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removing formica tops from furniture?

19 years ago

Has anyone successfully removed a mica covered piece from the top of a piece of furniture? I received an old lingerie chest that I'd like to experiment with with refinishing - it has a grayish thin mica top,just a layer. Wonder if there's an easy way to remove, or should I just leave it and try to paint it?

Thanks for any input!

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Comments (2)

lindasewandsew
19 years ago
Hi, Formica is usually glued on with contact cement, just about impossible to separate. It should sand just about like wood. Sand it, prime it with a good primer, then paint it. I would use good exterior house paint. It'a pretty tough. Hope that helps. Linda
groomingal
19 years ago
Years ago my mother had a piece with old formica on the top. She used a hot iron and a towel and heated an edge and put a putty knife under the edge. She heated and pryed the whole piece up. Some of it did chip and break as she did it, when she got it all off she sanded the top down and it still looks great. Good Luck!
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