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Can I Store Formica Rolled up?

It is not recommended that you leave Formica rolled up for extended periods of time. If you’re working on a project in your shop and you need to roll up a sheet of plastic laminate to take out on a job, you can roll it up so it fits in your delivery vehicle.

The longer that you leave it wrapped up the harder that it will be to work with. We have always loosened the binding once we reached the destination and laid the mica out flat on the floor somewhere.


The plastic can be stored upright against a wall, once that it has flattened out, but something will need to be placed against it to keep it from falling over.

Curled Formica is extremely difficult to work with especially if it is in a large piece. If you’re not familiar with working with mica when it is curved, you’re at a very high risk of having difficulty sticking the piece of laminate incorrectly.

Does it Matter Which Way Formica Gets Rolled Up?

The plastic laminate is not going to break if it is rolled with the color on the inside or the outside. It doesn’t matter which direction that the finish is facing. To guard against getting any scratches on the finished side, it is best to have the decorative color or pattern facing on the inside when rolling it.

How to Roll Formica
The easiest way to accomplish this successfully is to place the sheet flat on the floor or a large work bench. Starting at one end and working from the center, begin rolling the plastic laminate, making sure that it stays even and symmetrical. The laminate can then be wrapped several times around with masking tape in three to four areas. It is advisable to use small pieces of cardboard underneath the tape where the edge of the Formica could cut through the tape.

How to Get Curled Formica to Straighten Out?

If your plastic laminate is too curled to work with, you can try rolling it in the opposite direction and letting it set for a while. This will usually help straighten out the laminate. If it is left over night on a flat surface, the Formica will lie down and be easier to work with, in the morning, provided that the sheet has not been in a roll for several months or possibly years. By using common sense you can figure out how to flatten formica using the area and materials that are available to you.

Another method is to place a sheet of wood on top of the Formica once it has been unwrapped and laid on a flat surface.

If you decide to store your Formica, only leave it in a roll for a short period of time. By short I mean no more than a week. The looser the sheet of material gets bundled up, the better. If you roll it up really tight it will be impossible to ever work with if it is left in that state for a long period of time. No matter how hard you tryt you will never get it to flatten out.

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