Home > Designing Kitchen Cabinets > Colors or Finishes of Formica to Never Use on Countertops

Colors or Finishes of Formica to Never Use on Countertops

What colors should never be used on Plastic laminate countertops? Is it OK to use gloss Formica on tops? These may seem like strange questions but you’d be surprised at how many people do not realize what difficulties accompany dark colors and high gloss finishes on mica surfaces.

Gloss laminate, good or bad on tops?
Aside from simulated marble patterns that have a gloss finish, as a general rule, I always steer customers away from using this high sheen finish on counters. The biggest reason is that they show every little speck, spot or defect that gets on the top. Even the marble patterns with a high gloss surface will require extra effort to keep clean.


Never use dark colors on countertops and especially never combine a gloss finish with a dark color and use it on the top. Dark colors will show every little water spot, soak scum, tooth paste particle and spec in a much more pronounced way than a light color will. Unless of course you have a white surface and you get something black on it.

So, as a general rule, I always point out to my customers what headaches will accompany having a dark colored counter or ones with a high gloss finishes. Sometimes the women just cannot part with the color and style that they like. In such cases, I always recommend that they invest in plenty of paper towels and Windex to keep them clean with. Formica is really easy to care for but dark colors will make it difficult to keep looking good, especially if there are children in the household.

  1. No comments yet.
  1. No trackbacks yet.

*