Laminate Beyond the Kitchen and Bath
Laminate Kitchen Countertops Offer Many Design Features – It's look and possibilities have changed and provide an elegant option for any area of your home.
Laminate kitchen countertops are an affordable way to give your kitchen an update without breaking the bank. Available in a seemingly endless array of colors, you can truly make your kitchen your own with laminate tops. Laminate countertops have a large number of edging features. You can decorate your tops with a beveled edge, ribbon edges, wood, or solid surface, along with numerous other edging options to create a unique touch. Additionally laminate is available in different textures, styles and colors to meet anyone taste.
Laminate is not just for kitchen countertops any longer. Laminate surfaces are ideal in multiple areas of your home:
• Craft/hobby rooms
• Garages
• Children's Rooms
• Libraries
• Family rooms
• Cabinets, tables, bookshelves
• Snack bars
• Showers
• Bathroom Dividers
• workstations
Laminate has long been popular because of the wide array of design options including rounded custom edges on tables and countertops. Because laminate is resistant to minor bumps and bruises, and cleans up with mild soap and water, it's a cost-effective choice on walls and doors, shelves, workspaces, and multiple areas through out your house, workshop and office.
Many homes across the nation have a laminate countertop in their home.
One of the best properties of a laminate top is that the top is non-porous. This makes the your top stain resistant because spills are unable to penetrate the surface of the countertop, create mold or allow bacteria to grow. Because the surface of the countertop is non-porous, it is also very easy to clean as dirt and spills can be wiped from the surface of the countertop using nothing more than a damp, soft cloth.
EDGES
Laminate offers a variety of custom edge treatments
Laminate has a lot of style, especially when it comes to countertop edges. Verns can show you a wide range of them—from simple postform to beveled laminate, to wood, to various inlays—at a wide range of prices! It doesn’t take much to make the countertop look elegant.
The variety of styles and the mix of materials that can be used to edge laminate countertops is what gives laminate a real advantage over other countertop materials. Edge treatments make laminate almost indistinguishable from natural and man-made stones. They also let you push the decorative envelope by using wood and solid surfacing-separately or in combination-to countertops and edges with stunning visual effects.
The Basic Edges
| The most familiar laminate edge treatment is the "self-edge" or straight edge". |
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Because laminate is pliable when heated, it can be easily wrapped around forms to created rounded shapes. This process is called post-forming and it's used to fabricate one-piece countertops incorporating an edge treatment and, sometimes, a backsplash. The most common post-formed edges are the waterfall and the bull nose. Most of us have lived, at one time or another, with a laminate countertop edged this way.
Post-formed tops can have a cove backsplash, or made without a backsplash for a more contemporary look where you can add tile or alternative material |
The waterfall, as the name implies, is rounded on the top – the laminate “falls” over the top to the front edge. The laminate doesn't wrap around, so the overhang is unfinished on the bottom side.
| Bullnose edges are fully rounded edges in which the laminate wraps back under the countertop. A variation on the bullnose, called the “double wrap” or "double roundover” has a softened square effect |
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Decorative Edges bring out laminate's true potential. These are standard beveled edges and full-front edge molding in which wood or solid surface creates a decorative contrast with the laminate countertop. Decorative edge treatments are created Verns. With custom tops, you can choose where you want the seams to go and create a finished look on all edges.
Standard beveled edges are an easy way to give your laminate counter the look of stone. The transition from the front edge to the counter's top appears seamless. For a decorative variation on this theme, choose a contrasting laminate color for the beveled strip.
Full front edge molding provides an almost limitless range of options to express your personality. Both wood and solid surface can be used to create effects.. Wood edges can be stained to match your cabinets for an even more elegant look. Solid surface edge is the right choice if you want to add a splash of bright or contrasting color or pattern. Some people combine these materials.
USA
Wilsonart Industries
This company has a long history in the surfacing business, and has become synonymous with high- quality counters and kitchen surfaces. Call their customer service hotline at 1-800-433-3222 to order samples.
Formica
With over 100 years of experience in the manufacturing industry, Formica has become a by-word for surfacing needs. Call their contact center at 1-800-FORMICA (367-6422) to learn more.
DuPont Corian
DuPont is one of the oldest companies still active in the manufacturing industry. Established in 1802, DuPont continues to be a world leader in synthetics and engineered materials. Visit their website to order samples. Customers can also submit questions with an on-line inquiry form.
Nevamar http://www.nevamar.com
Cleaning & Maintenance of Laminate Countertops
Laminate countertops are cheaper than stone, and for their price, are relatively durable. Damage to laminate countertops is usually caused by misuse or inadequate maintenance. Here is a quick list of what to do, and what not to do, when cleaning a laminate countertop.
Basic cleaning tips
Usually, cleaning a laminate countertop is as simple as wiping it down with a wet cloth or rag, spraying it with a little disinfectant or household cleanser, and wiping it off with a dry cloth.
Both rags should be made of a nonabrasive material to keep from scratching your laminate countertop. Scratches can ruin the countertop's finish and allow moisture to penetrate, opening it to mold and mildew growth, bacteria, and discoloration.
Cleansers should be free of harsh chemicals such as alkalines or acids. Both have an unstable pH, which can wear off a fiberglass laminate. Stronger varieties can even melt it away completely. When selecting cleaning chemicals for your laminate countertop, choose one with a pH of 7, or something close. This is the basic pH of pure water, and is completely neutral.
Some owners like to rinse their countertops. While this causes no direct damage, it is best to keep the moisture at a minimum. Make sure the water does not get into the seams, which is where bacteria tend to grow and where damage usually starts. Moisture can also seep into the backsplash, causing it to rot. Use a spray rather than a wet cloth, so you can easily control the amount and direction of the water.
Cleaning tips for special surface finishes
Laminate countertops come in a wide variety of finishes and coating designs, each with specific needs and maintenance requirements. Laminate countertops with sculpted or irregular surfaces should be cleaned with a brush to remove bits of dirt and small particles from the depressed or elongated areas. Laminate countertops finished with extra gloss require a regular wipe with a mild glass cleaner to keep their finish intact.
What not to do
Never use your laminate countertop as a work table or cutting board. While laminate is water and shock resistant, it is not scratchproof. Use a separate chopping board, and avoid pounding or hammering too hard on a laminate surface.
Never place hot objects, such as hot pans, sizzling dishes, hair driers, and curling irons, directly on your laminate countertop. Place hot pans and dishes on trivets or insulated heating pads to protect your countertop's finish. Hot hair driers and curling irons also should be kept away from laminate countertops in bathrooms. Get a rack or holder to hang on your wall instead.
Never use abrasive cleaning tools, such as pumice stone or steel wool, to scrub off stains on your laminate countertop. These will scrape off your countertop's finish and leave ugly marks. Also, avoid using harsh cleaning chemicals to clean your countertop. Hydrochloric acid (commonly used to clean bathroom and swimming pool tiles) can melt the countertop very quickly.
In order to keep the laminate countertop looking new, any spills, dirt, or food residue should be cleaned from the surface of the countertop as quickly as possible. Harsh cleaning chemicals are not needed to clean the surface of the countertop properly and abrasive scrubbing tools will only mar the surface of the countertop. A simple solution of soap and water should be enough to remove even the most stubborn items from the surface of the countertop.
Laminate countertop surfaces are not heat resistant and placing anything hot on the surface of the countertop can cause severe damage to the countertop. This property of laminate countertops is the one that many homeowners do not think of and is often the cause of the countertop having to be replaced due to extensive damage. A hot pot or pan should never be placed on the surface of a laminate countertop without some sort of protective item, such as a pot holder or dish towel, placed between the surface of the countertop and the hot item.
There are a number of different items that can damage a laminate countertop because they are susceptible to scratches, nicks, cracks, burns, and breakage. Laminate countertops are not made from the strongest materials, resulting in the inexpensive cost of the materials, so caution must be used when performing normal chores and activities on the countertop. Homeowners are advised to avoid cutting food directly on the countertop surface, dropping heavy items on the countertop, or placing sharp objects on the countertop as each of these actions can damage a laminate countertop beyond repair.
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