On Sat, 08 Oct 2011 12:49:05 -0400, wrote:

On Sat, 8 Oct 2011 09:53:39 -0500, "HeyBub"
wrote:

Higgs Boson wrote:

How do you react to laminate flooring for a counter top?

It's what I've got. Looks like butcher-block.

Interesting!!! We have to replace our ancient tile some day, so
looking for inexpensive but attractive solutions. (Not in the granite
league!) Here are my instructions about what to ask:

How long have you had the laminate flooring?

How does it wear?

How do you clean it?

Can you put hot things on it?

What about stains?

Scratches?

Appreciate your input. Have to make my report soonish g


Good questions.

I had some cheap laminate left over after doing two bedroom floors, so, what
the heck! Had to look better than the '60s Formica!

Your basic cheap laminate is layered with the same stuff they make fighter
windshields out of. That said, I figured if it could stand up to dirt,
roller blades, snow, dog scratches, and golf shoes, it would work on a
counter.

As to your questions:

"How long in place?" - A bit over a year.
"Wear?" - It doesn't. It gets less abuse than the floors and the floors
still look pristine.
"Clean?" - Just like Formica or tile. You wipe it with a damp rag.
"Hot things?" - Don't know. Earlier experiments with scrap showed it will
char when heated with a cigarette lighter. Therefore, I'm cautious with hot
things. Have a couple of trivets next to the stove.
"Stains?" - It doesn't stain. Coffee, ketchup, etc., wipe right up. I'm
serious - they should make body armor out of this stuff.
"Scratches?" - Again, we're careful to use a cutting board and such. Earlier
experiments on scrap showed it was impervious to a nail, rasp, or dragging a
saw blade across it.

You didn't ask about water. In the leadup to this project I miked the
thickness on a couple of scrap strips then let them sit in a glass of water
for a MONTH. After that time, the resulting measurements were within the
limits of my micrometer, 0.002" ! This stuff is water-irrelevant.

What will tax your ingenuity is 45-degree routing to get the down-trim
pieces to fit. Also constructing the back-splash requires some brain-power
and measurements.

Still, I'm pleased with the results.


I went with maple counter tops. (wife's idea)
They are Grainger work bench tops, sealed with poly urethane.,
I have less than $400 in them and so far so good a decade later. I
really thought they would not hold up. If I do decide they are getting
too shabby an hour or so in the driveway with my belt sander will
bring them right back. Everything else is kitchen grade stainless. The
sink and cooktop counter/backsplash was fabricated at a local welding
shop in one piece with all of the seams polished out. I have a big
maple work surface that rides over the SS between the sink and the
cook top and slides over the sink for more work space if we need it.

If I were king of the kitchen, that's what I would do. However, SWMBO likes
granite (well, most solid surfaces - other than concrete or Corian), so end of
discussion. OTOH, granite is great for baking.