Re-glueing Loose Countertop Trim - Best Glue, and tips or tricks?

[MTDIYer]

Hello,

As a person who has screwed up a few home repair projects, I like to check for advice before attempting projects that look simple. Some of the Formica trim on our counter tops has come off and some is loose. It is mostly the trim on the edge, like that shown in the picture.

Please advise on the best glue for the reattaching. Also, any tips on this job. My wife would like a good result, and I would like to deliver that so I only have to do the job once, and, more importantly, I don't have to buy new countertops.

 

[JoeD]

Contact cement

 

[oldognewtrick]

Contact cement

 

[Snoonyb]

Remove any remaining adhesive residue, by sanding, then apply formica brand adhesive, per directions.

Be careful, there is no learning curve, once you place it, it's there.

 

[Brian Famous]

+1 on contact cement.
Take note that it is called contact cement because it is cemented on contact. As Snoonyb points out, there is no learning curve...
Since these are edge pieces which are already cut where you don't have the luxury of having them oversized and trimming them down after cemented I would advise the following.
Hold them in the exact position with your hand. Then tape the top edge to the counter to make a hinge like affect. Test the hinge a few times to ensure it allows you to drop the piece right back into place on the first try. Any error when doing for real will not be forgiven without the pain of complete removal and buying new pieces...

Once you are confident, then do the real thing following the cement's instructions (and ensuring other surfaces are protected)

Best of luck!

 

[nealtw]

If the glue is still there you can put it back with a iron.

 

[sthole]

an alternate and more forgiving method is to; sand the glue to smooth it out and use a PVA glue (carpenters/white glue) which will give you a longer open time and avoid the "one shot" condition vs. using contact cement. to hold it in place use masking tape and continuously along the top edge or short strips placed end to end or with minimal gaps between. use short strips perpendicular on the the bottom and wrap back around the bottom edge onto the bottom of the counter. you will have to check to make sure you have full contact until it firmly sets. once in place this way it will not come off and PVA/white glue is made to be compatible with contact cement.

 

[jeffmattero76]

If the glue is still there you can put it back with a iron.

Neal - have you tried doing that? I ask because the company that makes the countertops for my rental properties switched glues for a 6 month period a couple of years ago. The new glue was red. I am now having problems with the laminate coming loose. His choice has been to make new countertops under warranty (no cost to me). I am just wondering if ironing it would be a long lasting solution.

 

[nealtw]

Neal - have you tried doing that? I ask because the company that makes the countertops for my rental properties switched glues for a 6 month period a couple of years ago. The new glue was red. I am now having problems with the laminate coming loose. His choice has been to make new countertops under warranty (no cost to me). I am just wondering if ironing it would be a long lasting solution.

I can't count the number of those end caps I have put back on with an iron. 40 years ago a brother in law was a Forman in a yard that repaired fishing boats.
They had one that had been in the ocean and all the laminate was loose or off. After everything had time to dry they removed it with an iron, cleaned all the surfaces with something and replaced every piece with an iron. The trick is to keep the iron moving to heat up the whole piece then rub it down and cool with a smooth chunk of 2x4.

 

[MTDIYer]

Thanks for the help. First, I tried gluing the pieces on with the iron. That didn't work. I am guessing too much dust etc even though I cleaned them off with a brush. I watched a video on Youtube about how you use contact cement. I bought blue painter's tape to make a hinge. I bought the small horse hair brushes on Amazon, along with my roller and cement. After carefully making the hinge as suggested here (thank you), I applied cement with the brush. I let the cement dry for 12 minutes then closed the hinge, rolled and took off the tape. I found that if you run your thumb along the edge you ball-up any extra glue for a nice finish. You can them lick your thumb and get the last little traces. Here is a picture. The wife is pleased with the job, but not with how long it took me to start working on it by learning how to do it.

 

[Brian Famous]

Thanks for the help. First, I tried gluing the pieces on with the iron. That didn't work. I am guessing too much dust etc even though I cleaned them off with a brush. I watched a video on Youtube about how you use contact cement. I bought blue painter's tape to make a hinge. I bought the small horse hair brushes on Amazon, along with my roller and cement. After carefully making the hinge as suggested here (thank you), I applied cement with the brush. I let the cement dry for 12 minutes then closed the hinge, rolled and took off the tape. I found that if you run your thumb along the edge you ball-up any extra glue for a nice finish. You can them lick your thumb and get the last little traces. Here is a picture. The wife is pleased with the job, but not with how long it took me to start working on it by learning how to do it.

It looks great! Glad it worked out for you!

 

[oldognewtrick]

We love happy endings here and, thanks for the follow up on how it turned out.