White laminate counter top scuff Help!

6 years ago

Hi everyone, I have scoured the Internet for a remidy to my countertop problem, but so far nothing. It started with a a small black mark on my white laminate countertop that wouldn't go away. So (like a true idiot) I used the green side of a Brilo pad to get rid of it. I quickly noticed the scuff marks and so tried to clean them off: no luck. I then read that car polishing wax will remove small scuffs, but it hasn't, instead, I now have a super shiny area that I cannot fix and 'dull down'.
If there is anyone out there that can help me remove the shine and maybe even fix the light scuffs, I would be eternerly grateful.
Many thanks
Chris

Featured Answer

momfromthenorth

5 years ago

I've had white laminate countertops for 35 years. Get rid of the scrubbies. I only use a bit of comet on my washcloth to get rid of marks. Gently. Other than that, windex or a similar liquid cleaner will keep them nice and clean and fresh. Every so often I might use a magic eraser, very very lightly. The key is to wipe up stains quickly if at all possible. But I've had permanent marker on them, crayons, tea and wine stains,....gentle is the operative word. I've also used organic goo-gone for sticky stuff with a cotton ball. Again, get rid of those brillo pads or anything rough & abrasive. We are in the process of getting ready to redo our kitchen and honestly I'm about to do white laminate again - they are quiet, warm, and I've never broken a dish on one. Good luck.

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Comments (13)

Chris Carty
Original Author
6 years ago
very hard to take a clear photo, but the area is about 15cmx15cm.
millworkman
6 years ago
From what I know you cannot fix things like that on laminate.
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User
6 years ago
Laminate is not repairable. Time for a trivet or cutting board there.
DavidR
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Not guaranteeing this will work, because I haven't tried it. However, you might try rubbing that area with 000 or 0000 steel wool. Go slow and keep monitoring the appearance.

Alternatively, polish up the rest of the counter so it matches.
Chris Carty thanked DavidR
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
6 years ago
Knock it down with abrasives. I'd try a red ScotchBrite pad.
Chris Carty thanked Joseph Corlett, LLC
Chris Carty
Original Author
6 years ago
I was thinking about trying some fine sandpaper, maybe 5000 grit? But I'll look into the red srcotch pad. Thanks!

I also thought about polishing up the rest if I couldn't get rid of the shine. Are there any recommendations for a furniture/laminate polish?

Thank you for the positive replies!
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
6 years ago
3,000 grit will make a granite top scream. 5k on this will exacerbate your problem.
Chris Carty
Original Author
6 years ago
Ok, thanks for the warning! I would like to try some red Scotch Brite, but I'm worried that the green scotch pad (600 grit) caused the initial problem, so surely using the red (more corse?) pad would scratch up the surface even more?
User
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Worse than the visible scratching will be the micro scratching from the polishing. It’s why people hate Corian sinks. All the tiny little scratches from the abrasion of polishing holds onto micro debris that shows up as coffee or juice “stains”. It’s not stained. Corian is non porous. It’s debris in the scratches. And you have to bleach it and rescrub it and reabrade it to remove the embedded stains.

You can keep doing that scrubbing and polishing with a solid surface. Because it’s solid. Laminate has a minimal thickness plastic coating on top. You keep polishing out stains, and that’s gonna be gone. Plus all of that maintenance WORK. Ain’t nobody got time for that. Even if they are sheltering in place 23/24.
Chris Carty thanked User
strategery
6 years ago
Can't fix that. Don't sweat it though. Laminate countertops are essentially "consumables". They are so cheap you can replace them every 5 yrs
Chris Carty thanked strategery
Chris Carty
Original Author
6 years ago
Well unfortunately for me, the counter top is only a couple of weeks old, and I just didn't know better than to use the green scotch pad on it. So it won't be getting replaced. Also, as its only visible under certain light, I think I will still try to remove the extra shine that the car wax has given. If I can't remove the extra shine, then my back up plan is to obtain a laminate polish and match the shine over the entire surface.

Does anyone have any experience on these furniture/worktop polishers?
patchoulie
5 years ago
What about using 'Vim'? It is pretty gentle? go slow and light.. see what happens?