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Industry in Depth
Exploring Beneath the Surface: The Technical Side of Laminate |
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Sponsored by Wilsonart Contract
Chances are, you encounter laminate hundreds
of times in your daily life — perhaps without
even realizing it. Laminate is found on
kitchen countertops, in public bathroom partitions,
in office cubicles and even on the table
at your favorite restaurant. It may be one of
the most functional and ubiquitous materials
found in residential and commercial design.
But despite its widespread use, few people
understand exactly what laminate is, the different
types or its many applications.
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Laminates can offer designers an embossed finish with the look and feel of wood. |
What is Laminate?
So just what is it? The official
definition of laminate is “a man-made
decorative material that is
applied to the surface of a substrate.”
It is often referred to as
HPL, or high-pressure laminate,
but its technical name is thermosetting
high-pressure decorative
plastic laminate. Laminate has
many features that account for
its widespread use: It’s available
in hundreds of designs, it’s low-maintenance, it’s heat- and
impact-resistant, and it offers
high value for the investment.
Laminate is manufactured one of
two ways: under high pressure or
low pressure.
HPLs are the most commonly
used laminates. They are comprised
of multiple layers of resin-treated
paper fused together during manufacturing.
HPLs can be adhered to a
variety of substrates, have a dimensional
behavior similar to wood, and expand and contract with
humidity. They are recommended
for any application in which durability
and impact resistance are concerns,
may be used for both vertical
and horizontal surfaces, and have a
low initial cost and a lifespan of
five to 15 years. HPL is also available
in hundreds of designs and multiple
finishes.
Low-pressure laminates (LPLs)
are also known as melamine boards
or direct-pressure laminates. They
are comprised of a single-wear layer
over a single decorative sheet and
are only recommended for vertical
surfaces or low-impact/low-traffic
areas. LPLs have a very low initial
cost, but only a one- to five-year
lifespan. They are available in a limited
number of designs and finishes.
Designing With Laminate
When selecting laminate for a project,
there is more to consider than just color and design. Designers must
also make a decision on the type of
laminate, texture, edge treatments,
and substrate or postforming needs.
Most often, these decisions are based
on performance needs, budget and
intended use of the product.
Many people do not realize there
are several types of HPL available.
HPL is often divided into various
product types: general purpose, vertical
surface, postforming, flame
retardant, high wear, cabinet liner
and backers. Most laminate falls
under the general-purpose category.
General-purpose laminate can be
used for both horizontal and vertical
surfaces, in places where the
surface must be functional, decorative
and durable, such as a residential
kitchen countertop or a work
surface. Vertical-surface laminates
provide a decorative and functional
surface for walls or surfaces that have minimal impact and wear,
while postform-grade laminates are
compatible with a heating and bending
process that forms the laminate
over a radius to eliminate seams.
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Most laminate companies have a standard offering of 200 to 250 design choices, such as this contemporary metallic design from Wilsonart Contract. |
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More than 90 different types of
specialty and performance laminates
exist. Each was developed to
address specific performance needs,
such as an extra-thick laminate that
does not require a substrate, an
extra-thin laminate used inside cabinets
or double-sided laminate that
has a decorative face on both sides.
Other specialty laminates were
designed for specific environments,
such as hospitals or buses.
As the name implies, chemical-resistant
laminate resists common
chemicals. It may be used in hospitals,
labs and other areas where a
variety of chemicals or cleaning
agents are used. Impact-resistant
laminates contain a core made of aluminum or steel, and may be
used in mass transit vehicles, light
industrial facilities and maritime
interiors. Wear-resistant laminates
are produced for commercial, contract
and institutional applications
that demand a decorative surface
that can withstand more than normal
wear. They have up to six times
the abrasion and scuff resistance of
conventional laminate. Another
specialty laminate is fire-resistant
laminate, which is produced for
interior applications that require
decorative surfaces with resistance
to flames and smoke in case of fire.
Once the type of laminate is
selected, it is time to consider color,
design and texture. Most laminate
companies have a standard offering
of 200 to 250 design choices, and
textured finishes add even more
options. Some manufacturers
have limited-access libraries of non-standard designs, including
select discontinued patterns or
custom patterns added for a large
customer. These designs generally
carry a longer lead time and premium
up-charge. To add a custom
design or color for a client, outside
the standard HPL offering,
most manufacturers require a
minimum annual usage of 250,000
square feet and a three- to five-month
lead time for the entire
development process.
In addition to hundreds of colors
and designs, laminate is available in
several textures. Most of these textures
are created with stainless steel
plates, but some specialty finishes
require the use of textured foil.
Finishes not only change the look of
the laminate, they can affect how a
laminate wears resistance, so the
use and location of the laminate’s
texture should be considered when
making a selection.
It is important to remember that
when choosing a color or texture,
certain textures appear more
scratch-resistant than others. For
example, gloss textures show
scratches more easily than matte
textures. The more texture a surface
has, the more it will resist scratching
— texture can actually “interrupt” a
scratch. Also, consider that certain
colors and patterns minimize the
appearance of normal wear.
Scratches are less visible on light
colors than on dark colors, and general
wear and stains are less visible
on patterns than on solid colors.
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High-definition laminate has a finish that alters the laminate's look, texture, and wear-resistance capabilities. |
Always specify laminate under
lighting conditions that match that of
the final installation. While great care
is taken in quality control of papers
used in laminate production, some
colors may have a metamerism.
Texture options include:
- Matte — A textured finish
with a moderate reflective quality. Matte is the standard finish
on most laminates.
- Crystal — A finely beaded
design that minimizes fingerprints and
has high scratch resistance.
- High Gloss — A texture
with a mirror sheen finish that is susceptible
to scratching and not recommended
for horizontal surfaces.
- Textured Gloss — A finish
similar to waxed wood furniture.
- Beaded — A pebbled texture
with the look and feel of
coarse-grained sand.
- Woodgrain — An embossed
finish with the look and feel of wood.
Installation Basics
Laminate is only one of several raw
materials used to build a finished
product. Laminate must be bonded
to a substrate, so adhesives, suitable
substrates and backers are required
for installation as well. Contact
adhesives may be used for bonding laminates to a variety of cores.
They are particularly useful for
applications to metal or impervious
surfaces. Contact adhesives
should be uniformly applied to
both surfaces that require bonding.
These adhesives have high
immediate bond strength, and
once contact has been made, the
components cannot be moved.
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A variety of styles and mixture of materials can be used to edge both residential and commercial laminate surfaces. |
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There are two primary types of
adhesives: solvent-based and
water-based. There are many different
choices for a substrate, but
the best choice is a substrate with
high internal bond strength.
Unsuitable substrates include
plaster, plasterboard, gypsum
board and concrete. A backer is
then used to balance the laminate
construction, prevent warping
and protect the substrate from
moisture. Backers are generally
the same material as the top surface,
or one matching in dimensional
stability.
The process of heating the
HPL to bend around a substrate
form is called postforming. Most
plastics, once cured in manufacturing,
cannot be reheated and
reformed, but postforming laminate
includes modified resins
that allow the sheets to be
reformed under heat and pressure.
Once heated and formed,
the laminate will hold its new
shape permanently.
Postforming is used to create
countertops, moldings, trim pieces
and cabinet doors. It is helpful in
places where a “solid” or seamless
look is preferred, such as
deck edges and cabinet doors, or
where “kid-friendly” curves are
welcome, since they eliminate
sharp edges. Postforming is also
used to achieve special edge treatments,
laminate inlays or inlays
with other materials, such as tile,
wood or metal.
Uses for Laminate
Laminate is found in both traditional
and surprising applications.
Some of the most common and
recognizable uses of laminate
include residential countertops
and cabinetry, office work areas,
public restrooms and department
store wall panels. Laminate is also
abundant in corporate offices,
retail stores and malls, hospitality
environments, healthcare settings
and educational institutions.
Some of the more surprising
areas where laminate is found
include casino slot bases, airplanes,
mass transit seats, theme
park rides, furniture, interior
doors and marker boards.
Laminate also is usually found in
high-traffic areas, including
cashier/checkout stations, kick
plates, pony walls, retail fixtures
and bar tops.
It should not be used in areas
with extremely high moisture,
humidity, extreme heat or cold, in
aseptic rooms or outdoors.
Laminate Uncovered
Once you know what to look for,
you will notice that laminate is
everywhere. If you look around
your office, you may see laminate
in cubicles, on the reception desk,
in restrooms, on the conference
table, on the elevator control panel
or even within some of your office
furniture. The material is very
durable, extremely functional and
highly fashionable. Now that you
know the technical side, we hope
you realize it is an extremely versatile
and usable material as well.
Laminate — it’s not just for
kitchen countertops anymore.
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