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Restoring the Shine on a Formica Countertop?

I used Ajax cleanser to remove a spot on my Formica counter and it has left a dull mark. Is there any way to get the original look of the counter back?

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By beth bartlett from Prudenville, MI

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August 13, 20108 found this helpful
Best Answer

Try using car wax. When we got new countertops, the installer told us to use that periodically to protect the counters - might work for you!

 
Anonymous
May 28, 20160 found this helpful

A kitchen installer advised to use ONLY methylated spirits on bench tops and cupboards

 
Anonymous
November 27, 20170 found this helpful

Use Rejuvenate for Countertops sold at Home Depot for about $10. Or Magic counter from Wal-Mart shine will build up with use, but it is an aerosol. Ace used to sell a white kitchen o

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polish that's been around forever.

 
May 25, 20181 found this helpful

I've read all the posts including the one saying car wax is not food safe. Food shouldn't be prepared directly on any counter surface. A counter is only a work bench no matter the material being Formica, stainless steel, granite or other. A cutting board or mat on a towel to prevent slipping is the standard to protect food, and tools. To restore a formica work bench use fiberglass boat restoration products, available at Walmart for 13 to 20 bucks. Oil or Mop and Glow products wash off.

 
September 29, 20190 found this helpful

Can I use any type of car wax?

Thank you.

 
Anonymous
July 25, 20200 found this helpful

No

 
November 17, 20105 found this helpful
Best Answer

Someone suggested using Mop N Glo. Thanks! It worked very well. The only thing that got my worn Formica counter top to shine again. Just follow the directions.

 
Anonymous
March 16, 20161 found this helpful

This will restore the shine but make sure you don't put anything really warm or hot on the counter-top after doing this or it will turn the wax from clear to white.

 
May 5, 20171 found this helpful

How do you it pleade

 
June 22, 20170 found this helpful

That might work but my experience is, from the floor anyway, that it builds up and becomes dull looking.

 
March 30, 201515 found this helpful
Best Answer

To say; "You can't restore a long-lasting shine to formica" is simply NOT true! Formica is like "plexiglass" or any other hard acrylic. As an aircraft mechanic, I've had to "restore" acrylic canopies.

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In my hobby/business, I repair and restore mid-century modern (mostly "Atomic Age") furniture that incorporates a LOT of formica. Replacing that original formica would ruin the piece as a collectable/antique.

You have to start by filling in the voids (yes, some people actually cut up food directly on formica, imbedding particles of plastic in their food and ruining their counter-top and knife edges!).

Use the same products made for repairing auto windshields. The best and most effective are the Novus products unless you know all about abrasive slurries. After you polish your formica, protect it with a good, hard wax like carnauba and follow that with a soft, sacrificial wax like beeswax...and don't be cuttin' up food on the dang counter-top anymore!

 
October 24, 20160 found this helpful

For the 3 products you mentioned, do you have any favorite specific brands/types you recommend? If you can recommend some for me, I would be eternally grateful!!

 
Anonymous
December 3, 20160 found this helpful

Thanks, Rick!

 
January 11, 20170 found this helpful

Formica is no longer made from the same good material the old ones were made from. The material is horrible, and hard to keep from damaging and staining. I'm 56, and my parents still have the same, wonderful formica on their counters as they had when I was growing up.

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Go take a look in the large hardware stores, it doesn't even feel the same.

 
September 10, 20170 found this helpful

I have a mid century home that is mint, the asbestos tile, on the floor, and the formica have several years of wax buildup that need to be removed, as well as the St. Charles metal cabinets. I bought Jubilee (there are no imperfections, just needs to be stripped & re waxed, please help! I can be reached @ kpera72@gmail.com

 
September 12, 20170 found this helpful

My dresser top has laminate Wood grain this kind of faded. It also has lighter spots

 
 
 
October 27, 20170 found this helpful

Help! My 50's yellow chrome table was left in the sun when I was working on the chrome. The sun bleached it to a grey colour.

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What can I do? I didn't even get to use it, it was new to me

 
October 21, 20180 found this helpful

Thank you, Rick. I have a '50s Formica table that could use a spritz up. I'll try the Novus Plastic Polish #2, unless there is a different specific product for windshields that you recommend.

 
September 3, 20190 found this helpful

what type of novus product. is it compound polish, just so i can ask novus

 
January 25, 20200 found this helpful

I am in the process of doing this to my Formica countertops. They're Wilsonart, white and 30 years old. It's a lot of work but boy do they look nice.

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What do you recommend to keep them looking great, and how often should I do maintenance?

 
February 11, 20200 found this helpful

I need to restore a hazy formica surface on a Paul McCobb Planner Group cabinet piece. You recommend Novus for car windshields but they're glass and formica is acrylic (right?). I don't want to make a mistake. Could you give me a little more guidance?

 
August 30, 20210 found this helpful

Is carnauba wax safe for food surfaces

 
November 3, 20210 found this helpful

My Formica countertops are 31 years old. Just through wear they have a few fine scratches. I have always polished them with Countertop Magic. But, its not working like it used to. I do not want to replace them. I love the color and have never seen anything I like. I am afraid to use car wax because Im not sure it would be food safe. I baby these countertops. Not sure what carnuba wax is.

 
January 29, 20230 found this helpful

Thank you! You confirmed I remembered what I thought Id forgot! I remember car buffer the fluffy one I think but again I dont remember but I makes sense lol

 
January 30, 20230 found this helpful

Thank you! You confirmed I remembered what I thought Id forgot! I remember car buffer the fluffy one I think but again I dont remember but I makes sense lol

 
March 30, 20157 found this helpful
Best Answer

Formica stains: First off, chorine bleach destroys plastics in the same way UV rays do. You should never use it to sanitize your formica countertops as it actually encourages crazing and stain deposits. I'm not a big fan of chlorine and I prefer a sulfur based kitchen sanitzer used in professional kitchens, brew houses and by wine makers - metabisulfites of potassium or sodium - aka - campden tablets dissolved in a spray bottle with a mild soap.

Natural stains, the most common being "rust" can be removed with oxalic acid which is sold as "wood bleach" or you can extract your own from rhubarb leaves, sorrel or from mature poke plants. This also removes rust stains from porcelain, like sinks and tubs, but it won't remove the mineral deposits. Cean your formica well with HOT soapy water removing all oils, waxes or grease. Apply the OA mixed in VERY HOT water to the stain with a brush, then cover with plastic wrap to prevent it from dying out. The rust stain should be gone in an hour or two.
Oxygen bleaches and, dare I say it - chlorine will remove stains made by man-made dyes such as food coloring.

As I posted earlier, you can bring back the gloss of old formica. You can also resurface your counters with the resins used to "imbed" things in bartops and tables... polish out as instructed earlier.
I hope this helps someone.

 
January 9, 20166 found this helpful
Best Answer

Please DO NOT use car wax, floor wax, mop 'n glow, etc., on your kitchen countertops. These products are not safe for food preparation areas. A periodic application of olive oil, buffed off, leaves a temporary, safe shine.

 
Anonymous
February 28, 20161 found this helpful

This looks like the best solution yet as there will certainly be food touching the counter and the other remedies were not food safe

 
May 22, 20170 found this helpful

I would love to be able to use a natural element but because I have bugs I'm afraid to use olive oil; can anyone suggest an alternative?

Thanks much!
-Juliette

 
June 15, 20190 found this helpful

olive oil on anything turns rancid with time....don't use it!

 
June 19, 20200 found this helpful

What did you use to buff it with. Could you be more specific please?

 
Anonymous
December 13, 20210 found this helpful

Mineral oil if you have it. Olive or other food oil will get rancid.

 

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August 14, 20100 found this helpful

Ajax is an abrasive, and you have likely scratched off the shine. I would also suggest car polish; might work.

 

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August 15, 20101 found this helpful

I just have a comment to make on whatever method you use on restoring your formica tops, be sure to careful what foods you place on counter then without something underneath it as perhaps the product you use is not food safe. Just thought I would add this as it wasn't addressed.

 
April 9, 20170 found this helpful

Can you buff up for mica to bring it back to new

 

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May 11, 20170 found this helpful

It seems that you have many remedies to bring the shine back to your counter tops, so I will tell you a couple things to avoid the damage that caused your problem in the first place. As another reader said."Never Ever cut things on your counter without a cutting board. And for those stains, just sprinkle a little baking soda on them and scrub with a cloth or a sponge. My counters are 16 years old, and were the inexpensive kind. I have a worn spot along the edge of the counter from use and cleaning, but the countertop itself is still stain free. I have removed coffee, food coloring, and beet juice, just to mention a few. You may have to repeat the process if the stains don't come up with the first application.
Harlean from Arkansas

 
December 4, 20170 found this helpful

My worktops in my Kitchen have marks all over how can i get to shine.?

 

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