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Formica Corp http://www.formica.com/publish/site...#160;shows everything they produce. They still show laminates in their web pages. I have always heard it as "plastic laminate" or Formica. Just like using the Xerox machine instead of copier. Very possible the style is no longer made.

 

Exactly. You will find "Wilsonart" and other mfgr, but it is the same thing. When a formica counter has to be replaced, you pretty much are doing all the counters, it's cheap, and you just replace all of it to match and call it a day. If you are using Xactimate, don't forget the added fee for mitered corners, and you measure those runs to the tip of the corners.

Formica has and will probably always be plastic laminate. They just improve on the laminates ability to prevent scratching , marring  pattern and color change. Formica was so strong in the cabinet top market, that everyone just refers to Formica as the top, when in acutualiy it is a plastic laminate product like most others.

Yes, it should be LKQ. Of course, patterns and colors only last a few years, purposefully, so if one is damaged the whole piece  must be replaced. Good marketing net much more profit.

If it was just a pot burn on the top surface, we used to cut out the burned area and insert a wood cutting board, if the insured agreed to it.

Much less expensive and the PH liked the idea of a built in wood cutting board. We did them as large as 36" X 24" and fortunately made a lot of good inroads with the carriers, by lessening the cost. Now this was 25-30 years ago, so im not sure what to expect today.

You can also recover the plastic laminate with another material, as this has been done personally, and no one can tell.

You are exactly right about an overlay.  As a contractor, I have overlayed a lot of plastic laminate counter tops with another layer of laminate, with ceramic tile, and 12x12 granite tiles.  If using tile, you have to rip the leading edge off with a circular saw first.  Although I have not had this happen yet, If I were to adjust a countertop where just the laminate was damaged (you can't overlay if water has gotten into the particle board) I would write it up as a complete tear out and like kind replacement, but if it is an ACV claim and it leaves them with an insufficient amount after depreciation to actually have the work done, they could use this method and have a contractor do an overlay cheaper.

One note, however- any time plastic laminate is overlayed, a belt sander with very a coarse belt needs to be used to rough up the top to eliminate the slick surface.