What is Laminate?

Laminate or HPL (High Pressure Laminate) sheets are generally constructed of three layers. A base layer of kraft paper is soaked in a vat of phenolic resin making it ready to bond to the second decorative layer whilst also adding strength and flexibility to the sheet. The final, clear layer is passed through a vat of melamine and added to the sheet to create the clear protective coating that gives laminate sheets their desired durability and resistance to abrasions and scratches.

The layers of paper, phenol and melamine are then placed in a hydraulic press to be compressed under roughly 1,400 psi and at a temperature of around 134 degrees Celsius. The heat is the necessary catalyst for the resins and melamine to bond on a molecular level. This process of turning resin soaked paper sheets into a solid sheet of laminate is known as Thermosetting.

The phenolic resin used to soak the laminate sheets was the key to its creation. It was originally formulated in the early 20th century by Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland, he used this to create the world’s first fully synthetic plastic, the world famous Bakerlite.

Bakerlite boasted un-paralleled levels of protection and insulation against heat, water, solvents and electrical currents and soon replaced hard rubber for such tasks.

Leo Bakeland was the first to experiment with making laminate sheets but it was two engineers by the names of Herbert A. Faber and Daniel J. O’Conor who patented this process around 1913. They called their new product “Formica”. These sheets were originally designed as insulation for electrical products, but the trend to use laminate for decorative purposes soon caught on, and has been here ever since.

Perhaps some of the most desirable traits of laminate sheets are its uniform finish and that it is available in a wide variety of colours, textures and designs, with something to suit any project. 

Samples available on request.