Formica countertop vs granite countertop

Can I compare a Formica countertop to a granite countertop? These are the questions I am always asked. Well, can you compare wood to stone? No, You can not! The same goes for countertops. A Formica countertop is made of chipboard as the core of the countertop and laminated with Formica on the surface of the chipboard. The formica material itself also comes on a roll and can be used to stick on the countertop under the wall unit as a dashboard. You can also make your own laminate kitchen countertop by cutting a piece of chipboard, preferably 32mm thick, any way you like and then gluing the formica onto the chipboard. One of the best glues to use would be contact glue or my favorite Gemkem. A Formica countertop is not as durable as a granite countertop, but it is durable. If you take care of your countertop, you will get a lot out of it.

How do you take care of your countertops? Unlike granite, where you can cut and place hot pots, you can’t do the same with Formica countertops. Although a Formica countertop is scratch and heat resistant, it is not scratch and heat resistant. This means you can’t cut into a Formica countertop or place a hot pot on it, but you can drag a pot across the counter without scratching it, as well as colder temperature pots and pans without burning a hole in the Formica. So if you are asking if a granite countertop is stronger than a Formica countertop, you have your answer, but remember, granite costs about 5 times more than Formica. And that’s the cheapest granite I’m talking about. Plus, you can cut the countertop to size, you don’t need any special machines or templates like you would need with granite. This makes the Formica countertop installation process easier.

Installing a Formica countertop is very easy. So easy that installers sometimes rush work and make mistakes. Don’t make this mistake. “Measure twice, cut once” is the number one rule when installing a countertop, especially when taking complex measurements like cutouts for the sink and cooktop. Remember, it is much easier to prevent a mistake than to correct it … that is if it can be fixed. Formica countertops are also not waterproof, so when you’ve finished cutting out the sink and cooktop, seal the inside of the cuts with marine silicone. The kind you use to build fish tanks. This will prevent water from getting into the chipboard and we all know what happens when water hits the chipboard. Let’s just say “it’s like mixing water with Weatbix”.

A Formica countertop is also easier to handle and lighter to work with. If you’ve ever climbed a granite slab three flights of stairs, you know what I’m talking about.

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