Laminate table tops for contract

Laminate table tops for contract: let's find out together the characteristics and peculiarities of a laminate table top for indoor and outdoor contracts.

Here's everything you need to know about the subject.

Laminate table tops for contract: characteristics and features

What is laminate? Laminate is a type of coating made up of layers of impregnated paper with the aid of melamine and phenolic resins (thermosetting resins). The layers of impregnated paper are then applied to an MDF, chipboard or honeycomb board using particularly high pressure.

Generally speaking, the most commonly used laminate today is the one with a thickness of about 0.6 mm. On the market, however, it is possible to find products with a thickness of 1.2 mm, or even self-supporting panels with a thickness of 2 cm (self-supporting panels known as compact panels). The thickness of a laminate panel can therefore vary according to the different types of product. However, what remains unchanged in a laminate panel is its internal layering. Laminate panels are usually produced with 3 layers:

• Overlay: protective film made of pure cellulose, impregnated with melamine resin with a protective function.
• Decorative sheet on which motifs and colours are reproduced that are visible on the panel
• Layering of particularly strong and resistant sheets of paper (Kraft), impregnated with phenolic resins.

In a laminate panel, each element that makes up the panel therefore has its own specific function, which contributes to defining the respective quality of the material. The function of the foil is to protect the product from heat, scratches, or from liquids falling on the surface. The decorative foil, on the other hand, is very important in defining the appearance of the panel from an aesthetic and design point of view.

Main types of commercially available laminate panels

Various types of laminate are available on the market. Laminate products are classified according to the type of processing and the use of applied decorative foils. Depending on the type of processing, laminate panels are classified into:

• HPL laminate panels (link to HPL laminate article): an acronym in English for high pressure laminate. This is a panel obtained by the action of strong pressure on sheets, obtained by special flat presses that apply high temperatures. This process makes the material particularly resistant.
• CPL laminate panels: acronym in English of continuous pressure laminate. In this case, these are panels obtained by means of a lower but constant pressure, achieved by special roller presses, called calanders.
• CHPL laminate panels: acronym in English of continuous high pressure laminate. These products are the latest generation of panels made using the action of continuous pressure in a calender, which makes it possible to obtain a laminate panel that is very similar in characteristics to high-pressure laminate.

Laminate panels are also classified according to the decorative material used to make them. Depending on the sheets used, we can have

• Melamine laminate panels: wooden panels covered with sheets of paper impregnated with melamine resin (sometimes painted on the surface)
• Polymeric laminate panels: in these products, synthetic material (PVC) is used which is applied to the wooden support: the plastic sheet is heated and stretched and then applied to the surface and folded along the edges, so that the coating covers the entire panel (as in the case of rusticated or framed doors). This product is characterised by its ability to stretch, which differentiates polymeric from other types of laminate. These products are used in the manufacture of 3D cladding
• The latest generation of laminate panels

PVC or PET laminates are preferably applied to vertical surfaces, which are not subject to particular stresses. In the case of doors, polymeric foils are able to play an additional strong point and real trump card: we are of course talking about the aforementioned three-dimensional coating. Because of its properties, polymer laminate is now an excellent and certainly less expensive alternative to lacquer.

Water-repellent laminate top type C1: the best of laminate for contract

Tavolisedie.com offers you the best of laminate products for the contract environment. Here is our special Type C1 square, rectangular or round top, made of water-repellent chipboard laminated with plastic laminate in the colour of your choice.

Our top comes with a 27 mm thick edge made of rounded PVC in black, grey or beech. The square or rectangular top has corners with a radius of 50 mm respectively.

Our company also allows you to make your laminate tabletop to measure. For further information please contact us by sending an e-mail to info@tavolisedie.com.

As an alternative to this beautiful product, Tavolisedie.com offers you another flame retardant product of superior quality. This is the Fire Retardant Laminate Top Type C2, square, rectangular or round, made of CLI fire retardant chipboard, plated with CLI fire retardant plastic laminate in the colour of your choice.

Fire-retardant top Type C2 has a 27 mm thick edge made of rounded PVC in black, grey or beech. Square or rectangular tops have 50 mm radius corners. Also in this case there is the possibility of requesting a laminate table top cut to size.