Somehow the kitchen counter top in my apartment got a small burn mark on it, probably less than half an inch in diameter. I'm getting ready to move out and really don't want to have to pay for a whole new counter. Is there any way to sand this down and sort of disguise it? Here's a link to a picture of the problem:
http://i445.photobucket.com/albums/qq176/davidlwashburn/burn.jpg

Sorry, but once formica is damaged like that, it needs replacing.

Tick

sorry, but once formica is damaged like that, it needs replacing.

tick

Yeah, I know, I'm just looking for a way to sort of hide it/make it look somewhat pretty in spite of itself.

If u can find a piece of mica that is same, u can cut out burn and put patch in. It will still look patched.

Chuck

Yeah, I know, I'm just looking for a way to sort of hide it/make it look somewhat pretty in spite of itself.

If I knew a way for you to do that, honestly, I would tell you, but if you take a good look at the burn itself and the way it has gone through the whole layer of formica, then you can put two and two together.

I come from a world 'of make do', and even I would be at a loss to fix that and even make it look half decent.

Tick

If I knew a way for you to do that, honestly, I would tell you, but if you take a good look at the burn itself and the way it has gone through the whole layer of formica, then you can put two and two together.

I come from a world 'of make do', and even I would be at a loss to fix that and even make it look half decent.

tick

One handyman suggested using a fine sandpaper to smooth down the edges, then fill it in with something that approximates the color, and maybe use some kind of nail polish or similar substance to simulate the speckling. What are your thoughts on that idea?

Go for it. It doesn't sound like it will work because acetone (nail polish remover) makes mush of anything plastic, but could be that's the point of that particular procedure and may just work to muddle it all into together knowing what formica looks like.

After you do it, take a pic.

Good luck.

I put a scented candle on the formica surface in my bathroom. It was in a silver container and I placed it on a little plate. The silver got so hot that it cracked the plate and burnt a circle into the worksurface. (Eeeek - it pains me even to write it). Our solution is to fix a tile to it - a tile that matches the ones on the walls. If we border it properly, it could look smart. It would then give me somewhere to put the next scented candle!
Hope this is useful.

I put a scented candle on the formica surface in my bathroom. It was in a silver container and I placed it on a little plate. The silver got so hot that it cracked the plate and burnt a circle into the worksurface. (Eeeek - it pains me even to write it). Our solution is to fix a tile to it - a tile that matches the ones on the walls. If we border it properly, it could look smart. It would then give me somewhere to put the next scented candle!
Hope this is useful.

Great idea if it was our own place. Unfortunately, it's a rental. Plus, the mark is in the kitchen on the food prep counter. I'm trying to avoid having to buy the place a whole new counter (double Eeeeek!! ). So I'm desperate enough to try a lot of things.

Don't know a solution but I'll share a horror story with you. When I was a kid of 12 (about 2 million years ago) I made popcorn on the stove in a very heavy metal sauce pan. Then I sat the pan on the kitchen counter next to the stove. Yup. Huge burn mark on the formica. And this was a new house my parents just bought. I also let my hamster esape and somehow he ended up in the heating ductwork and dropped dead. The stench lasted for months. Somehow my parents didn't trade me for a turtle.

You just might have to have the countertop taken out of your deposit. I know of no way to refurbish Formica. A friend of my late mother invented Formica when I was a kid.

Here's the result. I wound up using some DAP caulking-type stuff for concrete, mostly because it came closest to matching the base color of the counter. After I sanded that down smooth with the formica, I added some random dots using different-colored markers, to simulate the speckling. Up close, it looks a little hokey, but from a distance it blends in pretty well. It's always rather glaring to me, but I know what I'm looking for. Anyway, here's a couple of pix, one closeup and one from a little ways away.

http://i445.photobucket.com/albums/qq176/davidlwashburn/tunicate/IMG_0907.jpg

http://i445.photobucket.com/albums/qq176/davidlwashburn/tunicate/IMG_0909.jpg

Simply amazing ingenuity. Now you can have a little business in the side !

Tick

simply amazing ingenuity. Now you can have a little business in the side !

tick

Thanks... I think ;) Seriously, how dumb does it look? Opinions?

I think it looks pretty darn good ! Didn't you get that out 'simply amazing ingenuity'. I couldn't have said it better in my first response.

Tick

I think it looks pretty darn good ! Didnt you get that out 'simply amazing ingenuity'. I couldnt have said it better in my first response.

tick

Probably a bit of projection, because I tend to use such phrases in a sarcastic manner a lot of the time. In any case, definitely thanks!!

It appears to have worked, because we got the official crap from them today and there's no mention of the counter. Cool!