Made of Paper
Layers of thin pieces of paper with some resins pressed in low or high temperature as mentioned in this article but with strong protective layer to give added protection from scratch, but not totally 100% scratch proof.
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| image from Formica.com |
In short "man made" material to imitate the likeness of wood, which is a good alternative to your solid wood or veneer finish.
Laminates have also variety of solid color depending on your project requirement which can be used as accent wall to break the monotony of a plain concrete wall in paint finish.
Application
Can be applied as wall cladding, to your table top, kitchen counter top, cabinets such as wardrobe or closet, kitchen overhead and base cabinet, shelves, reception counters, conference tables, modular office partitions and other furniture that you can think off, provided that it stays "indoors".
Also alternative to your interior floor finish instead of tiles, laminated flooring can be used but not recommended for wet areas or prone to moist like toilets floor and outdoor decks.
Given that it is water resistant due to its protective top layer, still it can't withstand prolong exposure to extreme weather so it's not water proof.
Substrates
- Particle board
- MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard)
- HDF (High Density Fiberboard)
- Marine Plywood
- Ordinary plywood
Suppliers to mention a few
- Formica
- Wilsonart
- Worldclasslaminate
- Lamerra
How laminates are made (HPL) (YT from Wilsonart)
Disclaimer: This is not a paid promotion of any brands mentioned in this post but for sample reference only to get some idea.
