Can you recoat a laminate kitchen benchtop?

LizDoggies

I love my kitchen even though it's 25 years old. I don't want a new benchtop as I live what I have. It's a rough laminate (I suppose) and it's pretty good except for the area that is used the most. It's like the protective clear coating has worn down. So I'm wondering whether there's anything you can do about recoating it?

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @LizDoggies. It's sensational to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about restoring a benchtop.

For laminate benchtops, I'm not aware of any DIY clear coatings that will restore the worn protective layer while leaving the original laminate intact. The clear protective coatings available are generally meant to go over benchtop paints, not directly over existing laminate.

In your case, the worn area might either be the laminate surface itself or a thin protective coating that’s simply worn through. Restoring that to its original finish usually falls into the realm of professional benchtop restoration. They can assess whether the surface can be polished back to a sheen or if a specialist clear coating can be applied.

The other option is to repaint the benchtop with a purpose-made benchtop paint, such as the Dulux Renovation Range, and then seal it with a clear topcoat, which would give you a refreshed look and protection going forward. For just patching or recoating the existing laminate, I’d suggest contacting a professional restoration service for advice.

Here's a helpful guide: How to paint a benchtop.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell