remove the laminate from the countertop all by yourself. You just have to know the right method to do it, and that’s all. So, let’s go over how you can remove laminate from the countertop in a few simple steps.

Removing Glued Laminate from the Countertop

If the laminate is glued to the countertop, you can’t just peel it off completely from the place with bare hands. You need something that gets the glue off of the place, and then you can remove the laminate with ease.

You can use a strong nail polish remover to do that job. But you need to make sure that it’s a 100 percent acetone one. Otherwise, you won’t get the same effect, which might mess the whole thing up even more. Let’s take a look at the best acetone that you can use in that case.

Pronto 100% Pure Acetone

Pronto produces the best 100% Pure Acetone in the whole marketplace. It’s a strong nail polish remover that’s perfect if you want to remove the glued eliminates from the countertop.

The great thing about it is that it’s not super pricey and gets your job done without any issue. And it’s also very easy to use as well. You just have to use a tiny bit of acetone on a cotton ball and apply it to the glue. That’s going to do the trick for you.

So if you are looking for an easy fix on how to remove a countertop that is glued on, then the Pronto 100% Pure Acetone is the perfect fit for you.

Pros

Cons

Tools That You Are Going To Need

If you want to know about how to remove and replace laminate countertops, you should know that you are going to need some tools to do that. These are not fancy tools that you need.

Rather, you’ll find the basic tools almost everywhere, and people use them very often to do the repairs as well. If you don’t have any of the tools, you can just buy them for very cheap. And you’ll find those tools in almost every hardware store that you can come across.

Assuming that you have 100 percent acetone in place, the first thing you are going to need is a knife. It’s going to be the most useful tool in the whole process.

The next thing you are going to need is a hammer and a chisel. You’ll also need some rough sandpapers if you want to use the materials separately afterward. If you have those, you can move on to the next step.

Use the Knife to Peel

Once you have everything in place, you need to start the process. And the first thing you need to do is to use the knife to peel off the lamination.

You should always start from the corners to get the most effective results. Also, make sure to apply some pressure on the knife as well. But know that applying too much pressure can ruin the whole thing for you. That’s why you need to maintain a balance in the pressure and how fast you work on it.

Again, you should take your time while using your knife to peel off the lamination. Rushing the process will make the cut sloppy, which can make the lamination crack.

Also, make sure to use a sharp and pointy knife in that process. That’s going to make the whole thing so much easier and more efficient as well.

You don’t need to go very deep to wrap this step up. Just make sure that there is a good gap that you can pour the liquid and use your fingers to peel. Once you get that, you are good to move on to the next step.

Applying the Acetone

Now that there is a gap that you just created with the knife, it’s time to pour the acetone in there. That’s going to remove the lamenting from the countertop.

You see, you can undoubtedly try to peel the whole thing off. But that’s going to cause a snap, which will ruin the whole thing, and you’ll not be able to use it afterward. If you don’t have any problem with that, you can go for it. But if you want to be able to use both the lamenting and sometimes even the countertop as well.

To avoid that, you can simply use 100 percent acetone, which will make the process so much easier. And the best part is that it’s not going to damage the parts at all. So that you can use it whenever you want to in the future.

So, to do that, you need to pull the side to make the gap bigger. And start pouring acetone in the opening. Let it soak for a moment, and you’ll feel the whole thing soften up. That’s the time to pull with your hand.

Keep pulling and applying the liquid in place. That’s going to do the trick for you.

Also, be extra careful when you reach the end. That’s the time it pops and breaks in most of the time. And that would be all you need to do to remove the lamenting from the countertop.

Making Those Reusable

Now you should have the two parts, the countertop, and the lamenting separately. You can tell that you can easily use these two parts anywhere in the future. But for that, you’ll need to make some finishing touches to make it reusable.

To get the lamenting clean, get the sandpaper in place. Now start rubbing the lamenting surface to remove any of the wood parts that are sticking there. That’s going to remove and smooth out the part. Make sure to be gentle and take your time. You can damage it if you apply too much pressure and force.

Now to clean the countertop, you need to apply a slightly different method. It might have colors of the lamenting on it. Use sandpaper to get the basic clean. And then, pour a little bit of acetone there and then start rubbing it again. That should be enough to make it as good as new.

Tips on Removing the Countertop

In most cases, you might need to remove the whole laminate countertop, which can be a bit tricky at times.

The first thing you need to do is, turn off the water and gas supply of the place and make sure that everything is sealed properly. Then, unplug everything and make the space as empty as possible. Once the place is ready, you can start to remove the countertop with ease.

You should always start by removing the top and the sides. That’ll clear out space for you to work with ease. Remember to use a sturdy crowbar to do that job.

If there’s no room that you can stick the crowbar, you’d have to make it. Just use a knife to make a spacing for the crowbar. And then you can just pry it out without any issue.

Now that might look like a lot of work for your own. And to be real, it is. So, if you don’t want to do it all by yourself, remember, you always have the option to hire professional services to do it all for you.

For that, you’ll need to spend a little bit of money. But that’s going to save you from all that effort and work. So that’s also a solid option to think about if you think it’s going to be hard for you.

Another must-read: How to Use Polymeric Sand

Conclusion

You just went through how to remove laminate from the countertop and also what you’re going to need to do as well. As you saw, it’s pretty easy to do when you know the right method to do it.

Yet, you should take it to the professionals if you don’t want to do all that by yourself. That’s going to save you from making all that effort, and you’d just have to spend a few bucks for it as well.

I hope that you find this article helpful, and you can use it to remove laminate from the countertop if you ever need it.