Upgrading Formica counter-tops on the cheap

Simple and somewhat conventional - You can buy butcher block countertops at the big box stores and screw up from inside the cabinets.  Cut to needed size and router the new edge to match the rest.

Since I don't have a zero-budget idea to offer, I'll just relate a few ideas on the countertop types I've either used myself or seen installed in much higher-end kitchens than I'll ever have.

Concrete C-tops need to be smoothed out and sealed to make it possible to clean them. The ones I've seen were also stained or otherwise made more decorative than just gray concrete. I've never liked the look of any of them.

Butcher block often gets wet enough around sinks that it begins to discolor and even rot. This mostly happens when water is able to soak into the end grain, and from the ones I've been asked to resurface or otherwise clean up, the damage goes deep.

Tile gives an uneven surface and the grout is hard to keep clean. It scratches and shows wear but can't be sanded down like stone to restore the surface.

From a practical point of view I really like plastic laminate ("Formica" to most people). It's easy to clean and if a drinking glass tips over on it the glass just bounces instead of breaking. My kitchen for the last 37 years still has bland, somewhat worn laminate that was installed in 1977 and still meets my needs just fine. The cabinets are equally old but the drawer slides and hinges are all working well. The action isn't as smooth and quiet as the self-closing hardware used these days but by now the kitchen has a quaint vintage feel I like. I do share your feelings about country blue, though.

I agree with investigating putting a different layer of Formica on top and there are a huge number of designs you can get to suit your taste. IMO, Formica tops are one of the best things around for counter tops, inexpensive, easy to clean and tough as nails against abuse. My top is Formica, now 20 years old and still looks new. It has solid-surface edging front with a short backsplash on the rear. Visitors often say they thought it was stone.

Bill Howatt wrote:

I agree with investigating putting a different layer of Formica on top and there are a huge number of designs you can get to suit your taste. IMO, Formica tops are one of the best things around for counter tops, inexpensive, easy to clean and tough as nails against abuse. My top is Formica, now 20 years old and still looks new. It has solid-surface edging front with a short backsplash on the rear. Visitors often say they thought it was stone.

I agree with this recommendation and the several previous messages with the same thoughts. An inexpensive, a second layer of plastic laminate will provide a long lasting solution overtop the existing sound surface that will not raise the counter height except for about a 32nd.  There are some very attractive patterns available.

Ralph Lipeles wrote:

Why not just put Formica over the existing counter top. You will need contact cement. a brush for it, a router and straight bit with a ball bearing on the end and a tapered bit. Apply the Formica to the edges and then trim top & bottom edges with the straight router bit. If the counter edge was rounded you should fill the hollow and then level the fill. Next apply the top Formica sheet with contact cement and trim the edge with the tapered bit.

Yeah, given the constraints outlined, this is the only option.  Avoid old formica though - like something a friend gives you that has been stored rolled up for years.  Hard to get it stuck down (ask how I know  ).

I would avoid concrete.  Lots of heavy work, got to know how to finish, and in the end you have something that will be as dated as blue Formica once the fad passes.  And it's not especially durable, compared to stone or tile.

Peter Martin wrote:

I'm on a zero-dollar budget but want to update the country-blue Formica countertops in my kitchen, popular during the '80s and paired with feminine, country-themed wallpaper featuring cows and such. I’d like something that screams toxic masculinity, more in line with my personality now that I'm wife-less and alone. I see no need to replace the countertops (e.g., with granite or butcher block) but only want to cover them, either over the existing Formica or by removing it and applying something else.

I'm open to creative solutions, like using materials typically meant for other purposes (e.g., copper roofing sheets?) or wood flooring.

Any suggestions, as opposed to hiring a contractor who knows what the heck they are doing?

Are these square edge counter tops or the post formed type?  Square edge type lends itself to a lot more options for covering.  Is there a sink that can be removed and reused?  How much added height can you tolerate?

Avoid unusual choices like copper.  They typically require trial and error installation methods, which adds cost and sometimes causes the whole project to fail.  Copper in particular is a pain to trim with a router - it tends to be "sticky".  No unusual choice like that is going to be cheap.

>Since the counter and cabinets were custom built, I don't know how hard it would be to remove the counter tops to route the edges. Isn't that necessary? How do you route to the wall with them installed?

Laminate countertops can be made in different ways. Sometimes they're made using a template that captures the exact size and shape of the walls, which allows the laminate to be routed to size before installation. Other times the substrate is put down on the lower cabinets and the laminate is scribed to fit before it's put down, except for the front edge which can be trimmed afterwards.

Often a backsplash can cover a small gap at the back or next to a wall at the end. How big is the countertop you're working with? The bigger it is, the more difficult it may be. Assuming you're going to use contact cement are you familiar with using spacer sticks to hold the laminate up and get it into position before sticking it down?

It may not be very easy to remove the back splash. In order to install new laminate over the old and make it look right you would have to remove the back splash. Normally walls are not straight. When I built custom counters I would make a flat top using particle board, glue and staple a solid wood edge around the outside edges, laminate the top and front edge, then route a small bevel around the top front edges. The bottom edges around the perimeter are built up with a 3" or 4" piece to make an overall thickness 1-1/2".  Routing a bevel reveals a portion of the solid wood edge which is then stained and finished to match the cabinets. 

I would then build a flat back splash 4" tall and laminate the front and top edges. I would then place the counter on top of the cabinets (without the backsplash) and mark it and scribe it to fit the walls with an 80 grit belt sander. Once I was satisfied with the fit I would pull the counter off and attached the back splash following the contour of the top as well as I could, you can bend it a bit. I would screw the backsplash on with 3" screws coming up from the bottom of the counter. I would then push it against the wall and attach it to the cabinets with screws inside the cabinets coming up through corner blocks / blocking inside the cabinet. The final step is to install a small bead of silicone caulk around the top edges of the backsplash where it meets the wall and the joint at the front bottom edges where the backsplash meets the counter. 

While not zero budget, particle board is relatively inexpensive and ideal for this sort of application. Another option would probably be to remove the counter from the cabinets, remove the backsplash, and just put new laminate over the existing then reinstall the counter and backsplash.

Added later 12 min:

If it does not have a back splash you can simply fit and glue new laminate over the existing without removing the counter. You would trim the laminate with a router as close as you can to the wall and then use a coarse file to trim it right up to the wall.  When you install plastic laminate and trim it with a router the edge needs to be filed flat and smooth anyway. The edge of the counter where you can't route right against the wall, you use the file laid flat and tilted up just a bit so it is not hitting the face of the laminate and the edge of the file will eat right through the laminate cutting and trimming it all the way flush to the wall.

camoflage colored duct tape