Laminate, veneer, melamine or melamine-faced: which material to choose?

Laminate, veneer, melamine or melamine-faced? What material should you choose for your cladding? And how should you choose? In this article we will try to answer these questions as fully as possible, giving you important advice and suggestions for an informed choice of your coverings.

Let's discover together the main characteristics, peculiarities and differences of these materials. Here's everything you need to know!

Veneer or laminate, the difference

If you are looking for new furniture for your home or new floor coverings, you will certainly have come across the terms melamine or laminate. It is important to note that solid wood is being used less and less for furniture and upholstery nowadays. Solid wood has been replaced by cheaper and more modern compounds.

A melamine faced panel is a type of panel that can be either:

• Chipboard
• Made with the aid of plywood
• Made with the help of recycled pieces of wood, derived from production waste

The melamine faced panel is a particularly economical material, but at the same time it is able to boast important properties, one of which is its great durability and resistance to scratches and knocks. For this reason, the material is now widely used in the furniture industry, both for furniture and for kitchen tables. The melamine coating can also be made more precious by painting the surface: in this way the surface can be made shiny and more similar to veneer.

Laminate is a material consisting of three layers respectively:

• A high-density fibreboard
• Printed paper that forms the decorative element
• Final layer impregnated with melamine resins

Laminate used in roofing and flooring applications requires an additional layer, usually made of plastic material. This additional layer has the specific function of giving stability to the surface and balancing the laminate.

Laminate is also a particularly hard-wearing material and is therefore used for both furniture and flooring as a replacement for classic parquet.

Melamine panel, what is it?

Melamine is a kind of paper impregnated with melamine resin. This is the meaning of melamine. It is a synthetic material with high capacity. Melamine is a product that is then assembled with a chipboard panel to create a finished material that can be used to make a wide variety of furniture.

Melamine has many pros and very few cons. First and foremost, it is a material that is optimally resistant to moisture, scratches and stains. Despite the fact that it is a very inexpensive material, we can say that melamine is quite durable. Another advantage of this material is its great aesthetic evolution and the possibility of creating a wide range of textures with it (imitation of wood grains, cement effect, or realisations in multiple tints and colours).

Many people wonder whether it is better to use melamine or lacquer. The two materials have very similar advantages: both are easy to clean and particularly resistant to scratches and stains. Melamine may have a less natural appearance than lacquer. On the other hand, lacquered is more delicate in terms of chemical and physical resistance.

Veneer, characteristics and special features

Veneering is basically the coating of low-quality wood with the help of high-quality wood panels, such as walnut, olive, rosewood or mahogany.

This technique, unlike the one used for veneering, is much older and was introduced during the Renaissance. Obviously the technique has been improved and modernised over the years, also thanks to the introduction of increasingly precise and sophisticated machinery.

Veneer is a particularly durable, functional and aesthetically pleasing material. In some ways we can say that this material has nothing to envy to solid wood. From a certain point of view, veneer is even better than solid wood:

• The specific weight of veneer is lower than that of solid wood. A low specific weight means that mechanisms such as hinges and drawer runners are less of a burden and can be used more easily and conveniently.
• With the veneer technique, it is possible to make more space from the same piece of precious wood. This makes it possible to create an entire piece of furniture out of the same piece of wood.
• Thanks to veneering, any imperfections in the wood can be easily removed and camouflaged.

Choose the best contract melamine top for your table or desk

If you are looking for the best contract melamine top to create a table or a desk for your home or professional environment, here is the product for you!

Our special 25 mm thick square contract melamine top is available in different finishes:

• Vintage
• Corten
• Graphite
• Cement
• White open pore
• Contemporary natural oak

Our company also offers you the possibility to cut the top to measure, according to your specific needs and requirements.

In our store you will also find a beautiful square contract top with a 50mm thick ABS edge. This product is also available in the finishes described above and can be cut to size on request.