I have a small round accent table with formica top. I‘d like to try my hand at mosaic tiling on the top. Is it possible to do this over the formica, or do I have to remove it. If so, what do I use to prep the formica before tiling. p.s. I‘ve never tiled anything before. Using this as a learning project.Thanks for any suggestions, tips.
I would remove the laminate if it were me. the best thing to do is to read directions on the mastic or tile adhesive
Lightly sand the formica and then prime it with kilz it. Let it dry and go to town with your mosaic. I did this to a kitchen island 7 years ago and it's still holding up.
Do NOT try to sand or grind off the formica top!! That is a terrible idea!! Instead go to the lumber yard or home center and get thinner for formica cement, or any brand of contact cement thinner, or, barring that, try your hand with acetone. Try to start the top separating by prying at an edge or even breaking off a chip, use a brush and flood the crack or edge with the thinner and the formica laminate will come loose so easily you'll probably be surprised. The glue bond is never that good with formica, what makes it stick so well is simply the fact that it is such a large gluing surface area in a typical formica application. Work with a cheapie, throw-away brush and a putty knife. Use the putty knife to lift the formica and keep flooding the area near the putty knife with contact cement thinner via the brush. The formica laminate will come off very easily. If you don't feel like dealing with removing the formica, don't try to stick tile to it. Instead, try applying some 1/8 thick fibreboard, using the same formica contact cement and a lot of fasteners. Then, do your tiling with the firbreboard as your substrate. But, removing the formica laminate is actually very easy. The thinner gives off nasty fumes, do it outside or in a very well ventilated area. Once the formica is off, keep rubbing down the wood substrate with the thinner to get rid of as much of the gunky contact cement residue as you can. You can brush on the thinner, then scrape the softened glue off with a paint scraper and finish the wood off rubbing it with a cloth dampened with the thinner. This should not take long. Then, hit it with a coarse sanding to prepare it for tiling. This is the perfect project to try your hand at working with tile.
I have tiled over formica counters. This is easy. I got a good utility knife and scored the counter all over. Then I got Lock Tite power grab white glue (this is the glue that holds a brick to the ceiling in the commercial) I applied it to the counter with a putty knife in small sections and applied the tile. Mosaics are fun to do. Just smash the tiles with a hammer and sand the edges with a stone sanding block. If you are using different tiles they may be different thicknesses so use the thickest first and add more glue to raise the others to the same height. Now the edge of the table is going to be an issue if you want a finished edge...If the table is square you can have a pretty 1' molding cut and even glue that on. There are some ceramic tiles that are made for edges...so you can use those for the edges after you break them. You are going to have a blast doing this...it's like a puzzle and lots of fun. Enjoy!
technically, tile isn't made to stick directly over formica. a form of underlayment is required, especially if trying to tile over a formica countertop. since this is just a table, and you are using small mosaic type tiles, the best thing for you to do is sand the finish off of the formica. a belt sander would be the easiest and best way, but if you don't have one or are afraid of powertools, some heavy grit sandpaper would do the trick, and LOTS of elbow grease. you're looking to take the finish and top layer off. use a white thinset, preferably a multiflex (available at home depot or lowes), to set your tiles with, as it is a better product than mastic, and if any of your mosaic tiles are made of glass, mastic won't even stick to them. then, wait for it to dry (24 hours) and grout with the color of your choice. good luck!
