Removing laminate/formica

I have a small dining room table (4 people) with an imitation dark oak laminate sheet as it's top. It's a split table which allows a leaf for expansion for two more tables. At the edge of each side of the table where they meet in the middle, are two raised areas cause by water absorption or in other words, swelled areas. I was thinking about trying to remove the laminate/Formica, sanding down the swelled up area then reapplying the sheet. My objective is trying to do so without replacing the sheet but reusing the same sheet. Therefore, anyone know if it's possible to remove the laminate without breaking it such as a solvent or heat, or any other suggestions to repair the table?

Thank you

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Possibly the best would be a heat gun but how old is the item?

1. You could probably get the laminate off the table with heat (assuming contact cement)
2. You could get the glue off the laminate and table with paint thinner (assuming non-water base contact cement)
3. Sanding down the raised area of the particle or fiber board doesn't mean it is fixed.

You'd do better just buying a sheet of laminate. You'd do even better buying or making a new top or entire table.

I doubt it could come off and go back on in one piece, though.

I think that might delaminate it internally.

No, it doesn't stabilize a destabilized core, but if it was just a bit of water which raised the termitebarfgrain, it will sand down and finish just fine. BTDT on my current dining set. Some veneer warped off from rain and I sanded it down. With several coats of Waterlox followed (on the top itself) by a coat of Behlen's Rock Hard, it's very hard to notice that the veneer went away and left termite barf underneath. I was pleasantly surprised.

Ditto the idea of starting completely over. Countertop builders have surplus at a a great price. People come in, pay for something special-order, then never pick it up. My last piece cost me $8 for about a 2' x 5' sheet. I think I paid $33 for a half sheet of Wilsonart Suede to make up my little kitchen countertops after buying the 12' pre-formed countertop for the sink side.

-- Worry is a misuse of imagination. -- Dan Zadra

It will be _very_ difficult to do what you propose to attempt.

You simply don't have enough information about _how_ the laminate is attached. Absent that information there is no way of knowing _what_ may suffice to attack the adhesive holding the laminate on.

It will also be *very* labor-intensive -- i.e. "time consuming".

Now, _if_ the 'swelling' extends only a *short* distance in from the 'raw edge', you *might* be able to cut a horizontal 'slit' (the thickness of the slit being 'a bit more' than the height of the swelling), just below the surface, and over an area 'somewhat larger' than the area of the swelling; then inject glue _into_ the slit, and apply some -heavy- clamping pressure, to force the raised area flat.

If you can't match the thickness of the slit to the height of the swelling, you may need to use 'void-filling' adhesive -- something like epoxy *with* micro-balloons in it.

Depends on how careful he is, shouldn't be all that hard. ____________

Nope.

WhatEVER. ;)

-- Worry is a misuse of imagination. -- Dan Zadra

Getting it off may be the easy part, I cannot imagine that you could put it back on in exactly the same spot without some miss-alignment, as laminate is normally applied oversize and trimmed to fit.

There's the problem. If he tries it, he is going to have to trim down the table a bit.