Attaching strips of wood to Formica counter

I’ve never done anything like that but my best guess is gonna b some sort of epoxy. At work we had a counter top coming unglued so we epoxied it and it’s stayed down. No issues for over two years
Your mind is probably already made up but I don’t think I’d try this, at least not as a long term solution. It’s my thoughts that long term I won’t hold up to the water and heat that most counters are exposed to.
I’ve seen ppl paint counter tops for a cheap redo. Myself I’ve installed tile and it has turned out nice and is much cheaper than anything you’ll find that’s normally store bought

-- Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might

I agree with JCamp. In the end, you will not b pleased with the results, no matter what adhesive you use. You will have the best chance of success using epoxy. Contact cement will not require any fasteners. That is why they call it contact cement. It will not provide the durability of epoxy and the pieces can’t be adjusted if you make a placement mistake.

I tend to agree with the above comments in that I don’t think that what you propose doing is a good idea. Having said that, a number of years ago I glued new formica down to old using the usual solvent based contact cement. I just thoroughly sanded the surface of the old before applying the new. It worked just fine and held up for many years. I see no reason why it wouldn’t work for your project.

My concern is more about using walnut (or most any wood) for a kitchen counter top. IMO it is just not an appropriate use. Perhaps if you provided more information on what you are doing and why, we could be more helpful and supportive.

?sand glue & screw Luan then glue your strips then pour the clear epoxy (bar counter top style) on.
What about the back and side splash?
Rip off old counter top start new.

Bad idea, the counter is stable, but the wood strips are not, they will move with every change in humidity. In the end gaps will develop between the boards and/or they will break free from the counter top. The best solution is to replace the counter top.

-- Bondo Gaposis