When was formica first used

Is Formica toxic? This DIY countertop is one of the most affordable options and can be very low toxins. Is Formica water resistant? Formica is a heat resistant material and can be easily wiped clean from dirt, grime and grease. Like any material, it is important to maintain and properly care for your Formica to extend its useful and beautiful life. Water damage is one of the easiest things that can be prevented. How do you clean Formica? To clean formica, scrub the surface with a soft cloth or sponge dipped in a solution of water and dish soap.

Alternatively, scrub with a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water. For tough stains, cover the area with a paste of baking soda and water for 5 minutes, then blot up the paste with a damp cloth. How do I install Formica? Method 2 Installing the Formica Apply contact cement to the edge strip and the surface it will attach to if applicable.

Align the edge strip to the surface carefully. Press the Formica with a roller. Trim the edge strip if applicable. Cover the trimmed edges with painter's tape. Can you paint over Formica? Even more surprising is that Formica originally had nothing to do with countertops at all.

The material was first used for insulation of electrical equipment, as sheets, tubes and rings, in military items like airplane propellers and bombs during World Wars I and II, and in automobile timing gears. During the booming economy of the post-World War II years, though, Formica took a quick trip to suburban kitchens and bathrooms, shiny diners, soda fountains — and ever-lasting fame.

The result: a laminated material that was strong, light and an excellent electrical insulator. Innovations in the s and '30s led to Formica's kitchen and diner ubiquity. Formica started to make patterned laminate sheets "decorative wood-grained or marble-surfaced laminate" in with a patented opaque barrier sheet allowing rotogravure printing.

Cunard designers chose sleek Formica as wall surfaces for The Queen Mary , their luxurious new Scottish ocean liner. The ship made its first passage in , bringing loads of publicity to the still young Cincinnati-based company. In the innovation was melamine , a new resin developed by American Cyanamid.

For the more adventurous, there was Milano, a faux Italian marble in pink, yellow, black and gray. In the s, soft pastels and neutrals proved to be the most successful: Sky Blue and Calypso Red just couldn't compete with Sea Mist and Cameo. American style soon spread around the world, beamed into drab living rooms via TV.

Formica factories marched across Europe. A major centre was established in the Pyrenees town of Quillan, where the laminate was produced for 50 years: an "incredible industrial love story between a local city and a worldwide company", as the strangely compelling documentary L'Amour Formica puts it. The glamour may have worn off, Formica becoming a byword for tired, cracked tabletops from the s onwards.

But it appears our love of laminate may be returning: young designers are experimenting with new ways of working with laminate, rediscovering its innovative potential — including the decorative possibilities of intricate, laser-cut veneers. We look forward to topping millions more surfaces for generations to come.

Shiny, happy households: Formica turns Formica, the wipe-clean wonder surface that conquered the world, is years old. Oliver Wainwright would like a finish in Skylark, Spindrift or Milano, please.