Refinishing a desk

**MelissaFortune** · 01-29-2011, 01:16 PM

Hello all,
I am refinishing a desk and realized that there is a piece of plastic or laminate on top of the desk. It is not very thick, just maybe an 1/8th of an inch. I've tried sanding it down and I'm not getting very far. Do you have any ideas on how I can get it off?

Thank you and have a good weekend!

Melissa

**Pemberleyan** · 01-30-2011, 08:24 AM

That's going to be pretty difficult. My first thought was "hammer and chisel." You might try a grinder with a very rough grit, but still it's going to be very laborious. Then you'd have to sand it smooth. Laminate is applied with some pretty serious glue.

**Russ** · 01-30-2011, 08:29 AM

Actually, the hammer and chisel is not far off. You need to get it under the laminate and try lifting it off. After that get some glue stripper to get the rest of the glue off.

**CarolBee** · 01-30-2011, 02:04 PM

Would using a heat gun work to loosen up the glue underneath? Kinda like using a hair dryer to remove stickers - loosens the glue and you can pry/scrape them off easier.

**ravenmaniac** · 01-30-2011, 02:08 PM

Carefully use a heat gun. Then you can pry it off little by little.

**Brat** · 01-30-2011, 07:55 PM

Are you planning to stain it or paint it?

**teresa.russell92** · 02-01-2011, 07:18 AM

You can get ample more ideas if you surf through the net for ‘eco friendly materials.’ Check them and you’ll have many more materials that can give a different look.

**RaineyDaye** · 02-01-2011, 10:16 AM

Can you remove the top of the desk and reverse it so the laminated side is facing down? I've done this with a table top that was very worn. The underneath side was in good condition and just needed sanding well before refinishing. The top was solid wood, though, so this might not work with your desktop if it is made of particle board.