- Q. I need to remove old Formica from wooden sills in a house we’re restoring. I’ve had limited success using heat guns for this task. Any recommendations?
A.Bruce Wooster responds: I’ve had good luck using acetone to remove glued-on laminates. I fill a spray bottle (use glass — a plastic bottle will melt) with acetone and spray a mist along one edge of the laminate. After the acetone has soaked in for about a minute, I start to work the laminate loose with a putty knife. I continue to spray acetone into the widening gap, repeating the process until the entire piece comes off.
Using this method, a helper and I have removed 30 square feet of laminate from a kitchen countertop in about 40 minutes.
Bruce A. Wooster owns and operates William R. Wooster & Sons in Crisfield, Md.
