Repairing laminate easy to do

Formica was invented in 1912, and although many other materials are available today, laminates like Formica are still a favorite. They are fairly inexpensive to install and are easy to work with. They last a long time and can stand up to a lot of abuse, which is perfect for a kitchen countertop. Most problems that occur can be taken care of easily with the following tips.

Sometimes, edges will come loose and start peeling up. In most cases, the adhesive can be reactivated with a hair dryer or warm iron. If you use an iron, cover the surface with aluminum foil and keep the setting on "low." After heating the loose area, place heavy books on top overnight to set the glue.

If that doesn't work or the area is too large, very gently raise the laminate and scrape away the old adhesive with an Exact-O knife. Remove the adhesive from the subsurface also. Apply new contact adhesive to both surfaces and keep them apart for the appropriate amount of time. You can accomplish this by inserting toothpicks or bamboo skewers between the two surfaces. When required, push the laminate down, and apply pressure with heavy books overnight.

For a bubble in the center of the countertop, you can try reactivating the adhesive and using the heat and weights. If the air remains, you will have to make a tiny hole to release the air. You can use a hypodermic needle to inject some adhesive into hole and use the weights to set it.

If you have a chipped area or want to fix the hole you just made, you can purchase a patch kit at your home center or hardware store. The kit will contain everything you need to create a matching paste to fill the area. Use a flat putty knife for a smooth finish. It won't look perfect, but it will look OK. And it will fill the hole and prevent further damage.

A larger patch can be made from extra laminate if you have any. Just cut the edges clean in the damaged area and cut a patch to fit. Use contact adhesive, following the package directions, and glue the patch into place.

Never use abrasive cleaners or cleaning pads. If the surface does get stained, use bleach and water or dishwasher detergent to clean it. You can apply a paste wax to bring the shine back on a dull countertop. Make sure to keep a cutting board and trivet handy to protect the surface, and your countertop will last a long time.

Hard to reach

It can be hard to paint in areas behind a radiator and in other situations where an item or appliance can't be moved. But paint pads will do a good job of applying the paint, and by taping a painter's stir stick to the handle, you will have long-range capabilities. It really will give you the extra reach you need to get the job done, and it can be used with a regular brush, too, if that is your weapon of choice.

The right tool

A floor squeegee is a super handy tool, especially for cleaning up wet spills. But if you don't have one, you can create one quickly and easily by attaching a scrap of foam pipe insulation to a rake or hoe. The round foam insulation, normally used for pipes, has a slit cut down the side, which can be slipped over the blades of the rake or hoe and taped in place. Then it can be used like any other squeegee to move a wet spill up and out of the way. After you have finished with it, you can turn it back into a pipe wrap and rake, too.

Super hints

• Don't prop your extension ladder up against a wall unless you have protectors over the feet, or you will have a mark to clean off your wall or siding. Slip an old, CLEAN sweat sock over the ends to avoid this mess.

• If you have a bathroom that rarely gets used and you don't want the water to evaporate from the trap, pour a little cooking oil into the drain after the water. The oil will cover the surface of the water and prevent it from evaporating from the trap.

• I love to work on shop projects but hate what it does to my nails. I know I should wear gloves, but I just don't really like to unless I HAVE to. One thing I've learned to do is rake my fingernails across a bar of soap. It doesn't really matter what kind of soap it is. Then you do your work. The soap gets washed off when you wash your hands, and none of the grease and grime gets under your fingernails.

Q. Someone tried to break into our basement window last week and broke the glass pane. I have bought a new pane, but I am having a heck of a time getting the old window putty off the frame to replace the glass. What can I use, short of dynamite?

C.R.

A. See if coating it with boiled linseed oil will soften it up. If that doesn't work, try using a plumbing torch or heat gun. Just be careful with both. If that doesn't work, you might try a grinding tip on a rotary tool if you have one. The newer putty shouldn't do that.

Q. Our bathroom has a vinyl-type wallpaper. It is starting to roll up on some of the edges. We are not ready to take it down. What can we use to stick it back in place?

H.N.

A. Check a wallpaper dealer for a special applicator made just for this purpose. The adhesive isn't critical, but this applicator is almost flat, so it's easier to get the adhesive in under the edge. You don't want to pull at it, or it will stretch. Once the adhesive is in place, use a seam roller to push the paper back down tightly.

Q. I have some pretty bad stains on my older bathtub. It has an original porcelain finish on it. Other than the stains, it's looking good. What can I use to remove the stains without harming the old finish?

T.M.

A. Hot vinegar is a really good cleaner for the bathroom. Most stains are caused by rust or hard water, and vinegar does a good job of cleaning both. You can use bleach safely also, but give yourself some extra ventilation if using it full-strength.

Reader tips

• I have a large, chest-size cooler that we use on family outings. It holds lots of drinks and whatever else we need to keep cool. The problem was that it stunk. I have no idea what caused the stink, but it was a real bad odor, and we couldn't find anything to clean it out with that would get rid of the bad smell. My wife tried some of her favorite cleaners and finally tried Listerine. It worked. I don't know if it "killed the germs that caused the cooler to have bad breath," or maybe it was the alcohol. Anyway, it worked!

R.D.

• We wallpapered a couple of bathrooms in our house, and I swore I would never do it again. I don't even like wallpaper -- my wife does, so I helped put it up. I figured that we wouldn't need the seam roller any more, so I have been using it in my woodshop. It's perfect for rolling on the glue for my projects. It spreads it quickly, and it's easy to clean too. I still cringe when I look at it, but I'm getting better every day.

B.W.

• We have a lot of things that we store in boxes. I wanted to switch to the large plastic boxes, but they are just too expensive. I found some peel-and-stick vinyl paper on clearance sale at the discount store and bought several rolls. I have used it to cover my cardboard boxes. I feel like the vinyl covering will protect my clothes and other items almost as well as a plastic box would, and I saved a lot of money by doing it this way.

A.C.

• When I had to clean up a pool-chemical spill in the garage, I was a little hesitant to use my wet/dry shop vacuum. I was afraid that the mess would ruin the inside of it, so I lined it with a plastic trash-can liner. I placed it into the shop vacuum, cutting a hole to fit the hose through, taping that closed, and put the top back on. I left the top of the bag sticking out around the edges so it would collect the liquid mess inside the bag instead of right into the vacuum. I forgot about the filter, but I just replaced it and the rest of the vacuum was OK.

D.K.

• I'm a hunter, and I always take a thermos full of hot coffee when I'm out in the field. I wanted to fill it with some hot chocolate last weekend to take on a family outing, and when I looked inside, I was shocked to see the coffee stains inside of it. I tried to clean it off the sides but couldn't get it clean. The kids said they could even taste the coffee in their hot chocolate, too. When we got back I tried to clean it again and finally put a couple of denture-cleaning tablets and left them in there with some water overnight. I figured that if it works on dentures, it might work on the jug too. It did! It's like new again, and no more coffee taste.

K.M.

Shop talk

• Having a deck is like having an extra room in your home, and having a raised deck offers even more space for living or just storing items. Of course, most decks will leak to the underside when it rains, but not if you add Rainescape to your building plans. This deck-drainage system is installed over the floor joists, under the decking, and it is designed to channel and carry rain away from the area, keeping the area under the deck safe and dry. It is made of a durable 20-mil, UV-protected plastic and carries a 20-year limited warranty. Check it out online at www.rainescape.com or call (877) 348-1385.

• Bosch's new JS5 Orbital Jigsaw offers the exclusive One-Touch blade-change system, variable speed dial, a four-position orbital action selection and a nicely counterbalanced drive system, all weighing less than 5 pounds. And it even comes with its own carrying case. It's easy to use and will give you professional results. Look for it at your Bosch power tools dealer. If you would like to know more, visit its Web site, www.boschtools.com.

© 2008, Cowles Syndicate Inc.