Counter top laminate

[tflfb]

What's the best way to remove laminate ( Formica ) from a counter top, for replacement with new laminate?

Is it possible to put new over old?

How does the old need to be prepped so the new will adhere to the old?

The reason I want to remove the old is, I have a large center island in the kitchen and there are air pockets under the laminate, not real noticeable but when the light shine's on it at a angle you can see it, and I want to replace the old through out the kitchen with new and a different color, but not remove all of the old , if its possible.

Thanks

Tom

[EL]

I have removed laminate by heating it first and lifting the old laminate with a stiff putty knife as well as a scraper and a hammer. Contact cement is akin to neoprene. Heat will soften it. You'll need a heat gun though to do it, not a hair dryer. Perhaps one of the guns used to remove paint.

I use an industrial heat gun I got at Grainger.

Boden

Yes.

Clean any grease or oil with lacquer thinner, acetone, xylol or tolulol. Then sand the surface some to roughen it and apply contact cement.

Could you drill into these pockets and inject a small amount of adhesive to repair these spots and then apply the new laminate? If so this would avoid the task of removing all of the existing laminate.

[3GCPO]

an iron works well to remove laminate