Taking Care of Your Formica Surfaces "So many homes have Formica laminates on kitchen counters and other surfaces that we want to pass along some good care information from a booklet put out by the Formica corporation." Formica Laminate was invented in 1912. You have probably seen it and abused it in kitchens where you live or have lived. I hate it. It is a flimsy plastic that stains and damages easy. You can get laminate in different styles other than off white. You can get all kinds of fake looks from wood to granite. Our Almanac has some tips on taking care of your liar liar pants on fire counters. 1. Don't use your counters as a cutting board. I didn't really think that this was a thing that had to be told to people but I recently saw a video of a woman cooking on a flat surface stove. ON the stove without a pot or pan. WTF people. 2. Heat up to 275 degrees Fahrenheit So basically boiling water should be ok if some ...