I sat a hot pan on the laminate in my kitchen. It is now discolored and bubbled. Is there any way to improve the appearance?
Yep. Replace the countertops. I had the same thing after mom left a lovely burn on mine....
Making an insurance claim is a good way to increase your premiums. I'd go for the cutting board trick, but buy a really nice one made of a solid surface substance like Corian or Silestone or even a piece of granite. I don't know how big your kitchen is, but total replacement of Formica including labor can cost around $600-$700 (unless you have a huge amount of counter space). If you're a do-it-yourselfer and can tile, granite tiles are very reasonable and make a beautiful counter top. When my husband and I remodeled a house for our son and his wife, we bought granite tiles at Quality Granite & Marble in Wichita for $7.50 per 12x12 tile. (The color was Baltic Brown, which has black as the predominant color.) Because we did the work ourselves, it cost about the same as having a professional do the counter top with Formica.
No, it's burned. You will have to replace it.
I think that can probably be repaired if it is newer or new-ish--contact a countertop sales place and ask.
When my mother burned her kitchen laminate, she contacted her home owners insurance and they payed to have it replaced. Check your homeowners policy (call the rep) and see if you are covered for that type of accident.
Good Luck
Since it's bubbled I can not think of a way that it could be repaired. Some laminates, the more expensive ones, have color all the way thru and you could probably sand away the discoloration but I don't know of any way to get rid of the bubbles. You might be able to just replace that section. I suggest that you talk with a firm that installs laminate.
As for home owner's insurance, that's a possibility. However,you probably have a deductible that has to be paid.
A make-do solution would be to set a cutting board over the areas. If this happened next to the stove I suggest putting a metal tray backed with asbestos on top of the area. I'm not sure where you'd find one but I've seen them. I used one for awhile until I moved and lost it. It was perhaps half the width of the counter and 10 or so inches wide. I think I bought it at a kitchen supply store.
