Repair a Bubble in a Laminate Countertop

Learn how to repair a bubble in a laminate countertop. Find out how to use contact cement and a solvent to lift and relay the laminate to flatten a bubble in the counter.

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LESLIE: Horace in Texas needs some help with a countertop. What can we do for you?

HORACE: Well, I have a bubble in that countertop. I don’t know what caused it. It’s about the size of what would be a silver dollar.

LESLIE: OK, and …

TOM: Oh, boy.

HORACE: Anything I can do without having to replace the whole thing?

TOM: Hmm.

LESLIE: And this is a laminate countertop?

HORACE: Yes, it is.

TOM: And where is the bubble located? Is it in sort of the middle of the surface?

HORACE: It’s just about an inch – about two inches from the edge.

TOM: OK. You can pick up a solvent for contact cement …

HORACE: OK.

TOM: … and very carefully sort of work it into the edge. Because what you want to do is get it to the point where you can actually peel off the laminate back those two or three inches.

HORACE: OK.

TOM: And then after it’s all sort of peeled back, stick something in there to hold it up. Let it dry really well and then reapply new contact cement to that, Horace.

HORACE: OK.

TOM: Make sure you put it to the bottom and the top. Use the solvent-based contact cement. Don’t use the latex-based. And then very carefully sort of roll that top back down, get good pressure on it. You know, if you were doing laminate work professionally you’d have something that looks like a rolling pin.

LESLIE: Mm-hmm.

HORACE: Yes.

TOM: It actually rolls it across and really presses it down.

LESLIE: It smoothes out all those bubbles.

TOM: If you don’t have one of those you can use a regular rolling pin.

HORACE: Yeah.

TOM: You just put a towel down first and get it real good and flat. But remember, when you put that solvent against that contact cement it will separate. And so whatever you separate – if you’re a little sloppy, get some on the edge, whatever – you’re going to have to reglue that. But use good-quality contact cement. You can put that back down together and it won’t come up again.

HORACE: Sure, OK. Very good, then.

TOM: Alright, Horace. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.