How to make my laminate table top smooth?

Question

I just purchased this dining table and I love the colour but the feel of the top is kind of rough. It feels like it would scratch easily when I drag plates across and might get dirty quickly because of the grooves on the top. The top is laminated MDF with a wood grain finish. Is there anything I can use or do to the top to make it smooth/sealed but non glossy? Or not too glossy at least.

MitchellMc · Answer

Hi @luc,

I am not aware of any matt finish sealer which you could apply to a laminate surface.

There are not too many finishes for tabletops that wouldn't scratch easily if you dragged ceramic plates across them. The rim of a ceramic plate is usually unglazed and will scratch most surfaces. It's always advised to use placemats on a table.

Laminate is pretty easy to clean as it doesn't have a porous surface and the grooves, which I assume are a timber grain pattern, aren't particularly deep, so they shouldn't catch a large amount of dirt.

I'd suggest you use it for a while and clean it with warm soapy water when needed. Once in a while, you can give it a thorough clean with a special laminate cleaner like White Knight 500ml Tile And Laminate Cleaner.

By using fully glazed ceramic dishes, placemats and specific laminate cleaners, I think you'll find the table will be easy to maintain.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

StevieB · Answer

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @luc. It's wonderful to have you join us and we look forward to hearing about all the projects you have planned around the house and garden.

Since the table is new, it may be worth bringing this up with the store where you bought it to see if this issue is a one-off and check if the table could be replaced.

Our resident D.I.Y. expert @MitchellMc will be happy to help with your questions when he's back on the site tomorrow.

Stevie