Fix it, and Keep on Fixing It

The kitchen is one of the most frequently used rooms in any house. Food preparation likely occurs multiple times a day on your kitchen countertops. Over time, one too many spills that were allowed to linger or one too many pots and pans that came down a little too hard on the service can begin to cause a problem. If your countertop no longer looks so hot, here are some repair tips you might want to try before contacting a professional.

Make Sure the Countertop Is Clear of Grease Before Beginning Any Repair Job

First things first, don't try to fix your countertop if there is grease or other food gunk in the way. Use acetone to remove all grease from the countertop to ensure that nothing gets in the way of the repair job, or you might risk actually making the problem worse.

If You Have Discoloring, Try a Repair Pen

If you've spilled food or drink on the countertop over the years, perhaps it's picked up some discoloration despite your best efforts to clean up quickly. Most home improvement stores today will sell color repair pens designed for kitchen countertops. Find a pen that is the closet match to your counter and then gently move it over the stain. It still might not be a perfect match, and you need to be careful that you don't put too much, but it can turn an obvious eye sore into one you will barely notice.

If an Edge or Side of the Countertop is Coming Loose, Heat Up the Glue Underneath with an Iron

If you have part of the countertop coming loose, your first step should be to try and re-heat the glue on the other side. Press a hot iron against it for a few minutes so that it can get warm and sticky again.

If the Loose Chunk Won't Go Back Into Place, Contact Cement May Be the Answer

If the glue that was holding the edge or side of the countertop in place is clearly not going to work again, you can fix the problem with a little contact cement. This is another substance you can get at the home improvement store and acts as an adhesive. Just be sure you don't put too much, keeping in mind some cement may seep through when you put pressure on the loose piece.

Does your kitchen countertop not look so great these days? Whether it's badly discolored or chipped or just looks a little "off" compared to how it looked the day you moved in, it might be possible to restore your countertop using supplies from your local home improvement store. But if the repairs mentioned here are outside of your area of expertise or you simply don't want the headache of dealing with it, a better solution might be to contact a professional countertop repair service. A professional will have your kitchen looking good as new before you know it